Tortilla, Mexican eatery based in Islington and now Southwark
Tortilla, Mexican eatery based in Islington and now Southwark
Review By Helen Forrest
Tortilla
13 Islington High Street
London
N1 9LQ
Tortilla, the Mexican eatery based in Islington and now Southwark, first opened in 2007. Following in the footsteps of Itsu and Masala Zone in its approach to repackaging authentic cuisines in a simple ‘fast food’ format, Tortilla’s founder Brandon Stephens had clearly spotted the Taco Bell shaped hole in the UK market. Mexican food is massive in America but has yet to take off in the same way over here, although the signs in the last few years have been promising, with rising sales of fajita kits and the like showing that British public definitely has an appetite for a different kind of fiery food.
Stephens arrived here from California in 2003 and was perturbed to find that nowhere in London served a good quality burrito. He decided to put that right and set about creating a company that focused on top quality and, where possible, organic ingredients freshly prepared. Stephens knew that even if we native Londoners were slower to pick up on the idea, he had a ready and waiting market of visiting and expat Americans to ensure the success of the venture.
The concept is of course a simple one; you select your choice of burrito (or fajita), medium or large, choose your base of pork, grilled steak, chicken or vegetarian and then add your toppings. Each burrito comes with a few fillings as standard and is great value at £5.60 for a large (£4.60 for a medium). Extras start at 50p and for those who want sides too – chips and dips are available. We tried out the newly opened Southwark branch for an office lunch. We ordered a selection of large burritos including a mixture of toppings such as rice, black beans, Monterey jack cheese, sour cream and guacamole. The first impression we shared was that the portion size are extremely generous; these babies are heavy! I wouldn’t recommend ordering the large unless you have a huge appetite, are skipping dinner or planning to share it with a friend. For those who want a low carb or less filling option all burritos are available “naked” (which means without the tortilla wrap) for £4.60 – a good idea in our health conscious times and one that counters the image of Mexican food as being a tad stodgy.
The next thing that struck us was how fresh everything tasted, the website proudly announces how many of the items on offer are prepared twice daily and so on and it is easy to believe – in particular the guacamole and salsa were sparklingly fresh. My grilled steak came well done, but was still tender, which suited the dish. The other meats were also good and well cooked although my boss felt there could have been a bit more chicken and less of the other fillings in his. There was a good balance of flavours in the burritos and the amount of choice was impressive. I am looking forward to trying black or pinto beans with guacamole next time. As I mentioned before the dips were delicious, although be warned that the fiery red one (Salsa Roja) has a major kick, but this is tempered by a lovely smoky aftertaste.
One of my colleagues especially adored the guacamole and polished most of it off with the crisp chips – it was one of the best versions I have tasted too. The salsa verde was unlike any I have had, not necessarily a bad thing just not what I was expecting; it was a bit watery but had a nice flavour. If you enjoy your Mexican and spicy food in general you won’t be disappointed and Tortilla will definitely provide you will a welcome alternative to the soggy sandwich as a quick, tasty and credit crunch friendly lunch. Although the burrito is the star of the show here there are plenty of other interesting options like salads and tacos if you prefer. You can get a substantial lunch here for under a fiver and the general feeling at my workplace was very positive with many saying what good value it was and that they would definitely eat there again.
Tortilla
13 Islington High Street
London
N1 9LQ
TEL: 0207 833 3103
Tel: 0207 620 0285 – Southwark Branch
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