When you think of Ironbridge, thoughts of Abraham Darby and his amazing bridge, the first made of iron in the world, instantly come to mind and it is a tribute to his engineering prowess that this structure still stands in all its glory.The pictures in the local museums show a world that has long gone, but it must have been like a scene from Dante’s Inferno, with the night sky glowing orange and red from the flames and toil of those that were some of the pioneers of the Industrial Revolution.
One can only imagine the noise and excitement that must have been present in creating some of the world’s finest engineering of its day.
So, it was a complete surprise to find a Mexican restaurant, Las Meriendas at the Tontine Hotel, just a short walk from the bridge.
When you approach the front door you are greeted by all the smells and noise you would expect from a country pub with very little indication that there is a restaurant of any sort, let alone one with a Latin theme!
Don’t let this put you off. We persevered and after a couple of questions to the staff that passed us we were guided to the right place.
The welcome was friendly and a good sign when we walked in was a group of Spaniards already eating.
I am not sure this was planned for our visit but it certainly added to the overall effect.
With a couple of Sol beers on board, a quick perusal of the menu revealed enough variety to keep any Mexican food aficionado happy.
We chose for our ‘antojitos’ - starter - a Taste of Mexican Combo. I would like to claim the Spanish translation but alas, it was in the menu.
What arrived was a fantastic feast of chicken wings, potato wedges, onion rings, nachos with cheese, salsa and salad. One of the good things about this dish it that if you are quick, and I am when it comes to eating, you can eat more than your partner. A fact that was not lost on Sharon.
My excuse was that I did not want the food to get cold. Unfortunately, as it was pointed out to me, it really doesn’t matter if jalapenos go cold.
Boy they were hot but very enjoyable! It was difficult to decide what to eat first, a dilemma that did not last long. For £9.95 this is a meal in itself.
Next was the main course - comidas - which seemed a bit of a tall order after the starter.
However, with the selection available, indecision for Sharon did not last long.
A rack of ribs smothered in a tomato, chilli and barbecue sauce, served with potato wedges, salad and sweetcorn (£10.95) arrived and even after the bleating about eating too much, was quickly consumed and declared delicious.
I opted for a favourite of mine, chicken fajitas (£10.95), sizzling chicken with vegetables and flour tortillas.
This was consumed with the same passion as my partner’s ribs.
One thing though, the portion size and the limited number of tortillas could be increased, especially at £10.95.
What always surprises me is the way that other nationalities can create an atmosphere and be noisy and exuberant without an ASBO in sight.
The joyful conversation and the incessant picture taking at what I can only assume was a reunion of friends and family was really nice to see.
Interestingly, one of the party came over to apologise to us for the noise but this was unnecessary as the whole ambience had changed to a completely Latin theme which certainly did not detract from the experience.
The service provided throughout was courteous and efficient and the atmosphere certainly takes you away from Shropshire.
I’m not sure you will be lucky enough to have the Latin theme as well created as we did but the restaurant itself maintains the Latin feel on its own in any case, and as it is quite small the intimacy is not lost - something which can sometimes be a problem in larger restaurants.
I’m not quite sure what Abraham Darby would think, but I guess that as a pioneer himself he would give Las Meriendas a definite tip of his top hat in approval.
by Neil Ward
Contact details: Las Meriendas, The Tontine, Ironbridge 01952 432127 www.tontine-hotel.comMENU SAMPLE
Starters
Nachos con queso, tortilla chips with a rich chilli
cheese sauce topped with jalapeno peppers (£4.75);
Jalisco king prawns, shell on, pan fried in chilli, garlic, coriander, lemon and tequilla served with sour cream and salad (£5.95).
Main courses
Traditional chilli con carne served with rice and tortilla chips (£9.95); coriander grilled swordfish with
coriander rice and vegetables (£11.95).
Sides
Re-fried beans(£2.50); guacomole (£1.95).
Desserts
Selection of deserts which change daily.
ATMOSPHERE
Very lively, thanks to our fellow diners!
SERVICE
Very good. Attentive and efficient.
DISABLED FACILITIES
No disabled facilities.
smoking policy
No smoking in the restaurant.
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