La Cantina

This review appears in the The List's Eating & Drinking Guide 2008 – in the shops now or buy online.

When you enter La Cantina, the décor and ambiance leave you in little doubt that you're in a Mexican restaurant. The place is decked out in red and green, and pulses with salsa rhythms. Ranch-style furniture is laid out in rows and there are sombreros on the wall. And if that wasn't enough, the restaurant's desert-style motif cleverly replaces cactus plants with silhouetted forks. Yet, according to La Cantina's menu, there's more to Mexican food than just tortillas and chillis, which is certainly true of its extensive selection of dishes. Super-food salads, imaginative vegetarian meals and an enticing specials board certainly catch the eye, although the main offerings also promise much. For example, the beef nachos starter is thick with melted cheese, sour cream and salsa, right down the last crunch, and the king prawn picante is awash with heat and sweetness. In the mains section, the slow-cooked pork with pineapple and cinnamon is a delight, while the more conventional grilled hamburgers – served as a pair of 4oz'ers – are fresh, hand-made and belt-bustingly filling. Located in Leith's Commercial Quay, La Cantina may become a favourite for office parties but that shouldn't overshadow a thoughtful menu and delightfully prepared food.

• High point: Spot-on menu that delivers
• Low point: Not for those on a diet

The LIST Card C16

La Cantina

The following text has been provided by La Cantina.

More to Mexican Food Than Tortilla and Chiles (note the Mexican spelling for chile).
Our menu is designed to reflect an array of authentic Mexican and continental foods.

Great Gifts from the Aztecs
The Aztecs called it 'Maseoamerica' until the Spaniards renamed it Mexico.
Gifts from the Aztecs to the world's kitchens include Chocolate, Corn, Courgettes, Tomatoes, Turkey, Chiles, Beans, Tomatillos, Avocados - There really is more when you think about it!

Mexican Cooking
No Chiles. It may surprise you to know, that a lot of authentic Mexican food is not usually spicy at all. This menu reflects this with the majority of dishes bursting with bold and complex flavours but no chile. Oaxaca, Mexico City, Pacific Coast and Yucatan are all regions of Mexico that offer very different styles of cooking. There are many casseroles, grilled meat and fish dishes that are quite distinctive to their region. Of course, there is also the Tex Mex style which is a confluence of two cultures. Mexican cooking has so much more to offer than you have come to expect.

Healthy Eating
Featured in our menu are foods naturally high in protein, fibre and nutrition like pumpkin seeds, butternut squash, sweet potatoes, tomatillos, pulses, citrus fruits, herbs, green vegetables. Chiles of are known to boost your immune system. The corn tortilla is naturally gluten free, great for wheat intolerant people - There are various recipes in this menu that are the kind of foods we should eat as part of a healthy diet, also look out for our super-food salad. The oil we use for frying is pure rapeseed, it has no transfats, and is low in saturates.

Some like it Hot - follow the spicy symbols
There are many chile pod varieties some are used for heat, but many others add richness, colour, fruitiness or aromatic notes to a given dish. Look for the chile symbols - most have no symbol as in Mexico hot sauces are added as a condiment, so if you like it hotter, just ask.

More - than you thought?

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