Hermanos (Mexican) – Wembley

CLOSED DOWN

There aren’t very many fully Halal restaurants that offer Mexican cuisine cooked by Mexican chefs.

Having been open a year, Hermanos presents a number of Mexican dishes including Burritos, Nachos, Fajitas, Tacos, as well as gourmet burgers, steaks, wraps, crepes, and waffles as part of its extensive menu.

Its interior is colourfully decorated with an impressive wall mural extending across one side of the restaurant which effectively depicts a Mexican desert from inside a villa.

And while their open grill at the front gets you salivating on entering, their desserts, drinks and tacos are prepared at the back.

With a capacity of 45, this place is spacious and comfortable.

MocktailsPremium Bar ShakesSoft DrinksBarbican

(left-to-right) Mango Azul , Mojito, Pina Colada, Mango Roja – £2.99 each

As basic a Mojito as you could possibly hope to imagine which no amount of embelishment could mask.

As for the Pina Colada, then it was unchilled and unimpressive.

And we didn’t quite get the Mango Azul and Mango Roja. The idea of adding soda to a dense mango-pulp base just didn’t work for us. Ultimately, this disparate beverage of two halves needed some serious mixing – a solution that seemed to defeat its intended presentation.

Peanut Butter & Banana £3.49

This Peanut Butter & Banana shake was deliciously thick, with the former coming through far more strongly than the latter. A well made shake.

Jarritos Lime (left), Freez 411 Miami Blue (right) – £2.99 each

We met Freez 411 at the London Halal Food Festival last year. This fizzy flavoured Miami Blue didn’t disappoint in delivering a refreshingly strong bubble gum flavour.

The Jarritos, however, was a first for all three of us. This lime flavoured soda was equally as good being strong and sharp.

Freez 411 Strawberry (left), Jarritos Pineapple (right) – £2.99 each

Freez 411’s strawberry wasn’t quite as intense as its Miami Blue cousin. In fact, this had an almost soda feel to it.

Likewise, Jarritos was just as subtle in its delivery of pineapple.

Barbican Pineapple (left), Barbican (Mango & Passionfruit) – £2.99

And if you haven’t had these non-alcoholic Barbican beverages before, then where have you been?

The pineapple was easily the best of the two – deliciously strong and intense, while its Mango & Passionfruit counterpart was lighter, though equally as nice and refreshing.

Fajitas – Beef with strips of onions and mixed peppers. Served with grilled tortilla and three sauces: sour cream (top), Pico de Gallo (middle), guacamole (bottom) – £8.49
Also available: Vegetable £7.49, Chicken £7.99, Prawns £8.99, Combo (choose 2 fillings) £9.49

A Fajita is part of what’s known as Tex-Mex cuisine – a term coined to describe the fusion between Texan and Mexican cuisines first introduced by Texan residents descended from the original Spanish-speaking settlers of Texas and northern Mexico.

This particular version comprised of a mixture of extremely well cooked and moist beef and chicken strips, mixed with onions, and red and green peppers that still had a bite to them.

They were served with grilled tortilla, as well as the following three sauces: sour cream that was the weakest of the three; Pico de Gallo which was essentially diced red onions and tomatos with a squeeze of lemon; and a mushy guacamole soft paste.

And given that the chicken was lightly spiced, adding all three sauces helped nicely counter this, making the overall tortilla wrap a delicious eat.

Quesadilla – Flour tortilla with cheese, melted on the inside. Served with sour cream, Pico de Gallo and Hermanos Mexican rice. Chicken option £7.49

A little underwhelming this Quesadilla. Although the chicken filling was moist, it was far too lightly spiced, with the addition of cheese not doing enough to lift the flavour.

Likewise, the equally lightly spiced rice and the three aforementioned sauces failed too in this regard.

As with us, you too might question the idea of the rice and tortilla being served together as a combo. May be it’s a Mexican thing!

Chimichanga (chicken) – Crispy flour tortilla, with Mexican rice and beans. Served with Pico de Gallo, guacamole and tortilla chips – £7.99
Also available: Vegetable: £7.49, Beef: £8.49, Combo (choose 2 fillings): £8.99.

This chicken Chimichanga was one we’d never had before, and it was an absolute delight.

Although inelegantly doused in sour cream sauce, what made this easily the best dish on the day was the plethora of tastes and textures.

