Vegan Food in Los Iguanas

Hey everyone!

So during my mission for Issue Two, I had so many things booked in with my family including just hang out days and anniversaries, birthdays and everything random you can imagine. We decided to go to Brighton Marina and check out the South American and Street Food themed restaurant Las Iguanas.

I have actually been here with for specifically cocktail evenings and I’ve spent a lot of fabulous nights at the Brighton location, but the Marina version was totally new and I had my baby niece, my brother in law, my sister and my dad to entertain so I was quite nervous and excited to be by the boats and the sea air. I was aware that there was an opportunity to discreetly throw my father overboard if need be, so it was a good location for a family thing.

We checked out the menu and there was a lot of vegan and vegetarian options, I was particularly interested in trying the vegetarian options this time because I wanted to share with my transitioning eaters some of the stuff we can do from my recipes, and some of the stuff we get in foody destinations so you can look at these, wonder how to make them vegan and find them in the Food section. I think for the most part, we can do better at home. But alas, for any strict vegans out there this probably isn’t the one to delve into.

So the first issue we ran into, we have a beautiful and gregarious niecey who is two years old. We ordered food, it took far too long to show up. The order was misplaced and I didn’t get the cauliflower dish I had asked for, so she was in a complete state by the time it arrived 45 minutes later and I was really dissapointed. The food I chose was a Halloumi bite, which I thought was pretty standard for that type of thing. I dont’t ever eat this type of cheese if I’m cooking at home but when I’m stuck out I occasionally will go into the dairy route. You guys know the schtick about my diet and we can do some recipes to make it completely dairy free later on.

Second dish was cauliflower cheese as a mac and cheese in this conical pot, the entire thing was completely flavourless in the extreme, and I don’t mind mild food. It was really bland and for all the garnishes I was totally surprised because the sauce which was on a few things, was like a watery adobo. Now it was like an aioli with no spice? I’m not particularly sure what it was but it was nothing like I’ve made or experienced before. The peppercino things and the truffly things on top, were a nice touch as a garnish but the actual base of the pot was like watery cheese? I don’t know what was going on it was just not flavourful.

Next, the rest of my family had a burger style thing and theres were plain, I think because of the wait and my niece being distressed they were really unhappy. She was really kicking up a fuss at this point and the waitor explained it was one of her first shifts, which I totally respect and assured her that it was okay. However the food was just not at the same standard as the cocktails I’d loved on previous occasions. So I gently reminded her that I hadn’t received the cauliflower order that were pictured at the bottom, and she hurried off to retrieve them.

So I have to be honest, these were not just flavorless, we all know what cauliflower tastes like, they had literally no flavor whatsoever to the batter, to the sauce, to any part of it. It was completely a let down. So my niecey’s face can speak volumes, it was just not the one.

If you’re looking for a cocktail bar with some snacky tapas, I think it’s a definitely yes. The Brighton branch in town has always been exceptional snacks and great service, I’ve had nachos and bits on the side of pitchers in the past whch was great. So maybe a bad day? I’ve always thought they were a great starting place to a night out. But the food was truly mediocre as a meal and I think for a family outting it has to be a pass.

Very pretty presentation and friendly atmosphere, price point is not majorly enticing and the food was a nah-uh. Cocktails for next time only!