Author Archives: Dr Harriet Joanne Frost-Rathbone EngD MA LBRIF

Oh Dear Lord NO! aka I HATE YOU ALL FOR MAKING ME DO THIS

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I recently had a ‘burrito’ at my friend’s place of work.  This was a relatively flimsy tortilla wrap with some steak inside topped with a bit of tomatoey sauce and a sprinkling of cheese.    It was actually ok but I wouldn’t call it a burrito. 

My place of work – anonymous Westminstery place – has burritos on the menu today.  It also has fish & chips.  One thing my canteen does really well is the Friday fish & chips.  All my colleagues have gone downstairs for the weekly Fish Club.  They’re all sitting there now eating fat chips, battered fish and mushy peas.  They’re wondering whether it would be too too ostentatious to squirt on another sachet of tartare sauce.  I, on the other hand, am back at my desk staring mournfully at what passes for a burrito in my place of work.

Look, I’m not stupid.  I knew it wouldn’t be a taste sensation.  I knew that my tastebuds would probably not be crying out for a repeat visit, especially given that they KNOW that I passed over the fish, chips and mushy peas.  But when I first saw what they were calling a burrito I did actually walk away towards the fish queue.    Then I remembered the disapproving faces of the scientific burrito research community and turned back and purchased a so-called chicken burrito.

Basically there were 2 bowls of rice with stuff mixed into it.  One was vegetarian and one was not.  She proceeded to fill a smallish flour tortilla from the chickeny rice bowl.  I say ‘fill’ but what I mean is she put a spoonful onto the tortilla and wrapped it.    Ok, so it was a bit on the small side – not the plump beauty I call a burrito – and the filling looked uninspiring.  One spoonful of a ready mixed rice thingy.  Hmmmmm, where were the beans? where was the salsa?  Where was the cheese? Where was the guacamole????

I still had to give this thing a chance and took a bite.  Ugh.  Dry and not much flavour.  They’d just made some kind of fried rice concoction with chicken, onion and a bit of chilli.  That was pretty much it.    Still, at least it was small…

Next time I see fish & chips on the same menu as work burritos, I will chose the fish & chips and Ya Boo & Sucks to the lot of you.  I did this for you and it was crap!

Work 'Burrito'

The things I do for you.

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Today, at work, our canteen is serving burritos.  They will also be serving fish & chips as they do every Friday.  The fish & chips are delicious.  I think we can safely assume the burritos won’t be.  Still, I’ll be going in and ordering one just for you guys.  Hope you’re happy *sob* . I will report back.

I had a beautiful beef burrito last night, with a burrito virgin.  The only down side was the smell of drains wafting through Chilango Fleet St.  Ugh.

Adobo

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New kids on the burrito block Adobo sprung up in Holborn at the end of last year, in that rather uninspiring stretch between Holborn station and Chancery Lane tube station.

I’d been past Adobo on the bus recently so was surprised when we actually went in and saw that they do actually have chairs and tables – it looks too small when you’re zooming past on a number 8.  This was good news, it’s too bloody cold to eat and walk.

Adobo seems to be marketing itself as a healthy option. This is something I’ve been thinking about lately, burritos really are full of jolly good stuff. Even if you choose cheese it’s not the end of the world for your new year’s resolution.  I’m not saying you can live solely on burrito (man can not survive on burrito alone) but they’re not exactly bad news and one burrito can keep you full for absolutely ages which you can’t say about other fast food which just makes you feel greasy,  guilty and hungry an hour later.

I opted for a pulled pork burrito and Dr Chimpington went for a beef fajita burrito. Yes, you read correctly, a fajita burrito. The difference between this and a normal one was that his had peppers instead of beans.  I had black beans and we both had guacamole and cheese. Of course.

As usual the mildest salsa looked to be the chunkiest and crunchiest so I ordered this.   I need to go on record by saying that I really really REALLY love chillies (honest, I have already chucked some into tonight’s pappa al pomodoro to ring the changes) but always seem to end up chosing a mild one as they look to have more crunch. However I really regretted it this time as Dr Chimpington’s salsa verde sent him into a veritable swoon.

Both burritos were tightly packed and brimming with lovely flavours. I was more aware of the rice than usual so wondered if the rice normally manages to combine with all the ingredients or if there was more than usual (or even if it was a bit more al dente than usual).  My pulled pork was good and I was suitably tempted by the bite I had from Dr Chimpington’s burrito.  The meat wasn’t quite as mouthwatering as Wahaca or Chilango but that might have been because we got there at the end of the day. However on the whole this was a really gorgeous burrito.  I really liked this burrito. I am really looking forward to a return visit.

We had a side of gorgeous guacamole – really really good stuff.    It can so often be disappointing (too smooth and creamy is my usual complaint) but this was good and chunky.

