Gloucester Street Brighton
A senior partner at the firm recently delegated down the organisation of the ‘Litigation Summer Social’ to me and, being the diligent (almost) trainee that I am, I accepted this challenge enthusiastically. I had thought this would be a very rewarding task, but it quickly dawned on me that organising (and pleasing!) a large group of people is, at best, tricky… Following numerous conflicting opinions about where to go for dinner, I decided that the best way forward was to pick somewhere I wanted to go – and hope that the decision wouldn’t force my colleagues to re-assess my decision making capabilities. A colleague had suggested Mexican food and a quick Google search had led me directly to their basic, but beautifully formed, website (I am a sucker for bright colours and pictures of yummy-looking food so I was instantly won over). I made a booking for 16 people and crossed my fingers that my faith in La Choza wouldn’t lose me the respect of my entire department… The day arrived and our large party was welcomed into a bustling restaurant with open arms by the amenable front of house staff. The restaurant is brightly painted and, although this may not appeal to everyone, is in-keeping with traditional Mexican decoration and, personally, I love it.
La Choza
Bonum cibum
[Latin.] good food.
Drinks
Most people ordered wine to go with their meals, but I couldn’t resist trying a house special - passion-fruit margarita. It was deliciously fresh with a kick of tequila after each mouthful – a highly recommended aperitif.
Service
Our waiter was friendly, chatty, knowledgeable about the food, and certainly won one of my mildly alcohol infused colleagues over. ;) The food arrived speedily, which is no mean feat for a table of 16 people, and drinks were regularly topped up upon request.
Food
La Choza serves traditional Mexican street food which is essentially the Mexican food that we know and love, but with a more authentic and simplistic air. We all indulged in nachos for the first round, then I shared the calamari with lime and chipotle mayo with a colleague. Calamari is a delicious and simple dish, but cooked badly it is not dissimilar to a bowl of batter rubber bands. Rubbery this was not. It was tasty and the chipotle mayo was a great accompaniment. For my main meal I had an enormous pulled pork burrito with spicy habanero salsa. It came wrapped in foil which not only ensured that it was warm when it got to the table, but also much less messy to eat! The habanero salsa was hot and not for the faint hearted – but there are plenty of milder salsas to choose from for the more sensitive palate.
Value for money
Excellent. I think anyone looking at La Choza’s prices would agree they are very reasonable – but the quality of food you get for that is substantially higher than more expensive establishments.
In conclusion
I cannot recommend this place enough. I can’t wait to go back (already planning it) and I, and thankfully my entire department, had virtually no criticisms to make of this quaint little restaurant. My only gripe would be that it was so good, my colleagues want me to organise the next social event. By Jo Ironside
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