Z (my BF) was so sweet and considering recently, probably because I was a bit upset and feeling unsettle. We have been together for 3 years, I moved to Manchester a year ago because it is closer to work. He lives in Liverpool, seeing him every weekend could be a chore when my schedule is packed and work is stressed. Sometimes I wish he lives closer to me (but not with me), we can meet up for lunch or just pop in for tea in week nights. In some weekend, I would rather be alone. Anyway, today, we are not talking about that, it is about Savina - the posh Mexican.
Z’s dad came over last week, usually I would be the cater for them. Z’s dad, Mick loves good food, apparently his wife is not a brilliant cook, in that sense, I am confident to say, Z is a lot luckier than Mick. It was a Wednesday night, I went over to Liverpool from Cheadle Hulme after work. Z insisted to dine out as a treat. I have not dinning out since I got a proper job, my parent stopped funding me, so even I'm earning more than when I was a student, I also spend more on basic expenses.
We went to this Mexican restaurant called Savina. He has tried them twice and he likes it. Although, I'm sceptical about it, he is a very appreciative person and anything taste semi-decent he would say that they are good. There were a few diners when we arrived, the receptionist was nice, non-English by her accent, kindly showed us a table with a nice window view.
We did not ordered wine, Z was driving and I was too tired to get tipsy. The décor of the place is trendy, red in colour, a bit too red I would say. In my mind, Mexican restaurant would be more down to earth, not pretentious, cosy and simply no fuss, Savina has not got these boxes ticked.
The main menu was not full of choices, but that is not the problem. A limited menu means stocks gets used quicker and fresher most importantly. There were about 5 starters, 3 of them are Nachos with different amount of toppings. 5 grilled steak dishes in Mexican Style, of course those special term appeared on the menu, like chipotle, aioli, cilantro to make these basic dishes sound authentic. There are a few more fish dishes, they sound nice but not interesting enough. At the point I was thinking, ‘grilled steaks can’t be their major diet, can it?’ I read further down of the menu, the 5 chef specialé were the ones I was looking for, I’m sure there are plenty more down to earth, hearty dishes in Mexican cuisine.
We started with Nachos Supreme which we quite enjoyed. Main course arrived straight after we finished the starter. Me and Mick ordered Cochinita Pibil, a stew dish, with braised pork, in tomato, onion, garlic, cumin orange and cilantro (coriander) sauce. A flavourful dish with a warm welcome, it is a perfect comfort food for week evening. The sweet and sour from the tomatoes and orange, with a hint of smokiness I would think that’s from smoked paprika, and coloured by chipotle, with coriander’s fragrant underlined. Even though, the traditional way is served in banana leaf parcel, I did not care much. Z had a chicken dish in a spiced cream sauce, served in similar way but with sautéed potatoes with chorizo, they are tasty too.
The only last criticism about the food is, the portions are small, and the warm, simple, rustic, grounded presentation does not match the attitude of the restaurant’s décor. There was a crashed when they tried to get a balance of both worlds. I do not mean Mexican cuisine cannot be trendy and posh, even so, a harmony between the taste and visual pleasure is needed. Price-wise, three of us shared a starter, a main course and a beer each, the bill came at 60 quid. I could not say it was a rip off, but for a 12 quid main course, they could have done more than that.
Z’s dad came over last week, usually I would be the cater for them. Z’s dad, Mick loves good food, apparently his wife is not a brilliant cook, in that sense, I am confident to say, Z is a lot luckier than Mick. It was a Wednesday night, I went over to Liverpool from Cheadle Hulme after work. Z insisted to dine out as a treat. I have not dinning out since I got a proper job, my parent stopped funding me, so even I'm earning more than when I was a student, I also spend more on basic expenses.
We went to this Mexican restaurant called Savina. He has tried them twice and he likes it. Although, I'm sceptical about it, he is a very appreciative person and anything taste semi-decent he would say that they are good. There were a few diners when we arrived, the receptionist was nice, non-English by her accent, kindly showed us a table with a nice window view.
We did not ordered wine, Z was driving and I was too tired to get tipsy. The décor of the place is trendy, red in colour, a bit too red I would say. In my mind, Mexican restaurant would be more down to earth, not pretentious, cosy and simply no fuss, Savina has not got these boxes ticked.
The main menu was not full of choices, but that is not the problem. A limited menu means stocks gets used quicker and fresher most importantly. There were about 5 starters, 3 of them are Nachos with different amount of toppings. 5 grilled steak dishes in Mexican Style, of course those special term appeared on the menu, like chipotle, aioli, cilantro to make these basic dishes sound authentic. There are a few more fish dishes, they sound nice but not interesting enough. At the point I was thinking, ‘grilled steaks can’t be their major diet, can it?’ I read further down of the menu, the 5 chef specialé were the ones I was looking for, I’m sure there are plenty more down to earth, hearty dishes in Mexican cuisine.
We started with Nachos Supreme which we quite enjoyed. Main course arrived straight after we finished the starter. Me and Mick ordered Cochinita Pibil, a stew dish, with braised pork, in tomato, onion, garlic, cumin orange and cilantro (coriander) sauce. A flavourful dish with a warm welcome, it is a perfect comfort food for week evening. The sweet and sour from the tomatoes and orange, with a hint of smokiness I would think that’s from smoked paprika, and coloured by chipotle, with coriander’s fragrant underlined. Even though, the traditional way is served in banana leaf parcel, I did not care much. Z had a chicken dish in a spiced cream sauce, served in similar way but with sautéed potatoes with chorizo, they are tasty too.
The only last criticism about the food is, the portions are small, and the warm, simple, rustic, grounded presentation does not match the attitude of the restaurant’s décor. There was a crashed when they tried to get a balance of both worlds. I do not mean Mexican cuisine cannot be trendy and posh, even so, a harmony between the taste and visual pleasure is needed. Price-wise, three of us shared a starter, a main course and a beer each, the bill came at 60 quid. I could not say it was a rip off, but for a 12 quid main course, they could have done more than that.
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