The majority of you would already be familiar with Chipotle Mexican Grill, the restaurant chain which hails from the US and opened its first restaurant outside North America, at Charing Cross Road, back in 2010. Since then, they have continued to slowly grow in London, having opened its seventh restaurant in London, and its first in The City, in July 2015.
The blogger evening was held at the Baker Street branch, which we were told is one of the busiest branches. Making my way down the stairs, I was greeted with a much welcomed cold Margarita. I was starting to feel quite hungry then, so thankfully we were served tortilla chips to nibble on, served in brown paper bags with a selection of salsa dips: fresh tomato, roasted chilli-corn, tomatillo-green chilli, and tomatillo-red chilli.
We were shown a short clip of ‘The Chipotle Story’, where Chipotle Founder, Chairman and Co-CEO, Steve Ells, discusses Chipotle’s early years:
The lovely assistant manager, Ariana, then gave us a little ‘tour’ of the kitchen and walk-in fridge where they kept all their ingredients, whilst enthusiastically explaining to us about their daily routines and processes.
As a big fan of avocado, I was looking forward to the demonstration session on how they make their legendary guacamole. The avocados were lined up on a tray and swiftly scooped into a large stainless steel bowl, before being smashed with an enormous guacamole masher which they specially shipped across from the US for their UK branches.
Red onions, jalapenos, fresh coriander and citrus were then mixed in, and voila, we have a huge bowl of their deliciously addictive guacamole! Guacamole sure tastes so much better when it is freshly made. This was also actually half the size of a single batch that they make everyday – I can’t quite remember how many batches are prepared daily, but it definitely involved A LOT of avocados!
You can check out Chipotle’s ‘Process Not Processed’ clips via this link.
Despite the common misconception about fast-food chain restaurants, Chipotle, which operates more than 1,800 restaurants in the USA, has been instrumental in establishing a new kind of thinking about fast food – ‘Food with Integrity’, which is highlighted in the following Youtube video which won Best TV Campaign in the World at the Cannes Lions Festival 2012.
And of course we were all treated to a hearty meal from the counter.
The menu is focused on burritos, tacos, burrito bowls and salads made from fresh, high-quality raw ingredients, prepared using classic cooking methods and served in a distinctive atmosphere. I went for the bowl with a mix of chicken, cilantro-lime brown rice, black beans, and topped with fresh tomato salsa, sour cream, romaine lettuce and cheese.
The food is quick, simple and sure fills you up – it’s no wonder that Chipotle is so popular and continues to expand in London.
This was my very first taste of Chipotle, and it definitely won’t be my last – thank you for having us, and I’m very much looking forward to using my Reverse Loyalty Card!
The Cheekster, signing out x
