Mexican really is hot stuff, amigos

I CAN’T imagine how many kilos of chillies Chilli Shak gets through in a week.

In my overactive imagination, I envisage sackfuls of the shiny firecrackers lined up in the kitchen and a man employed solely to chop them, day in, day out, tears streaming down his face and no friends to speak of.

Certainly, every dish we either ate or saw on our evening there was sprinkled with an inordinate amount of red chilli or green jalapeno, or in most cases both.

Some like it hot — and I am not usually a lightweight — but even I found myself pushing them to one side for fear of causing irreparable damage to my internal organs.

If this sounds like I’m being negative, I’m really not. I enjoyed everything about Chilli Shak, from the sombreros and ponchos hung on the walls to the mariachi music playing while we ate, and most of all the food. I just think they could lay off the chillies a little bit, if only to spare that poor man in the kitchen.

It was a Tuesday night when we dropped in and I was convinced it would be deserted. In fact, there was another couple and a table of six or seven blokes, and in such a small restaurant that constitutes a crowd. It felt lively and inviting and we were inspired to order two Desperados (tequila flavoured beer... on a Tuesday night!) to help us join the party.

The trouble with Mexican food, I sometimes think, is that it’s too easy to make at home. With DIY kits for enchiladas, burritos and fajitas in just about every supermarket, and the world and his wife cooking up a chilli con carne to serve to their friends, Mexican dishes have become as much a part of our staple diet as meat and two veg or chicken tikka masala.

The challenge, therefore, for any Mexican restaurant is to do the food better than any kit or home cook could manage, and Chilli Shak has that spot on.

We started with nachos amigos (£4.95) for me and chicken rollitos (£6.95) for my other half. The nachos were piled so high I thought at first I’d ordered the large portion (£7.95), but no, it was just the ‘small’.

You can’t go wrong with nachos really, but these were excellent, layered with a deliciously garlicky guacamole, melted cheese, a fiery homemade salsa and a welcome dollop of sour cream to cool down the heat. I valiantly ate three or four of the jalapenos but nudged the other 328 (I exaggerate, it was only 326) to the side of the plate.

I’d never heard of rollitos, but now know they are just a smaller, starter-sized version of a burrito or chimichanga — a mini tortilla filled with chicken, salsa, cheese and peppers and then deep-fried. It came with a pot of that lovely guacamole and some salad alongside and was snaffled up with lightning speed.

For my main course I went for a chicken quesadilla (£10.95), a kind of sandwich of two baked tortillas filled with chopped meat and vegetables.

While some Mexican food can be heavy and greasy, this was light and very fresh, crammed with shredded chicken, chipotle sauce, peppers, spring onions and masses of coriander.

Across the table arrived pulled pork enchiladas (£10.95), which looked fantastic too — packed to the brim with meat and slathered in tangy sauce and melted cheese.

We’d toyed with ordering sides of chilli fries (£3.25) or a salad (£3.95) to share, but were so glad we didn’t. Both mains came with masses Mexican rice and refried pinto beans (both a little dry and very, very filling), as well as some salad and sour cream. We were certainly not left wanting.

As the table of blokes were paying their bill, I couldn’t help but overhear them singing the praises of their chilli con carne (£10.95), and the heat of the chillies piled on top.

So, perhaps I am a lightweight after all. But at least my internal organs are still intact.

Chilli Shak is at 94 Victoria Road, Swindon SN1 3BD
Call 01793 423247

To ensure the integrity of our reviews, all our critics dine as paying customers without the restaurant’s knowledge (unless otherwise stated). Photographs are taken at a later date