Martin FrimetTaco Bill topples at the last
April 23rd 2008 06:14
I admit I was expecting the worst as we walked toward Taco Bill in Camberwell. Though un-affiliated to its American near-namesake, Taco Bell, the slightly grotty exterior of this Camberwell institution did nothing to dissuade me from the gut-rumbling feeling that the Mexican cuisine I was about to eat was going to be all grease and no guile.
Things got worse before they got better. The atmosphere in the dining room was painfully stale, the walls washed in ugly brown and – always a sin and an especially big one in a relatively small dining room such as this – the TV was on, beckoning concentration away from both friends and food. Maybe that, I figured to myself, was another sign of what we were in for, and that those at Taco Bill would rather us remember what we watched here than what we ate.
As bad a start as it had been, things next took a turn for the better. Our friendly young waiter greeted us with enthusiasm and took us to a corner table, as far from the TV screen as possible. Perhaps fairly new and definitely a little nervous, he nevertheless seemed happy to help us, talking us through the cocktail menu and, later, picking out his favourite dishes from the menu.
And, somehow, Taco Bill’s recovery continued apace. One of the restaurant’s famed fishbowls, full of tropical-flavour margherita, was plenty big enough for four to share and was a deliciously easy-drinking blend of juice, ice and liquor.
Best of all, the meals we finally chose and ate were good.
Slow-cooked beef stew in a soft burrito came with the kind of flavour that made you think a big Mexican matriarch must have been stirring earnestly in the kitchen for a day or so, while my potato skins topped with chicken and sweetcorn had something of both the crisp textures and crisp tastes I had been praying for. All meals came served with Mexican rice and pureed beans and no one left hungry.
Filling and well-flavoured then, the food at Taco Bill had not been exceptional but it was far beyond the one-dimensional grease-fest I had been expecting.
And yet, after recovering from my own unfair preconceptions and a poor first impression more of its own making, Taco Bill somehow let itself down right at the last. Because, however reasonable the food was, our bill was far from fair. For such simple, stock foods in such a simple, sterile atmosphere I felt robbed that we were paying upwards of $25 each for our one-course meals.
Taco Bill may not have been nearly as hard on my stomach as I had feared but, for being far so much more brutal on my pocket than it needed to be, I’m still certain I would never go back.
Taco Bill
675 Burke Road
Camberwell
Things got worse before they got better. The atmosphere in the dining room was painfully stale, the walls washed in ugly brown and – always a sin and an especially big one in a relatively small dining room such as this – the TV was on, beckoning concentration away from both friends and food. Maybe that, I figured to myself, was another sign of what we were in for, and that those at Taco Bill would rather us remember what we watched here than what we ate.
As bad a start as it had been, things next took a turn for the better. Our friendly young waiter greeted us with enthusiasm and took us to a corner table, as far from the TV screen as possible. Perhaps fairly new and definitely a little nervous, he nevertheless seemed happy to help us, talking us through the cocktail menu and, later, picking out his favourite dishes from the menu.
And, somehow, Taco Bill’s recovery continued apace. One of the restaurant’s famed fishbowls, full of tropical-flavour margherita, was plenty big enough for four to share and was a deliciously easy-drinking blend of juice, ice and liquor.
Best of all, the meals we finally chose and ate were good.
Slow-cooked beef stew in a soft burrito came with the kind of flavour that made you think a big Mexican matriarch must have been stirring earnestly in the kitchen for a day or so, while my potato skins topped with chicken and sweetcorn had something of both the crisp textures and crisp tastes I had been praying for. All meals came served with Mexican rice and pureed beans and no one left hungry.
Filling and well-flavoured then, the food at Taco Bill had not been exceptional but it was far beyond the one-dimensional grease-fest I had been expecting.
And yet, after recovering from my own unfair preconceptions and a poor first impression more of its own making, Taco Bill somehow let itself down right at the last. Because, however reasonable the food was, our bill was far from fair. For such simple, stock foods in such a simple, sterile atmosphere I felt robbed that we were paying upwards of $25 each for our one-course meals.
Taco Bill may not have been nearly as hard on my stomach as I had feared but, for being far so much more brutal on my pocket than it needed to be, I’m still certain I would never go back.
Taco Bill
675 Burke Road
Camberwell
| 56 |
| Vote |
Shared on
Subscribe to this blog
