Sunday 5 June 2011

The Quest for Good Nachos in Edinburgh (or at least edible ones)

I really miss the almost ubiquitous availability of nachos in North American pubs. A few places over here offer something on their menus called "nachos" but for the most part these dishes bear little resemblance to the nachos of home. One of the biggest problems with nachos on this side of the Atlantic (and channel) is the lack of proper sour cream (sometimes called "soured cream" on Edinburgh menus). Here's a rundown of the places I've tried (with the nachos graded out of 5). Check back again for updates:

La Favorit. A recent documentary about JK Rowlings showed her writing productively at one of its tables. Since it's across the road from my office I decided to try it. Several types of "nachos" are listed on the menu. I tried the ones with tzatziki. Sadly the base chips they used were Doritos and the Dorito flavour overwhelmed everything else. Plus the chips got soggy under the weight of the generous dollop of tzatziki. Not worth trying again. 1

Espresso Mundo. A beautiful art deco building. Nachos arrived with cheese and brown sauce on them. I will say no more. 0

Buckstone Bistro. Passable nachos, made with restaurant grade plain nachos that do not get soggy. Sour cream surprisingly good for this part of the world. Salsa and guacamole, low end supermarket varieties. 3

Lupe Pintos. Mexican deli. Okay, so they don't actually serve nachos here but they sell all the ingredients to make a perfect plate of nachos at home. High food miles. Guilty pleasures. 5

1 comment:

CE Crowder said...

Nachos are at least a biweekly staple at our house. Glad you were able to find a solution ...!