Wednesday 26 November 2008

Chilango

Much as I respect and adore Trusted Places, the social networking site for cool venues to eat, drink and chill; but if I see another 4-5 stars review of Chilango, the newish Mexican fast food joint in the City, I'm going to declare that I'm the main subject in Edvard Munch's The Scream and I'll most definitely jump off the bridge from the same painting.

A majority of the reviews were based on invites to a Halloween '' Day of the Dead'' party at the said restaurant. Perhaps I'm hardly
reticent with my concerns on a collective group of reviews that share the same consistent praises, the same spooky synchronic linguistics surrounding the excellence of the burrito and the venue unanimously elected as cool-dude funky (It reminds me more of a clean Burger King or 21st century Taco Bell). True I didn't sample any of the food on that night as I'd to rush back for a peasant's tea of haggis, but I did pay Chilango a visit last week and ordered myself a cheesy cochinito (shredded pork) burrito; it was stodgy, leaky, and very average tasting indeed. Why all that flippin' fuss? I know this may sound like a kick in the teeth, but KFC does a chicken wrap that shares the same pretension as the burrito found at Chilango.

Positively speaking, this Fleet Street restaurant could well be history in the making, akin to McDonald's first joint in San Bernardino in Claifornia. This is fast food (and it tastes manufactured) that's served and sold by a company that has aspirations of becoming a chain of' speedy gonzalez' Mexican food restaurants.

Second visit as of today (18/12/08)














Same findings, so nothing new.


142, Fleet Street
London EC4A 2BP

Chilango

10 comments:

Hollow Legs said...

Leaky?! How disappointing. I base my burrito scores partly on leakages and I didn't experience any that night at Chilango's. Perhaps you caught them on a bad day...or we caught them on a good one!

bellaphon said...

It wasn't so much the leakage, but the lack of taste that prevailed. Gotta try Wahaca now.

Anonymous said...

"The venue unanimously elected as cool-dude funky"?

I beg to differ, sir! In my TP review I said that "it has the look and feel of an upmarket fast food restaurant". I also took care to mention the production line method of ordering and preparing the food, also the limited opening hours, so as no one would be under any illusions about Chilango being a restaurant in the more usual sense of the word. That said, I did enjoy the food and thought the staff worked very hard at keeping us happy - hence four stars.

I appreciate that you're using a little comic licence in your writing, Bellaphon, but we're not the lemmings you're painting us to be!

How come there's no trailblazing review from you about your negative experience at Chilango on Trusted Places, anyhoo? What's the matter... SCARED?!

bellaphon said...

Anonymous...likewise, ''What's the matter... SCARED?!'' with regards to naming yourself!
Glad this review got noticed, gissa your name and I'll post the review on TP.

Anonymous said...

Sorry, I tried to submit my name with my post but it threw up an error message - so I had to opt for 'anonymous'. Thought it might be obvious, anyway.

Signed,

Lacrimosa

P.S. By the way, it's not your view of Chilango that's made me bristle, but what seems to be a rather sneaky attack on your fellow reviewers (ten people, including me, at your time of posting). PLEASE DON'T CHUCK ME OFF YOUR FRIENDS LIST! I'm just biting back here.

bellaphon said...

Damn, as promised I've gotta post this on TP now and face the consequences. LOL!

Anonymous said...

Well, I'd reword it if I were you - you'll have an angry screaming lynch mob after you otherwise!

Lacrimosa

bellaphon said...

Second visit due on Thursday.

I heart cupcakes said...

I work quite near to Chilango and have been a couple of times and my chicken burrito has always been tasty, no leaks and the hot salsa v.spicy :) The other customers tend to be of the braying City type but you get that everywhere around there so I can't hold that against them!

Anonymous said...

they bang on about this place being mexican, constant references to it and yet this aint the food of mexico at all, its a just a straight up average cali style taquria. i think they are a bit to keen to become a chain/brand, a problem with the new openings with £ behind them.