Recently my friend and I decided to treat ourselves by dining at Santa Fe, a New Mexican variation restaurant based in Reading, Berkshire. It has an optimum spot on The Riverside within Reading's Oracle Shopping Centre and offers outside seating for that Al Fresco experience or inside dining amongst their reasonably bright and exuberant interior settings - definitely adhering to the vibrancy of the Mexican atmosphere. We chose to go into Reading on a Saturday night planning to eat around 9pm so we were expecting things to be reasonably busy.
There are a total of several other Santa Fe restaurants located across the country, others placed within Birmingham, Bluewater, Nottingham and Portsmouth and although each venue is supposed to be slightly different in style and décor they are quoted as offering the same levels of service and quality within each.
The food itself is described as being "contemporary cuisine from New Mexico and the American South...finding delicacies such as chicken flautas, Shrimp and Corn Batidos...and Chicken Barbacoa".
The atmosphere in the Reading Restaurant is always incredibly positive and welcoming, and has been on each occasion I have visited, whether just for the cocktails, prepared in front of you by experienced staff, or for an evening meal. The restaurant on the lower floor is divided into the bar section, on the right as you enter, and a seating area to the left. Miscellaneous seating areas are also near the by allowing those who have just come for a drink to sit and enjoy the pleasant atmosphere. The first floor of the restaurant is purely for those enjoying a meal, and compromises of seating for approximately 50 patrons. A sloping walkway, heading by a seating area for those waiting, leads you into the main bar area.
The bar is generally manned by between 4-8 employees depending on the level of customers within the bar and
I've found them always to be very attentive and offering a pleasant welcoming style. When I've been in a dilemma over what cocktail, or beverage to try they have always offered sensible suggestions based on my somewhat vague responses at the time. Drinks are reasonably priced (compared with many Reading establishments!) here, with most bottled beers (330ml) priced between GBP 2.50 and GBP 3.25. Coffees are freely available for around GBP 1.90. They also offer buckets or beer samplers which contain multiple drinks and are available for slightly less than their singular counterparts. There are a variety of standard cocktails available including a Classic Margarita, Cosmopolitan, and Toasted White Russian all for GBP 4.95, and many non-alcoholic cocktails devilish with the stacked ice-cream but delicious nonetheless for around GBP 2.50. Basically there is a very large range of drinks available at Santa Fe, Tequila being very popular (and pricey) alongside the multitude of variations on Margaritas, cocktails, champagne and other spirits.
Generally my friend and I share a bottle of wine, either the Veramonte Reserve Sauvignon Blanc at GBP 15.50 or Nobilo Sauvignon Blanc at GBP 19.95. We do appreciate that obviously walking into the local supermarket means we could probably buy these wines for at least half the price, but isn't that part of the whole experience? Well that's our excuse anyway!
On this evening we'd arrived at Santa Fe at around 8pm, and as we hadn't booked a table, but just decided to chance our luck, we immediately asked the front reception if there were any tables for two available. Luckily they had a couple free and we were asked if we wanted to sit upstairs or downstairs (we chose upstairs as I had never been in that part before!). There are two downsides to sitting upstairs - one there are no toilet facilities there and you are required to go downstairs into the main bar to use these, and two - I didn't notice any disabled access up to the first floor, the only available access was up the stairs. The seating area itself was very comfortable and we had plenty of room around it, I personally don't like to sit too close to other patrons and would rather enjoy my meals in relative comfort. On this particular evening a private party of Hen Night Ladies had been arranged but they didn't arrive until the point where our bill was being presented which we felt quite thankful for.
The toilets themselves are very small and located down a couple of steps towards the main kitchen, the first time I visited them (on one of my earlier visits to Santa Fe) I actually thought I was going to the kitchen itself. There are only 3 toilets in the ladies (not sure about the men's) and were clean and pleasant. No overflowing bins or rubbish on the floor, and everything appearing clean and presentable. There was a supply of hand cleaner also (always helps!). I can't comment on any disabled toilet access and I must admit I have never noticed any, which is unusual as usually you spot them in the same area. I would assume they are located just to the left for ease of access as there is more room there and no steps to navigate.
