Baja, Bedford // ***
Style // Mexican
Where & when // Bedford only, although owned by a local restaurant group. We visited on a Saturday evening at about 7.30.
Budget // ££
Budget // ££
Gluten free capabilities // No separate gluten free menu, and no gluten free alternatives like bread or tortillas, however quite a few of their dishes are naturally gluten free, and they offered to make me any of the burrito/fajita etc fillings without the tortilla. See the end of this post for pictures of the food and drink menu.
Food // To start we shared a bowl of nachos, which came with sour cream, guacamole, and refried beans with melted cheese on top. It was served in quite an unusual way, which led to some hilarity and more than a bit of food on the table, but overall was delicious and tided us over well until our mains came.
I had the rump steak which came with chips and salsa. The steak was delicious, I ordered it medium rare and it came perfectly cooked. It was also well seasoned, and if you’re not one for lots of heat this is the dish for you. The chips were gluten free (cooked in their own oil) and very good. The salsa was also delicious. There weren't any puddings suitable for coeliacs, but I was so full that I wouldn't have been able to manage one anyway. Special mention to the select but very tempting cocktail menu featuring mojitos and caipirinhas.
I had the rump steak which came with chips and salsa. The steak was delicious, I ordered it medium rare and it came perfectly cooked. It was also well seasoned, and if you’re not one for lots of heat this is the dish for you. The chips were gluten free (cooked in their own oil) and very good. The salsa was also delicious. There weren't any puddings suitable for coeliacs, but I was so full that I wouldn't have been able to manage one anyway. Special mention to the select but very tempting cocktail menu featuring mojitos and caipirinhas.
Service // Friendly, and knew what gluten was. You may laugh, but that's not always a given!
Ambience // I thought the décor was great; quite trendy and modern. It was moderately busy when we sat down at 7.30 on a Saturday, and had filled up by the time we left. Overall a very friendly and laid back vibe, with anything from backless dresses with high heels to jeans, boots and a jumper spotted – I’ll leave you to guess which option I went for
Top tips // Book ahead, especially at the weekend, as it does get busy. Check their Twitter, where I've seen the occasional special offer listed. If you've somehow managed to spare room for pudding, head next door to Spaghetti John's and sample the gelato. You won't regret it!
Areas for improvement // A separate gluten free menu would be a help, and would assure diners that the restaurant knew what they were doing and that the kitchen staff had been trained in matters of cross contamination. Of course, the dream would be if they were able to provide gluten free wraps (B Free's ones are really very good) for diners.
Final verdict // I'm awarding a 3, because whilst the food we did have was excellent, there wasn't a specifically gluten free menu which may put off some coeliac diners. With that being said, we had a great time and will definitely be returning.
Food menu (click to enlarge)
Drinks menu (click to enlarge)
Food menu (click to enlarge)
Drinks menu (click to enlarge)
The food looks super yummy! I lovee guacamole so I would definitely be down to try this haha! Thanks for sharing, it was a great review :)
ReplyDeletehttp://www.skinnybelle.com/
Yes - the guacamole was absolutely amazing, just how I like it (smooth, not with giant chunks of onion in). Glad you liked the review! Thanks for stopping in!
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