Las Iguanas Manchester Review
Las Iguanas
Trafford Centre, Manchester
Reviewed by Paul Harvey and Family
Our table for three was booked for 5pm on Saturday 30 March, 2013. Our party consisted of me, my wife, Louise and our daughter Scarlett, age 7.
On our arrival we were pleasantly greeted by a young lady who confirmed our booking and showed us to our table. She gave us a choice between two tables, one at the front near the bar area, or one round the back in a quieter area where we could see outside and we chose the latter. She then gave us our menus and asked if we’d been before, we haven’t, so she fully explained the different types of food and the two different menus. There was a quick & light lunch bites menu (available until 6:30pm daily) which is a set menu with a reduced selection of smaller versions of the a la carte dishes. Our other option was the main a la carte menu, which is what we chose. She also gave Scarlett the children’s menu which doubled up as an activity booklet (along came a pot of crayons too!) and anything to keep her occupied goes down a treat!
We were given just enough time to make our selections, before another lady came to take our order (If I’m being hyper-critical, they could have maybe asked for drinks order earlier). Scarlett chose the mini meaty burgers with curly fries (choice of curly or straight) and a strawberry mini milkshake. Louise selected the Nachos starter, followed by the Epic Enchilada (with spicy chicken, peppers, onion & cheese). I chose chicken wings with Vivo sauce (comes with a choice of 3 sauces: honey peri peri, spicy barbeque jerk or Vivo; flaming hot habanero) followed by a half Blazing Bird. We also had a pint of San Miguel lager each and Scarlett chose a strawberry mini milkshake.
After what seemed like not a long time at all we were presented with our starters along with Scarlett’s main course (which we had asked for to save any hungry whinges!) Scarlett was thrilled by her two mini burgers and, of course the curly fries. She ate the lot (with the help of Heinz tomato ketchup) showing that it was just the right size portion for a 7 year old. Her mini milkshake was far from mini, “very fruity, yummy and had little bits of strawberries in it” meaning she drank the lot. Louise’s nachos were very well presented, fresh and tasty, but a large number of nachos compared to the amount of dips, etc. My chicken wings were fabulous! There were four large wings covered in the Vivo sauce (a very hot sauce, highly recommended to anyone who likes spicy sauces, leaving my lips tingling, to say the least and I advise to have a jug of water on standby!) There was a lot of chicken on the wings and it literally fell off the bones with minimal effort. I was also presented with a finger bowl to wash my pleasantly covered saucy fingers! The staff were so efficient in checking everything was to our satisfaction and then removing our starter plates and cutlery. After about 10 to 15 minutes, the ideal length of time, we were presented with our main courses. Louise’s Epic Enchilada was well presented, hot, fresh and very tasty. My half Blazing Bird (with which I chose straight fries and the spicy barbeque jerk sauce) was outstanding. The chicken was a great size, covered in a stunning sauce and again the meat just fell off the bone. Having sampled two of the three sauces I can highly recommend both of them. The Vivo for the hot and spicy fans and then the Jerk for less spice but full of flavour. All three of us completely emptied our plates and thoroughly enjoyed every morsel.
Following on from our main course Scarlett and I elected to go for some desserts. Scarlett chose the strawberry jelly (sugar free, without any less flavour) and vanilla ice cream, of which she loved and ate the lot. I chose the Berry Mexican Mess (strawberries in hibiscus syrup, mascarpone, yoghurt and crushed meringue) a spin on the classic Eton Mess, but even better. It was a fantastic combination of ingredients, full of flavour and tasted awesome. Louise opted out of dessert but as an alternative had a rum liqueur coffee, which tasted very fresh as if the coffee beans had just been ground.
All the staff throughout our visit were very happy, bubbly, and friendly, especially Sarah who interacted very well with us and particularly Scarlett. Sarah was constantly checking we were happy with everything and was happy to help in any way she could.
The restaurant itself is very well presented, clean and bright. A quote from Eren, Las Iguanas MD (via the Las Iguanas website): “We wanted to create something special, something alive, that made people feel good about themselves and feel good about life in general”. We can honestly say that this was created during our time at Las Iguanas with the combination of the surroundings, staff, Latin style music and outstanding food and drink.
We felt that all the food and drink was great value for money. We will definitely visit again and highly recommend the Las Iguanas, Trafford Centre to all family, friends and colleagues.
Rating: 4.5/5
For more informative, to view menus or book a table visit www.iguanas.co.uk
