Aliens, Dinosaurs and Everything In-Between: Burrito Quest

Well since getting to London one of the things I have missed most about America is the exact same thing I missed when I was in South Korea and China and that is Mexican food, particularly the Mexican food of Southern California. Few things bring me as much pleasure as that of a well prepared, well executed and wonderful tasting burrito. Now it is of little surprise that London is not the place to go if you want the best Mexican food in the word but I can say after only visiting a few restaurants here it far exceeds what one will find in Seoul, Korea or Shenzhen, China.

I decided that as I try out each new restaurant I might as well write about my experience and share my thoughts on each place so that in case any other person who finds themselves in London desiring a good burrito can have at least an idea of what is around.

When it comes to burritos I judge them based on eight categories. First is the quantity of available options on the menu. Second is the quality of the individual ingredients. Third is the ratio of those ingredients in the burrito basically how much of each ingredient is there. Forth is the strength and execution of the wrap does the tortilla tear easily or fall apart in my hand. Fifth is the size of the burrito bigger is usually better. Sixth is the overall taste of the burrito. Seventh is the price of the burrito. I’m willing to pay for quality. Eighth and lastly is what I call the two hour tummy factor. Meaning how does the burrito makes me feel a few hours later because it can be great in your mouth but not so great in your digestive system especially if you are walking home. Now the other variable that is much harder to take into account is that of the individual server who is helping you. Often when a burrito is made it is difficult to know if the ratios of each ingredient given to you are those that the restaurant wants or just those that the server feels like giving. Similarly when it comes to the strength of the wrap it often comes down to the skill and experience of the person wrapping the burrito rather than just the quality of the tortilla. Due to this is can be hard to properly judge a place without going there a few times unless the food is just horrible than what’s the point, right?

Today I am going to review Nineteen Ten Mexican Kitchen. Nineteen Ten is a Mexican restaurant with only one location in London. It is in one of the larger shopping malls called Westfield at Shepards Bush. It’s fairly simply to get to once you are in the mall it is on the first floor near some of the other nicer restaurants in the mall.

The ordering process is fairly simple. Just like Chipotle or Subway one tells the server what they want (burrito, tacos, quesadillas, etc) and then proceeds to follow the server down the line telling that person exactly what one wants on their food. I bought a chicken burrito. I got white rice, black beans, chicken, mild (Pico De Gallo) and medium (Salsa Verde) salsa and cheese.

Now going down the line the first thing I noticed was the small portions that the server was giving me. I had to ask for more rice and more salsa and more cheese and I still felt shorted. The funny thing is I didn't have to ask for more meat. I have found here in London the one ingredient that Mexican restaurants don’t skimp on is meat but I almost always have to beg for more salsa. In the States it is often the other way around since meat is usually the most expensive item and stores want to save money by giving you less of it. But that doesn't seem to be the thought processes here.

When I got to the end of the line the person helping me wrapped my burrito and the wrap looked well done though the overall size of the burrito was a bit small. One of the advantages of a smaller burrito is that it is easier to wrap and thus far less likely to tear open or fall apart in your hands the downside, of course, is that it’s smaller. The main thing I was worried about when I saw the burrito before it was wrapped was just how little salsa I got and how it was placed. It was mostly sitting in the center of the burrito rather than spread out in a line up and down the burrito, which meant that when the burrito was wrapped the salsa would all be pushed together in the middle and there wouldn't be any towards the ends of the burrito.

My first bite consisted of only rice and black beans. Right away I wasn't a big fan of the rice. It was quite dry and a bit hard. The beans were good. My next bite included some chicken but still no cheese or salsa. The chicken was rather bland by itself. It didn't seem to be seasoned in any special way rather it was just plain grilled chicken. After three or four more bites I finally got to the salsa and cheese I was so desperately craving. The mild salsa (Pico De Gallo) tasted mostly like chopped up tomatoes but the medium salsa (Salsa Verde) was very good especially because it was so desperately needed to help bring some moisture to this dry burrito. Just like the salsa the cheese was also mostly restricted to the center of the burrito with little getting to either end. The cheese was just fine mixed with the rice, beans and chicken but it had an odd taste when mixed with the salsa. The tortilla itself was quite good. It was well steamed and wasn't too chewy. And as I guessed based on what I had seen the tortilla was quite strong and didn't tear though of course this was in part due to the smaller size of the burrito and its overall dryness. Wet burritos tear more easily.

So let’s go through all the categories one by one. First is the number of available options. When it came to options Nineteen Ten did quite well. While there was only one type of rice to choose from they did have four salsas, peppers and onions and the other basics like guacamole, lettuce, tomatoes and such. They also had quite a few options as far as what type of food you wanted so beyond just burritos and tacos you could order quesadillas, chili con carne and nachos. Chili and nachos aren't two things I see very often. Now I wouldn't order either but hey someone else might enjoy them a lot. They also served dessert, which I found quite odd but hey it was there.

Second is the quality of the individual ingredients. Here I would say they were below average. Their Salsa Verde and black beans were quite good. But the chicken was bland, the rice was dry and the Pico de Gallo was more tomatoes than salsa.

Third is the ratio of the ingredients in the burrito. This was probably one of the worst parts of the burrito. It was a very dry burrito because they put so little salsa in the burrito. I order two different salsas and a majority of the burrito was still little more than rice and beans. The blandness of the chicken and dryness of the rice could have been greatly hidden just by pouring more salsa on the burrito. Now whether this was due to the individual server I got or because that is just the ratio the company encourages I don’t know without going back a few more times.

Fourth is the strength and quality of the wrap of the burrito. Here is a place the burrito excelled. The tortilla was well steamed making it easier to stretch, the wrap was nice and tight and throughout the meal the burrito held together without unwanted tears or openings. Again this is in part due to the size and dryness of the burrito but I still give them credit for it.

Fifth is the size of the burrito. As I've mentioned a few times I felt the burrito was a little small and if the restaurant simply fixed their ratio problem I think their size issue would be fixed. It didn't need more meat rather more salsa and cheese, which are things that are not overly expensive and could be added without costing the restaurant too much.

Sixth is the overall taste. Here I would have to rate the burrito below average though that could fluctuate greatly based on when I had last had a burrito and where it was from. In this case I had eaten a burrito the day before that was fairly good so that didn't help the cause of Nineteen Ten’s burrito. Had I not had a burrito in a month this one would have surely tasted better even if it wasn't. If you put this restaurant in Shenzhen I would have been eating their two or three times a week at least.

Seventh is the price. The burrito’s price was fine. It cost 6.25 pounds, which is pretty much the average cost for this type of burrito. I haven’t paid less than six or more than seven pounds for a burrito so I have no complaints here.

Eighth and last is how it makes me feel a few hours later. In this case I was sad to find that after an hour or so of walking around the mall my stomach was not feeling the best. Now I didn't have to run to the restroom or anything but I was uncomfortable for 15 or 20 minutes. And in case you are wondering if the walking around affected this let me just tell you I always go walking after I eat my burritos. I don’t have a car and most of the places I go require a lot of travel from home so walking around the mall after I ate is nothing I wouldn't have been doing after eating any other burrito.

So overall I would rank this burrito a 5 out of 10 but with lots of potential for improvement. Basically if you are in London and haven't had Mexican food in awhile Nineteen Ten will provide a decent burrito that can offer a short fix until you can get yourself to a better place whether that be back home or somewhere else in the city.

My First Bite