I have to mention the staff  –  both of them were utterly lovely and attentive.  It’s so rare these days to get such service these days, they actually looked like they were happy to be there (which I sincerely doubt they actually were given that it was a  freezing Friday evening).

I did have a quibble.  A single quibble, a humble quibble  that the foil they used wasn’t the magic foil you get at Chilango.  It was normal foil.   Bah.  Mind you, if that’s my main criticism it’s not really the worst thing in the world.

And if the yummy food and lovely staff is not enough to tempt you then the prices will.  Even the normal prices seem to be cheaper than Chipotle & co, but when we went they were offering all evening burritos for £4.  Yup, that’s four quid for a burrito*.   FOUR BLOODY QUID FOR A REALLY RATHER DELICIOUS BURRITO!!!!

* this was a special offer so don’t expect it every time, that said their burritos are good, in my opinion, value even before the special offer.

Take Away

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In all my *coughs* years (er, yeah ok months [/rumbled]) of burrito research I’ve only ever eaten in.  I’ve not yet put take out to the test.  How will the foil keep the heat in?  Will the tortilla manage to remain unsoggy?    Will the flavours survive in transit?  All these questions and many more needed to be answered.

On Monday morning I had a brief appointment in Fleet Street so I took the opportunity to head off to my Go To burrito supplier Chilango and decided to put them through some exacting test conditions.

I’d not been to this branch at lunch time and was expecting a queue of epic proportions but luckily it was not too busy and they’re pretty quick at getting their orders out so I didn’t have too long to wait.  Two identical burritos were purchased and destined to be delivered to the LBRI research hub in south London.    Would the burrito survive the journey over the river?  And more importantly would the specialist courier (me, or more specifically me on a bus) have the will power to carry two burritos without being tempted to try just one mouthful?

Both burritos were pork, with black beans and cheese with an extra dollop of guacamole. Apologies to the vegan burrito brethren but I just can’t imagine any other way. I opted for the mild salsa as it’s the chunkier out of the three that Chilango have to offer and I felt that it was the fairest option to put to the burrito in transit test.  There was a tense moment of sheer panic when the burrito creator forgot to put the pork onto one of the tortillas but disaster was thankfully averted when everybody pointed out her error.  Phew.

I left clutching my yellow bag of utter temptation only to see the bus shooting past.  Not only were these burritos going to have to catch a bus, they were going to have to wait for it.  I have no shame in admitting that I was getting increasingly anxious about what this delay would mean and I’m not just talking about the noises coming from my belly. This extra journey time meant that the burritos would have to endure a longer time in transit and this opened them up to the terrifying possibility of going cold or soggy.

In addition I was concerned about the strength of the bag and the risk of leakage – if the burritoes leaked then the bag would be destoyed and thus my lunch would end up all over the place.

A further, and very valid, concern was that the smells emanating from my little yellow bag of joy would create intense envy and/or violence.  I was worried about being burrito mugged.

I won’t bore you with the details of the journey but suffice to say the bus came, me and my burrito luggage got on and survived the trip without anybody stealing the precious cargo and (more surprisingly) without me opening one of them up and starting early.

Dr Chimpington was at the lab and kindly took one of the samples from me so he was able to examine it.   Both burritos underwent rigourous testing.

First:  The foil was unfurled.  I unwrapped the top and folded it slightly thus leaving the bottom 2/3s still encased.  Dr Chimpington took off all the foil leaving his burrito naked and vulnerable.  Both burritos still felt warm.  This was good news.  Magic foil!

Next:  The sniff test.  This was very brief as we were both rather hungry.

Finally:  The first bite.    I think the scientific term for what we experienced is ‘Yum’.  Or ‘Yummy’ if you want to express it in Latin.  Flavours were retained and still delicious.  You could pick out individual flavours such as coriandar.

Conclusion:  The burritos were not quite as warm as they would have been if we had eaten in, however they survived a journey which (if you include waiting at a bus stop) of nigh on half an hour so are forgiven for not being piping hot.  The taste was still great and we were both suitably stuffed for the rest of the day which, as they say somewhere, is definitely a result.  And as I would say a pleasing one.

Bore-ito

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The following *coughs* article first appeared on the 7th September 2010

http://tattyrathbone.wordpress.com/2010/09/07/bore-ito/

Oh dear.  It would appear that my first experience of a burrito chain was unusual as Chilango really does appear to be head and shoulders above the rest.    Following a decidedly average experience in Chipotle on Charing Cross Road a couple of weeks ago (after a delightful trip to the pop-up maze on Trafalgar Sq) we decided it was time to try Tortilla.   Or Tortilla:  Mexican Grill to be more precise.