While the tortilla’s spicy salsa filling was soft, creamy and tangy, the addition of the cheese and the guacamole gave this an almost gooey texture. Sublime!

Hermanos Tacos – Three taco shells topped with shredded cheese, lettuce, Pico de Gallo, sour cream, guacamole and served with Hermanos Mexican rice.
Vegetable £7.49, Chicken £7.99, Beef £8.49

Yes, the tacos were nice and crunchy, but the honest truth is that the Pico de Gallo, the guacamole and the single line of sour cream didn’t quite deliver on the flavours we were hoping for.

Nonetheless, if you’re watching your waste line, then this would be a very good option for a light snack.

BURGERS

Standard meals: 6oz: £5.99, 8oz: £7.99, 12oz: £9.99, 16oz: £11.99

The General (12oz) – Cheese, Mayo, Lettuce, pickles, Tomato, BBQ Relish – £10.99

Although we asked for medium-well, this 12oz monster was delivered to us well done.

Nonetheless, this didn’t seem to adversely affect the overall taste since not only did the double patties have a surprisingly effective crusty exterior, but the smoky BBQ flavour also came through very well.

Hermanos present, as a type of garnish, a standard onion ring that’s non-greasy and crispy.

And though the rustic sweet potato fries were in general crispy, there were a few that turned out to be soggy which, we suspect, was perhaps down to the metal cup in which they were served that would have invariably caused some of them to sweat.

Hermanos (6oz) – Beef Patty, Cheese, Chipotle mayo, Caramelised Onion, Hermanos Hot Salsa Sauce, Lettuce, Tomatoes, Jalapeno Relish. £5.99 for meal

With a lovely soft crispy bun, this Hermanos signature 6oz burger was simple in make up, but full of flavour.

Griddle marks were evident across the patty providing that familiarly tasty barbeque aftertaste, while the hot fruity salsa sauce coupled with the jalapenos provided some welcome heat which was well countered by the sweetness of the caramelised onion and the chiptole mayo.

We’d recommend a patty no larger than 8oz though, particularly if you’re looking to have yours well done.

Finally, the standard fries were crispy.

Rib Eye £13.99

Bang on medium, just as ordered!

We asked for medium and that’s precisely what we got.

Sadly, however, that’s where the accolades cease because the single biggest shortcoming of this Rib Eye was the unpleasant smell of unrendered fat that emanated from it.

What’s more, while some areas of the steak were medium, including its middle, others bordered on well done indicating a disparity of heat from the grill on which this was cooked.

The mushroom sauce was made with water and not the usual milk or cream making this thin and ultimately tasteless.

Half Chicken £6.49

We were served two half chickens with two marinations – the Hermano amd the Extra Hot.

Firstly a word on the chickens: beautifully cooked, moist and really well marinated.

The former marination was well balanced and extremely good with a sweet fruity taste and a sour undertone.

As for the Extra Hot, then this was equally fascinating in the sense that it started off mild before suddenly transforming to deliver an intense chilli kick with a sweet edge to it.

A simple salad with a slice of lemon accompanied these yummy birds.

Halloumi SaladHouse Salad

Hermanos Halloumi Salad – Roasted vegetables with grilled halloumi cheese and Hermanos house dressing – £4.99

Extremely poor Halloumi Salad.

Although the Halloumi and aubergine were nicely charred with the former being moist, the simplicity of the huge quantity of salad, which was supposed to be dressed in their house dressing, was conspicuously absent.

Hermanos House Salad – Shredded lettuce, tomatoes, cucumber, coriander, avocado, red onions, red cabbage, shredded mixed cheese with Hermanos house dressing – £4.99

Ditto!

The tortilla basket was crunchy for both salads and… nothing more!

Fried Burrito with Ice Cream – Tortilla wrap filled with vanilla ice cream and banana, served with chocolate sauce £3.99

And this original Fried Burrito with vanilla ice cream ended what turned out to be a fairly novel visit.

Smothered in what was certainly Nutella chocolate sauce, the filling in the tortilla wrap – itself so beautifully crisp and crunchy especially the closed ends – was actually a frozen banana with a ice cream-like texture that had us coming back for spoon after spoonfull.

All this rested in a pool of melted vanilla ice cream which, when had as a whole, was really well balanced without being overly sweet.