LAS IGUANAS, CHELMSFORD

Unless you have been living under a rock like myself, you will have probably eaten at Las Iguanas before. Despite loving Mexican and South American food, I had never been to a Las Iguanas before. I absolutely love trying new restaurants (incase you haven't guessed already), so I was really excited about this review. 

I live on the border lines of London meets Essex, so I am lucky in the fact that I can be in Central London in 35 minutes or sitting in the pub that's featured in TOWIE in around the same time. This time, we drove to the Las Iguanas restaurant in Chelmsford, Essex. It gave us a fantastic opportunity to explore the area; including the shopping centre which has a mix of popular high street stores and small, independent boutiques. 

We managed to find a space in the car park which is right next to some of the restaurants, so it's very convenient if you are driving to Chelmsford. The restaurant is located inside the same building as the Everyman Cinema; which is handy if you are going to watch a film too. 

The one thing I absolutely loved about this branch is the decor. It was very cosy and very modern in its furnishings, which made for some Instagram worth content! The bar is located in the middle of the restaurant with bar stools - perfect if you're on a date and grabbing a drink before sitting down for dinner!

I have no idea why I had never been to Las Iguanas before, as we was told something very exciting when Waiter 1 seated us at the table. They offer 2-for-1 on cocktails, ALL DAY, EVERYDAY. Perfect for me and my mum as we LOVE cocktails! Unfortunately though, mum was driving so it was mocktails for her!

I ordered the Mango Collins cocktail, with Absolut Mango Vodka, triple sec, orange, mango and lemonade. If I could be a cocktail, this is what I would be. Mango is my favourite fruit, so this cocktail was rather dangerous as it just tasted like juice! 

I was surprised to see the diverse amount of food that Las Iguanas have on offer. I have never tried Brazilian food before, but there's a few dishes available. To be honest, the menu is very overwhelming and something you should probably study prior so you get a good feel of everything that is on the menu.

They have quite a lot of vegetarian food on offer which is amazing. I'm not vegetarian but I think I have told you before that I do sometimes order meat-free options as I genuinely prefer the taste sometimes! It also means it's a great restaurant option to take any vegetarian friends or family that I have. 

After taking what seemed ages to have a look at the menu, we finally came to our decisions on what to order when Waiter 2 came over.  

For starters, we ordered a few different starter dishes and shared them. It wouldn't be a true light starter in my opinion without some tortilla chips and fresh guacamole. I don't think I have ever had this dish and been unsatisfied, so this one ticked the box. 

We also ordered Dadinhos; Brazilian crispy, cheesy cubes with a sticky chilli jam to dip them in. These hit the spot very well and I would really recommend them if you love CHEESE.

Being the piggies that we are, we also got to try Albondigos; Pantagonian-style lamb meatballs, with apple, mint, a pinch of nutmeg and Parmasan cheese. Mixed in a rich tomato and mint sauce, these meatballs were definitely something else. Again, another one I fully recommend. 

By the time we had finished with our starters, Waiter 3 took our plates away and asked if we was ready for dessert. It was quite embarrassing to then have to explain that these were our starters, but he apologised. It becomes quite a pattern throughout this review, but I think we simply had too many waiters serving us, so communication between all 3 wasn't very good, but is something they can definitely learn from. 

For main, I thought I would push the boat out and order something Brazilian. I went for Bahian Coconut Chicken. Pan fried chicken strips, cooked in a creamy, coconut sauce and accompanied with spring onion white rice and shredded greens. It was actually really nice and wasn't too heavy. I do love a good curry, so this was a good choice for me.

Sticking to the curry theme, my mum ordered Moqueca de Peixe; a fish and coconut curry. It had a mix of peeled prawns, white fish and peppers; served in a separate wooden bowl, white spring onion rice and fried plantain and coconut to sprinkle. She said it was beautiful and definitely recommends it to anyone who likes fish curry. Not something I would personally try, but it did smell delightful!

In all honesty, we were now left feeling very stuffed to the brim but I have a terrible case of dessert FOMO (fear of missing out), so we was easily persuaded to order something. 

After much deliberation of what to order, I went for Dulce de Leche Macadamia Cheesecake. I've said it before and I will say it again; cheese cake is my #1 love, so this went down well. I'm actually a huge fan of macadamia nuts (especially in a dried fruit mix!), and this was coated in a sticky caramel sauce. Yum!

My mum on the other ordered the Aztec Chocolate Fudge Cake. It had a fun little spin on things though, as the sponge was spiced orange and coated in a thick, rich chocolate sauce. Finally, with a dollop of vanilla ice-cream; it was definitely the naughtiest treat.

We was both very impressed with the food quality at Las Iguanas and we will no doubt return for another meal in the future. I think the service was great, but it would be better to be served by just the 1 or 2 waiters, rather than 3 to prevent mistakes from happening. Any restaurant can benefit from that tip!

Disclaimer: A complimentary meal for 2 was provided in exchange for an honest review on my blog. All photographs and opinions are my own.