I’ve been meaning to try this chain for ages since spotting it by the DLR platform at Canary Wharf but had been advised by a trusted Burrito expert that it really ‘wasn’t all that’.

We’d just been to see the swishy haired Richard Herring talking about his moustache.  It was the third time I’d seen him do it but it was still really funny and this  put me in a good mood so I suggested that my companion join me for a quick burrito before heading off home.  So off we toddled to Market Place (behind Oxford Circus) in the drizzle.

We both opted for a beef one (50p extra we were advised, although this was clear from the menu anyway).  I chose guacamole (also 50p extra) and my friend chose lettuce (not quite sure why) and sour cream (I was not offered sour cream).   I went for the black beans and he went for the baked beans (well, they were pinto beans really but they looked like insipid baked beans.  I nearly went for them as, going by the colour, I thought they were going to be refried beans).  We both went for cheese and the lemon and coriander rice.

The tortilla was briefly (blink and you’d miss it) griddled and the burrito was assembled.  This man was no Chilango Miyagi  but he was streets ahead of the Chipotle Clouseau

My first impression was that the tortilla was a bit doughy and undercooked.  My second impression was that the whole thing was a bit bland.  A bit blah.  A bit meh.  Nothing leapt out at me.  The beef was surprisingly nice on its own but everything else was a bit lacking in oomph.  I couldn’t find any evidence of lemon OR coriander in my rice. My guacamole (50p extra blah blah) didn’t really have much going on.  I thought it might have been because I went for the mild salsa (I love chillis and I love heat and I have been known to competitively eat jalapenos but  I don’t like it when the heat masks the flavour) so I tried my companions as he’d gone for a more punchy salsa but sadly his was also lacking in oomph.

The hunt goes on – I’ve tackled the chains so now it’s time to brave the small independent places.  I’ve actually got HIGH hopes for this adventure, it promises to be a good one.

Burrito Research Findings

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The following, erm, article appeared in another of my blogs on 19th August 2010 http://tattyrathbone.wordpress.com/2010/08/19/burrito-research-findings/

Indulge me please for a moment. This is my new thing. It will probably last for about five minutes before I get bored so, in the meantime, just pretend to care.

I’ve always avoided burritos when I’ve been out for Mexican (or even Tex Mex) meals. I had nothing against them but they lack the flamboyance and drama of the fajita and they always looked a safe (i.e. boring) option. And once I had been to Mexico I began to go for any option that included a soft corn tortilla, who needs tasteless wheat when you can have yellowy corn?

But then I began to get burrito envy one evening at Wahaca while watching a friend work her way through a magnificently plump looking pork creation.

I had my first one at lunch time in a fast food place in the rather frigid ambiance of a shopping centre – Chilango’s in Bluewater. I played safe and went for chicken. As I watched them pile on the fillings of refried beans, green rice, guacamole, sour cream, salsa and cheese I wasn’t convinced there would be enough. Then I watched them adeptly rolling the thing up and it transformed into a gloriously voluptuous beast. Bearing in mind that this was my first ever one you will have to forgive my surprise at the addition of rice.

Anyway it was bloody lovely. Fat and full of my favourite flavours. I’ve since been back to the Bluewater branch and have also tried the one on Fleet Street and was equally happy with my new discovery. I’d not been this giddy about a new food since I’d had my first ever macaroon (or to be more accurate macaron).

Then on to newcomer Chipotle on Charing Cross Rd. This was good but averagely so. I need to go back as my experience was slightly spoiled by the rookie burrito roller whose creation lacked the taut finesse of the Chilango ones.

Last night I went to Wahaca. I have been to Wahaca many times and have always chosen many small dishes. Why limit myself to one flavour when I can bombard my taste buds and greedy gut with CHOICE? But I digress, this time our mission was SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH rather than fun. Now things had got serious. This was the first night of the London Burrito Research Institute. You may not have heard of this rather august institution yet, but one day my friend, you will.

I went for a steak one for a change (my previous ones have all been chicken). This was gorgeous, smokey and full of flavour. I greedily opted for cooked cheese and a side order of refried beans. I wish I could say that my eyes are bigger than my stomach but my stomach is, sadly, very big. My only quibble was that this was on a plate. I know that sounds really trivial in the scheme of things, and you’re probably right to roll your eyes at me. But, burrito novice I may be, part of my enjoyment is of holding an entire meal in my hands. A bit like a Cornish Pasty. Kind of.

Ah well, the research has started. I will keep you posted as to our findings. This is currently a London-wide search but we hope to take it nationwide before too long

ETA

I wasn’t expecting anybody to actually read my witterings so I might just have uttered a bit of a shocked swear word when this popped up on my Facebook feed on 13th Sept!

http://www.facebook.com/home.php?sk=lf#!/posted.php?id=113801577654