After enjoying a Verry Berry Martini I settled to peruse the menu and eventually settled on a Sticky Beef Rosti for GBP 4.75. Other starters included Crab Cakes, Chicken Wings and Mushroom Crostini all priced around the same base mark. The starter took around 10 minutes to arrive and I was presented with tender stick strips of pan seared sirloin steak cooked on a spring onion, southern style potato rosti (which was more like a bed of mash). The beef was very tender and succulent, and complimented perfectly with the creamy onion mash, seasoned beautifully and almost melted on my tongue. My friend had the Smoked Wild Mushroom Crostini which was described as being a selection of sautéed wild mushrooms, tossed with baby spinach on toasted chipotle focaccia bread. Considering she is quite a small eater her plate was empty by the time we'd finished and she had thoroughly enjoyed the combination of flavours on her plate, coupled with the strong textures of the bread.
For our mains, I'd stuck to beef and chosen the South Western Steak & Fries, asking for my steak to be cooked medium to well done (a sacrilege to many but unfortunately I can't stomach the thought of my meat not been properly cooked), and my friend Green Chile Linguine. The timing of the service was impeccable and we only waited for around 10 minutes after our starter had been cleared before being served with the main course. Other main courses included Santa Fe House Made Cheeseburger, Lime & Tequila Marinated Pork, Chile Relleno, and Char Grilled Salmon ranging between GBP 8.25 and GBP 17.95 for the 8oz Fillet Steak.
There was also a large selection of salads and side dishes available to choose from.
The quantity of food presented before me was exactly right, the steak itself was perfectly cooked with a pale red centre, tender and beautifully succulent. The chips counted for just over a handful and had been coated in a southern western spice mix (name Santa Fe Chips) and served with marinated red onion, sweet and slightly tangy on their own. Each mouthful was pleasantly satisfied with this blend of soft meat, crispy soft centred fries and delightful seasoning.
The Green Chile Linguine on the other hand, although presented beautifully, was almost overflowing the bowl, and we both thought their was far to much in this dish, especially considering pasta is very filling on its own. Even after eating for 20 minutes it appeared as though no dent had been made in the dish, and my friend struggled to eat even half. She did compliment the chef though and was very pleased with the entwined pesto made up of roasted jalapeño, coriander and pine nut.
We decided not to have desserts as we were incredibly full up after our main courses, but there was plenty to choose from including the Santa Fe Cheesecake, Pecan Pie and Chocolate Fudge Cake for around GBP 4.50. I think next time I might have to leave a little room as the Santa Fe Cheesecake is rumoured to be a blend of creamy soft textures and mouth watering tastes.
After finishing our meals we asked for our bill to arrive, which did so reasonably promptly and we were told we could finish our drinks before heading back down to the main bar.
Overall we both found that dining at Santa Fe was a very enjoyable experience, with absolutely delicious food with reasonable prices. Our waiters were very pleasant and served us with a smile and pleasant manner at all times. Although some of the bar drinks were a little pricing, you are finding that in nearly all reading public houses and restaurants of late so this wasn't a surprise to us. The atmosphere overall was very pleasant and enjoyable, and we were seated promptly with minimum fuss despite us not having a reservation for the table. The downstairs area is reasonably spacious, although approach to the bar on a late Saturday night can be very tricky at best, and to ease this problem for restaurant diners and section has been cordoned off allowing them easier access to the seating areas. There were several families out enjoying themselves when we went, although generally the overwhelming population is adults. Definitely a restaurant I would recommend in the Reading area.
If you would like to know more about Santa Fe there website address is www.santafe.co.uk
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Feb 24th, 2008
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