Charlie Bond grabs her sombrero and heads for Tunbridge Wells’ newest eatery
I LOVE Mexican food. There’s rarely a week that goes by when I don’t indulge in some kind of fajita/burrito/taco goodness – but until now there was nowhere in Tunbridge Wells to enjoy such delights, so I had to make do with my homemade efforts.
BUT, fajita fans, The Mexican Kitchen is here – and it’s bloody amazing. Formerly The Hideout, the owners spiced things up in May by reinventing the eatery and creating a fun, informal space where friends and family could get together and enjoy a taco or two.
We had:
While we perused the menu, we each had a glass of wine (the Borsao Granacha red for my guest, £4.95 for 175ml and a crisp, dry rose for me – the Chantebelle, also £4.95 for 175ml).
To start, we ordered guacamole (£6.95) from the ‘nibbles’ menu which was deliciously fresh and definitely enough to share, and came served with crispy tortilla chips.
Then, for our starters, we ordered the Costillas de Cerdo (7.95) – two perfectly cooked pork ribs in a smoky sauce, where the meat quite literally fell off the bone, and the Cocktail de Cameron – spicy king prawns served in a martini glass and topped with salad and more avocado.
Side note: If you’re an avocado fan then you’ll love this menu – practically every dish comes with a sizeable portion of the stuff, and it’s beyond delicious.
Once we’d finished our wines, we started to get frozen margarita envy – practically every other diner in the place had one in hand, so we ordered one to share (being a school night and all). Well, it was incredible – on a summer’s day, what could be nicer than a grown-up Slush Puppy with a healthy dose of tequila inside?
But, back to the food – because even though we were pretty full by this point, we still had our main courses to contend with.
Despite numerous options – chilli, burritos, tacos and steak – we both opted for fajitas; chicken for my guest (£14.95) and king prawn for me (£17.95). Both came served in a sizzling skillet, packed with juicy peppers and onions, and with guacamole, salsa, sour cream, wraps and cheese.
This was a seriously tasty dish and there was no scrimping on the shrimps – it was absolutely full of them.
Speaking of full, by this point we had reached our limit, but the lovely Fiona allowed us to box up the rest to take away. And, I can confirm it was just as moreish on day two for lunch (and it evoked many envious stares as I munched away).
We thought:
The Mexican Kitchen is the missing jigsaw piece in the Tunbridge Wells foodie scene – excellent service, delicious dishes and of course, tequila what’s not to love?
