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Macho Restaurant

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MichaelJM
MichaelJM
First Reviewer
1 out of 5
Avg. Member Rating
1
Review
4
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Editor Pick

El Macho

  • January 17, 2008
  • Rated 1 of 5 by MichaelJM from Nottingham, England
El Macho

Sometimes the anticipation is far better than the experience and I’m afraid that my night out at El Macho was exactly that. My work colleague had been seriously delayed in the south of England and we’d talked about eating out at this Mexican restaurant on a previous rendezvous. I was thinking spicy Mexican from the point in the evening that my stomach was indicating that I was ready to eat and so I trundled from the hotel to the nearby Portland Road and descended the short staircase to the basement restaurant.

Decoratively it has been painted out in the base colours that are typically Mexican – yellow, green and terracotta and it was further “themed” with false Mexican facades to disguise the “working rooms of the restaurant. There was a Mexican law office next to the prison and near to the mission hall and when I got there the place was absolutely deserted of diners. I half thought of turning round at that point but the young waitress was very pleasant and had an enchanting Mexican accent. I had the pick of the tables and opted for one just outside the “solicitor’s office” and as I had already decided to go for the “numero tres” the ordering of the meal was quick.

Before 7.30 p.m. the restaurant offered “meal deals” and “numero tres” gave a starter of nachos and guachomola followed by enchiladas and included a super-large glass of wine. I ordered a bottle of “Corona extra”, a Mexican beer, which was swiftly delivered to my table in what I thought was a fairly unique way – no glass but with a section of lime stuffed in the bottle top. I held back from asking for a glass assuming that this was “the correct way to drink Mexican beer”. I have to say that I prefer a glass but the continual taste of the lime (I replaced the lime after each slurp) proved to be a novelty.

I crunched on the Nachos loaded with the smooth green paste of the Guachomola and although this was a little spicy overall I felt it was on the bland side and nowhere near the quality that I was expecting. Still I was hungry and alongside the beer it was certainly edible. The waitress obligingly had brought me a local paper and before I realised I’d almost finished off the Nachos. The wine was brought (it was indeed a large glass!) and I was asked if I was ready for my meal – this clearly was an indication that there would be a significant delay in the delivery of the enchiladas (I’d already agreed I’d have a mix of beef and chicken). Still I’d now got a glass of wine an evening paper and I really wasn’t in a hurry. I sat back to enjoy the piped music and awaited my meal.

When it finally arrived it looked like slop. Awfully presented although reasonably tasty, but not a meal I’d go back for!

From journal O 2 Eat Out in 08

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