Dinertec @ Las Iguanas, Glasgow

0141 248 5705

THE Moll was barely in the door from a brief African adventure - tanned, reinvigorated and full of stories to tell about her holiday.

I was sure she was about to offer to take me out for a slap-up meal by way of an apology for leaving me to fend for myself.

I put on my best sulky face and waited for the invite that never came.

Instead, she looked at me and cooed: "I'm still in holiday mode, Tec. Take me out for a nice lunch, will you?"

A little put out I might have been, but I was hungry and interested to hear how Blondie got on in South Africa, where she spent a week with a pal.

I fired up the Buick and steered her towards the city centre, where a new Latin American joint has recently opened.

Las Iguanas takes up a lot of space on West Nile Street and certainly looks the part from the street.

Inside too, it impresses with its funky decor and spacious seating arrangements.

We were shown to our table by a cheery waitress who quickly brought The Moll a glass of dry white wine, which got the thumbs up - but at £6.40 for 250ml it jolly well should have.

I settled for a grapefruit-flavoured Caribbean soft drink called Ting, which hit the spot.

We set about the scran scan and I was a little nervous at the prices, but the waitress also handed us a lunchtime menu which offered much better value.

In conjunction with your main course, the starters were available for between £1.90 and £2.90.

I opted for the nachos while Her Nibs chose an interesting-sounding roasted coconut butternut squash.

"This is excellent," she said, while filling me in on her close encounters with elephant, rhino and even cheetahs in Africa.

My nachos were better than most, although the garnish was ever so slightly heavy on the garlic for my liking.

For a main course I kept it simple and chose a chipotle chicken burrito.

The Moll went for the chicken enchilada - and again she got the better deal.

Her meal was flavourful and filling, winning top marks from my own chickadee.

My burrito was big enough to feed two, but it was just lacking a little in the flavour stakes.

Still, it was tasty enough and the side serving of rice was a nice touch.

The staff were very pleasant throughout and always happy to offer some advice, but they could have been quicker off the mark, especially as the place was rather quiet at lunchtime.

As we mulled over the thought of dessert, I ordered a Diet Coke at an over-the-top price of £3.20 and The Moll, not perturbed in the slightest by the price tag, went for another of those expensive glasses of vino.

We were both fit to burst, but the desserts sounded so interesting that we couldn't resist. I had three churros with chocolate sauce, which were hot and sugary and very, verytasty.

A hint of cinnamon gave the doughy treats an irresistible flavour and I could gladly have eaten three more.

The Moll sampled the affogato - a churro with a tiny cup of dulce de leche ice cream drowned in spiced rum espresso for dipping.

Again, Blondie was impressed and gave her meal an overall two thumbs up.

I've had better burritos in Glasgow, but in the whole I was impressed with Las Iguanas.

When the lunchtime menu is available, there are bargains to be had and you won't go far wrong with a trip to this new restaurant.

STARTERS:

Nachos £2.95,

Squash Taco £1.95

MAINS:

Chicken Burrito £7.70,

Chicken Enchilada £7.20

DESSERTS:

Affogato Cubano £3, Churros £3.50

DRINKS:

Two glasses of Sauvignon Blanc £12.80, Ting £1.80, large Diet Coke £3.20

TOTAL: £44.10