This piece comes from Sarah Harding, who blogs over at Bedsit Bonne Vivante. You can see Sarah’s reviews for Bristol Bites here.
Nestled in between a hairdressers and a pub, Latin American restaurant Las Iguanas on Whiteladies Road is a magnet for office workers on sunny days, the front doors opening up the entire front of the restaurant to the street. Our visit was no different.
Sadly the front tables were taken, so we picked a sunny spot near the bar and ordered a round of Caipirinhas (2 for 1 all day, £7.95) and decided to share some dadinhos: fried, smoked cheese with a sweet chilli dip (£4.95) to start. Unsurprisingly the fried cheese went down very well. Sadly I can’t tell you what sort of cheese they use but it was delicious, soft with a smokey inside and a crispy outside. The dipping sauce was unremarkable but enjoyable, smooth and sweet. We had four cubes each and it certainly whetted our appetite for the next courses.
For my main I had the half rack of Havana Club and jerk BBQ glazed pork ribs (£13.95) with coleslaw and sweet potato fries. I was told by the manager that this was the the first time they had ever put pork on the menu and, quite frankly, I was pleased they had. The ribs fell off the bone and the sweet, sticky barbecue-style sauce was rich, thick and spiced. I also loved having extra on the side for dipping. The fries were crispy and earthy as you might expect and the small portion of coleslaw was good, not too creamy and cloying.
My friend opted for the fun to say Xinxim (£13.95), a peanut, lime and crayfish curry with chicken which came with rice, fried plantain, green beans and a small bowl of crushed peanut and coconut, and was served in a clay pot over a candle to keep it warm, I do love a little bit of table theatre. The curry itself was thick and rich with good, generous chunks of soft, succulent chicken breast. It wasn’t too sweet either, which is sometimes the danger with peanut-based sauces. I very merrily dipped my chips into the thick sauce, much to my companion’s horror. Both portion sizes were very good and we just about managed to clear our plates.
Sadly my partner doesn’t subscribe to the school of gluttony like I do, so I ploughed on and ordered another round of cocktails and 3 churros with dulce de leche dipping sauce (£3.95) for dessert. They arrived piping hot with a good dusting of sugar and cinnamon and were a good size. A lovely finish to what was a very good meal.
We really enjoyed the atmosphere in the restaurant, it was a little cramped where we chose to sit but we didn’t feel overwhelmed by the number of people coming and going and the staff were all very friendly and helpful. The music wasn’t too loud, the cocktails were good enough and you can excuse the price tag if you’re getting two! All in all it was very pleasant meal in a bit of a Bristol institution. I would certainly return to eat here but would advise you keep an eye on the weather and day of the week as they do get busy at peak, sunny times.
Please note: our meal was received free of charge, but this in no way impacted on our opinion. We were not obliged to write a positive review, and the venue did not see this review before it was put up on the site.