Hello There Food Freaks!
Welcome back to my review blog.
I've never really understood why there aren't more Mexican restaurants in small towns up and down this country of ours. I mean, if you think about it, even people who don't usually go to restaurants do, inevitably, like to go for a curry sometime, or a Chinese, don't they?
You know, a large group of friends, out for somebody's birthday, or a works "do" seem strangely drawn to Asian restaurants. Maybe the reason why it's usually one of those two, leaving aside Britain's old colonial interests, Is the fact that both Indian and Chinese food both use a lot of spice, and there's nothing better after a few beers than a nice hot spicy meal is there? It's an easy choice to make. People usually know what they're going to order before they even get to the restaurant as the food is so well known to them.
I would love to see Mexican food held in the same esteem. It has that same post-pub appeal, it's fragrant and spicy, easy to eat and sociable.It doesn't have to be tongue tinglingly hot to taste great though, the spiciness can be brought right down to really mild for people who aren't that keen on having their hats blown off!
Phat pac's Diner in Rugeley is the kind of place I'd like to see competing with the local curry houses and Chineses in every town. Opened last August, it has been steadily gaining a loyal crowd of people who go again and again to sample the authentic Mexican fare on offer.
It's a simply decorated and furnished cafe-style place in amongst a row of Indian takeaways and a Wetherspoon's ( the old Plaza cinema.) on Horsefair In Rugeley.
I've been in for take-aways a couple of times as I work just up the road, and I don't think I could get through a Friday at work without my morning breakfast burrito,made fresh and delivered at 11 am.
I popped in there last Wednesday, straight from work, and still in my overalls, for a proper sit down meal. After a warm greeting from owner Theresa ( a genuine American lady from Florida who spent time living in Mexico before moving to jolly old England.)I had a look at the menu.
There is a fine selection of street-style food on offer,
from crunchy Tacos, to pulled pork burgers and burritos and enchiladas in between. I ordered a coffee and noticed on the specials board a "quesadilla wrapped burrito" now, I'm always a sucker for an interesting sounding special so it didn't take me long to decide on that, filled with shredded chicken, and some home made sweet potato fries and homemade coleslaw on the side.
As you know, the word "homemade" is a much over used phrase in restaurants but I was informed by Theresa that absolutely everything on the menu is properly homemade, from the rubs used on the meat, to the fries and the milkshakes. She also told me that she had just that minute finished making up a batch of fresh extra hot salsa, so it seemed rude not to have my burrito with it!
We chatted whilst she prepared my food and she told me how difficult it had been to get the diner up and running and how she works around 70-80 hours a week to keep it afloat. (the diner is open from 6am till 8pm Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, 6am till 10pm Thursday, Friday and Saturday and 7am till 2pm on Sundays, and you can bet Theresa will be in there whatever time you go!.)
She didn't come to England to set up a restaurant as she is a hairdresser by trade and that's what she had been doing for years in her own salons around Rugeley and Hednesford, but after her family kept on saying she should open up a place to show off her cooking skills she decided to go for it.
Even after all the stresses of setting up a business and working so hard to make it work I could tell Theresa still has a unwavering passion and drive to make the best food she can, she loves the food she makes and, as I always say, passion is a vital ingredient in cooking.
I took a few photos of the simple interior and popped outside for a couple of frontage shots.
When I got back inside I was presented a plate positively groaning with my dinner.
I took one look, and a couple of photos and thought "I'm never going to eat all that!"
I sampled a sweet potato chip. Crispy on the outside and soft in the middle, it was damned near perfect! I tried a forkful of coleslaw, lovely and crunchy, dotted with whole-grain mustard seeds, sharp and tangy with vinegar and not too much mayonnaise. Again, absolutely nothing to complain about. I dipped a chip into the homemade barbecue sauce. Smoky, spicy, sweet and sticky, no problem there!
Then I went for my quesadilla wrapped burrito. I lifted it manfully off the plate and sank my teeth in. All I can say is Wow! Delicious moist chicken in a gorgeous warming sauce, with a truly honest to goodness Mexican flavour to it, wrapped in a Monterrey jack cheese and extra hot salsa quesadilla. Honestly, one of the best burritos I've ever tasted! ( including ones I've made myself!) Then that salsa did its merry dance on my taste buds and I could feel my eyes filling up, my nose start to run and my face redden, just how I like it! The salsa was so fresh and zingy, nothing like the stuff you buy in jars from supermarkets, that I could not help but finish everything on my plate. ( I have to tell you, dear reader, that when I got home I had to loosen my belt, lie on a cold floor and rub my swollen belly for a while, gently groaning, I was so full! )
The total cost for this man-sized Mexican feast, with a coffee ( free refills on coffee too!) was just £11.50.
A total bargain in my book as, if I hadn't been quite so greedy, I could quite happily have taken half of the burrito home for another meal the next day. Fantastic value for money!
If you are reading this and thinking, yeah, I'm sure I could eat all that and have room left for dessert, then let me tell you you're in luck! Theresa also makes all her own puds! (quite rare in any restaurant these days.)
When I was there she had a lovely looking key lime pie, a gloriously rich pecan pie, chocolate fudge cake and a couple of others that I simply couldn't look at because of my gluttony.
And, to go further still, if you're wondering "I'm a big eater, do they do any man v food style challenges?" then the answer again is a resounding yes!
You can take the burrito challenge, which is (sharp intake of breath!) 3 ultimate burritos, cheesy nachos, hot salsa and a homemade milkshake, which you need to finish in under an hour to get it for free.
The pulled pork challenge, half a kilo of pulled pork, 5 portions of chips and 5 coleslaw, in under 53 minutes.
or the hot wings, 25 winglets in extra hot sauce in under 15 minutes.
Each challenge is £25 if you don't finish it in time, there were a couple of photos on the board so obviously it can be done!
One last thing as if you weren't tempted enough, you can take your own booze to Phat Pac's Diner! just like a lot of Indian places are doing these days, so grab a bottle of Tequila, a few bottles of Sol and get yourself down to Phat Pac's to fill your belly with delicious Mexican food!
Well, thanks for reading peeps, I hope you have enjoyed it! My next recipe blog is inspired by my visit to Phat Pac's as I'm going to be making little Mexican donuts called "churros" with some sweet dips. keep your eyes peeled for it, I'm doing the cooking tomorrow (Sunday) so the recipe will be published early next week.
Until then,
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