Rocotillos Restaurant

Brizzle's quintessential downtown American diner.

The Venue
Aqua blue walls, open concept grill, seating booths and bar stools are as American as this diner can get. Mirrors along the top of the walls and the constant burble of a television reinforce its American inspiration.

While some customers try to shy away from catching themselves in the overhead mirrors by sitting in the back booths, those sitting along the curved silver bar that hugs the grill will find it really difficult to avoid.

The People
This retro outfit is popular with both the young and old, and particuarly the hungover. Service is accommodating and friendly, if you have their full attention. The kitchen doesn't seem to be running on a full tank sometimes and mistakes are made, but the staff are eager to make amends. If you order a glass of tap water and it comes with a film of oil on the top it's replaced quickly, so will an incorrect order. Most diners seem happy to wait patiently for their meals.

The Food
Your coronary health is not part the primary concern for this breakfast joint. The closest you get to a dish that won't lead to an erratic heartbeat is tea and baked beans. And a simple sausage sandwich (£2), normally the most satisfying of quick scoffs, leaves you wanting more, of something else. The highly processed sausages are slapped between two thick, perfectly square, slices of soft doughy bread. The texture of the sausage is like mush and it tastes cheap and is poor in quality. These points are magnified by the untoasted slices of bread.

Their all day breakfasts don't look all that appetising either. Thick, lifeless slabs of pale pink bacon and cloudy runny sunny-side-up eggs are loaded on plates. If you want a stodgy meal that's high in grease and low in taste then Rocotillos is just the ticket.

The Drink
Milkshakes, coffee, tea and more milkshakes make up the drinks list. For a place that advertises its milkshakes as a major selling point, there is an unusually limited selection - one which, incidentally, also lacks imagination.

The Last Word
Rocotillos is a bloated American version of the trusty greasy spoon. Not a place for those seeking an original or healthy breakfast.

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