Tortilla Canteen

Tortila Canteen. 7/7/23

Bridport.

We called in to The Tortilla Canteen early on a Friday evening as we were getting peckish having been wandering round Town sampling the local hostelries.

I was still on my Low Carb diet, so it was a bit tricky to find some where that offered some thing interesting without chips, Rice or Pasta, yet still made Jaki feel like she was having a birthday meal.

We hoped a Mexican would do the trick and I guess it did.

From outside it looked very small but there were a few people sat at tables on the pavement drinking Mexican beer and putting away a few Tequila shots which was a good sign.

Inside there weren’t many guests so getting a table wasn’t a problem.

We were shown to a small booth with hard wooden bench seats backed with sacking built around a pine table. It all looked a bit ‘home made’ but there didn’t seem to be a Mexican Theme with Pictures of ET on the walls, It sort of mixed its identity some what.

A previous visitor?

We went to Tijuana once and ate in a Brothel. Our friends, who we were traveling with at the time sent their food back. Apparently the Kitchen didn’t know how to make Chilli properly!

We were sat right opposite the small bar where the staff were mixing Marguerite Cocktails, so we could overhear their conversation.

It seems they were catering at a Music Festival some where and most of the staff had been sent off there, so they were short of staff.

(Most places we visited were in the same boat and it’s been a recurring theme since Brexit).

The young Lady waiting tables brought us each a menu but before we had time to look, she was back asking if we were ‘ready to order’.

She obviously modelled herself on that famous Mexican, ‘Speedy Gonzales”.

Jaki usually takes an age to make a meal choice ( average wait 45 minutes) so on her Birthday, I expected it to take even longer.

She has her Mothers DNA when it comes to making a decision.

The menu was fairly limited but it had enough options to satisfy us and we both went for the Quesadillas . 

I chose Chicken (£16.75) and Jaki the beef.(£18.75).

These 12 inch flour tortillas were folded into quarters and served with some sort of red pickle and a dipping sauce.

We also chose a side of Black Beans (£4.50).

The meal in itself was a bit ordinary despite the high praise the owner heaped on himself. Apparently he knew all about Mexican food. It seemed he had travelled to every corner of the earth spending at least 5 years in each venue learning everything there was to know about the cuisine before opening a restaurant in London.

Put that in your CV and smoke, it Jamie Oliver.

My Chicken Quesadilla filling was a bit ‘sloppy’ it was more like shredded chicken in a (mild) sauce but Jaki seemed quite happy with hers. It was quite filling if a little, ordinary.

Now having read reviews on Trip Advisor it seems lots of people praised the Tortilla Canteen for its ‘Mild flavours’.

But I just dont get it.

If you want mild flavours go order a Cream Tea!

What Little I know about Mexico suggests they dont do Mild.

Their Music, their Culture, their Drinks and yes their Food, is anything but Mild.

On the day we visited Mexico, we witnessed a shooting, drank some scanky Tequila including a worm and ate in a brothel (did I tell you that already)?

Jaki refused to allow me to chose my own desert that day.

But in my meal there was, as far as I could see, no evidence of a Chilli or a Jalapeño pepper either inside the wrap or on the plate.

We weren’t even offered any additional sauces which meant my meal lacked any punch and it had very little flavour.

I had expected, though perhaps naively, that the Quesadilla would come with a few bits and pieces like refried beans or Guacamole, but it didn’t.

The only way to get these things was to order them as extras and they weren’t cheap.

Jaki had two margarita cocktails (£19) and I had a Ginger Beer which was the hottest thing I consumed that evening (£3).

We finished our meals and chose not to order anything else, so we asked for the bill.

The total Bill came to £66 with Jaki’s drinks costing more than her meal.

It was only after we had left that I checked the bill and realised they had wrongly charged for black beans with chorizo which added another £3.50 to the bill.

I called in the following day and brought this to their attention and they were happy to refund the difference though they mischievously took the money out of the jar with Staff Tips in it.

So it seems the staff actually paid for this mistake.

In summary this version of Mexican street food was pleasant enough though in my humble opinion lacked the bite I had expected.However, I recognise this might suit some people.

I thought the food was rather expensive for what it was and the drinks were particularly pricey. I did though compare them to other venues in Bridport and they were comparable, so maybe that’s an unreasonable criticism on my part?

The venue isn’t very comfortable, I wouldn’t want to sit at this table for very long and I’m not sure it has a very clear identity.

I should have looked at the price before ordering, so complaining after the event is pointless.

My bad .

The following day I discovered a van selling Mexican food in the Street Market and the prices were much more reasonable and the environment, far more comfortable, if slightly wetter.