There was nothing especially eyecatching about the décor of the restaurant, but I think we were shuttled into the back room reserved for group dining. The service was pleasant and told us what each of the barbecued meats were as they brought them to the table. However, it seemed to me that Latina is more about food than atmosphere, at least at lunchtime.

There are two components to the dining experience at Latina. First, there is a buffet that includes some salad and other raw food, a number of Chinese and South American style hot dishes and a selection of desserts that ranges from flan to a scrumptious rice pudding – it was worth leaving some "room" to eat it. The buffet is help yourself, and, if you plan to eat vegetables, get them first. Once the meat starts coming, you may forget about your need for roughage.

Once you are back at your table, it’s time for the second part of the Latina experience. A roving group of waiters will begin coming to your table with a variety of meat that is simply mind boggling. There are a variety of beef cuts, each with a different texture; roasted pork that will melt in your mouth and wonderful chicken. There are also some less enticing (to me, anyway) selections: skewered chicken heart, anyone? A card at your plate indicates to the waiters whether you can be tempted to have just one more taste: green side up says "bring it on". Switch it to the red side when you’ve had enough. Be careful, or you may end up like Mr. Creosote, the man in the Monty Python skit who just has to have that "wafer thin" mint …