Chenchos Restaurant Review and Recipe

We always recommend Chenchos restaurant to our guests and rave about their homemade salsa and made to order Mexican specialties. They're number one on TripAdvisor's list of Troncones restaurants. See the article for some mouth watering pictures plus a recipe for chilli rellano shared by Chef Angelica.

ARTICLE – Chenchos: A Restaurant Review

As soon as I discovered we were heading to Troncones, I scouted out what Trip Advisor had to say about the local restaurants, as I do whenever we arrive in a new location. There were 15 listed, and right at the top of that list was Chenchos. It was described as a small, family run place, with delicious food and low prices. That sounded right up our alley, so a few days after arriving we went to check it out.

We have noticed a big difference in the service, as well as quality of food at places that are run by the owners and their families, compared to places with employees who are just there to do a job.

Chenchos is a real family operation, located right next to the family home. We were warmly welcomed and exchanged a bit of banter, mostly centred around Levi and his blue eyes (the usual these days). Being set back a street from the cool ocean breeze, we chose a table under a fan. A big white dog lazed on the sandy floor and barely batted an eyelid as we sat. Looking around, the dining area was brightly painted and had an eclectic range of paintings hanging on the wall.

We were the first customers of the evening, which happens when you dine with an eight month old, but as the restaurant filled up, more of the family members, including Chencho himself, appeared to help out.

Once we got some drinks, we ordered what was recommended as one of the house specialities – Chilli Rellano de Cameron (Chilli stuffed with shrimp) as well as some enchiladas. The food took quite a while to arrive, but when it did, I understood why. Everything was handmade, from scratch, from fresh, local ingredients. I am working on getting the Chenchos crew to share some of their secret recipes with me, but haven’t had any luck… yet*

This chilli dish is the most delicious meal either Mark or I have eaten in Mexico. A large green ‘poblano’ chilli (looks and tastes like a hybrid of a jalepeno and a capsicum) was filled with cheesy prawns, and then battered. It was served smothered in a creamy pink-coloured sauce with the traditional Mexican side of rice and refried beans. The flavours were amazing.

The enchiladas suisas (swiss enchiladas) were also really good – corn tortillas filled with chicken and cheese, baked and served with a green chilli sauce, which is made with tomatillos (a special variety of small green tomato found in Mexico).

We have returned to Chenchos a few times since then, and everything we’ve ordered has been amazing. We recently went for my birthday dinner and tried out the tiritas (also known as ceviche – raw fish, marinated in lime juice with red onions and avocados).

For main course we tried out another house speciality – prawns and cheese, wrapped in bacon and served with a house made BBQ sauce. It wasn’t your traditional Mexican flavours, but it was delicious.

We also had the prawn and mushroom quesadillas (flour tortillas filled with cheese, mushrooms and prawns, like a toasted sandwich, Mexican style), which were served with a pico de gallo salsa.

As it was my birthday, we got a complimentary dessert – house made lime and coconut icecream which was a perfect way to finish the meal.

Levi chowed down on cornchips and crackers topped with avocado, his favourite Mexican food!

We have a few more months here in Troncones, so I’m sure we will visit Chencho and his family a few more times, and I’ll work on getting a few of those secret recipes!

*Update.

Our fourth visit to Chenchos, and the wonderful chef Angelica shared her chilli rellano recipe. 

RECIPE – Chillis Stuffed With Prawns (Chili Rellano De Cameron)

Possibly the tastiest dish we have found in Mexico,  here is the secret recipe for  Chenchos Famous Chilli Rellanos de Cameron

Ingredients (makes 4)

4 poblano chillis (use green peppers (capsicum) if poblanos or other large chillis are unavailable)

3 eggs, beaten until stiff and fluffy

200g firm melting cheese, grated (mozzarella or similar)

oil for frying (deep or shallow)

Filling

500g peeled prawns, chopped to bite size pieces

2 tomatoes, chopped

1/2 onion chopped

2 cloves garlic

Salt and pepper

Sauce

8 roma (egg) tomatoes

1 cup sour cream

2 T chicken stock (or 2 stock cubes)

Method

1. Saute onions until soft, then add garlic, tomatoes, salt and pepper to taste
2. Add prawns until just cooked, a few minutes
3. Slit open chillis longways. Scrape out seeds and pith (or leave in for a spicier taste)
4. Divide cheese and prawn filling mixture equally among chillis, stuffing inside.
5. Use toothpicks to close chillis back up
6. Blitz tomatoes for the sauce in a blender and then put into a pan. Add chicken stock powder or crumbled cubes. Cook until stock has dissolved into tomatoes, then stir in sour cream until well combined and hot through. Do not boil sauce or it may separate. Keep warm until ready to serve.
7. Dip chillis into beaten egg mixture and then straight into hot oil for frying. Cook until the egg batter has set.
8. Place chillis on plated and cover with sauce. Serve with rice, beans, or whatever you like.

(From World Food, Nomadic Lifestyle blog)  culinarynomads.com