Halal at Las Iguanas in Wembley Outlet
By Shahid Qazi
HALAL STATUS Halal options (prepped & cooked separately) • Alcohol & pork served (website states: “Separate Bar Area”)
Having eaten at Handmade Burger Co for an eternity and having found their quality to have slipped, I thought to ask if Las Iguanas opposite was Halal (still ain’t got the bottle to try Big Moe’s Dinner next door, which looks like a gimmick).
Not only did they confirm being Halal, but the manger also confirmed with me that they didn’t allow cross-contamination and even gave me a dime ttour of the open kitchen to show me where the Halal chicken was cooked.
I don’t enjoy restaurants where alcohol is on show predominantly, but this place is big enough for things to be hidden, with no bar to speak of.
BRAZIL
Peanut & Prawn Maracana – Prawns cooked in a peanut, chilli, coconut, lime & coriander sauce with sourdough bread, £14.95
Damn; this place is expensive though! Five prawns in a curry with bread at £15?! But I guess you get what you pay for, and this maracana was very good.
Okay, so I have no idea what I ordered; but with the menu consisting of regions, Brazil is what tickled my fancy and that’s what I went for. A nice, rich dish, with prawns cooked really well, and a flavourful curry sauce that I loved sponing up with the crusty sourdough bread.
Bahian Coconut Chicken – Chicken breast strips pan-fried spices and a creamy coconut sauce with ginger, garlic, tomatoes & coriander, with spring onion rice & shredded greens, £14.95
Being from the sub-continent, I was sceptical over what Brazil would know about spices, but this coconut curry turned out to be very nice, with simple spices and well cooked, fresh rice.
It won’t exactly knock you for six when it comes to the spices, but you’ll score a boundary nevertheless (okay, so cricket as a sport may not be the best analogy for Brazil).
MEXICO
£17 for what can only be described as make-it-at-home food. Regardless, it all came together very nicely. With all the correct condiments, this simple fajita did Mexico proud.
SIDE
Fries – Curly or Straight-cut fries with creamy aioli, £3.75
These straight fries looked hand-cut. Whatever they were, they tasted great, and came with aioli sauce which was, as the menu said, creamy and quite tasty too.
Spring Onion Rice – Lightly seasoned rice with garlic & spring onion, £2.00
Simple onion rice for my little one kid, which was well cooked.
Citrus Cooler – Fresh citrus, lemonade, £3.95
A refreshing Citrus Cooler that was good cos it tasted like a can of lemonade. Thankfully it was part of the 2 for 1 deal.
Las Iguanas is the real deal! With a large menu, the ‘familia’ (that’s family in Spanish for the illiterate) were really impressed.
There may have been the possibility of corners being cut, and though I can’t say how authentic the cuisine is, I can confirm that it tasted great. And though I’m always left disappointed by these big name chains, this time things turned out different – 4/5 all the way.
Las Iguanas
Suite 97, Wembley Park Blvd, Wembley, London HA9 0FD.
T: +44 (0)20 8900 9373 | W: www.iguanas.co.uk | E: [email protected]
Opening Hours: Mon-Thur 10:00-23:00 | Fri-Sat 10:00-23:30 | Sun 10:00-22:30
