Batanga

One of the best parts of having such a vibrant food scene in Houston is that there is always something going on. You may have to do a little bit of searching but I promise there's something out there. My latest find was the last Dine Around Houston event that took place at Batanga. Fortunately, Batanga was on my list so I was lucky enough to be able to cross that off my list. It's located in downtown Houston and is a tapas type place with a very large outdoor space for all the many patio weather days Houston has. Alright, so we don't have that many days but at least it's an option. This was another killer deal where you got a beverage, three different tapas and a dessert for $12. Fortunately, since I went with a friend we were actually able to try all the tapas options.

The Cuban Mojo chicken skewers were served with plantains, cilantro and mojo sauce. I don't know exactly what is in the mojo sauce but it had a little kick to it and seemed to be inspired by some Caribbean flavors. The plantains were grilled so they had a crispy outside and a soft, tender inside. The chicken was a bit hard to eat as it didn't really come of the skewers easily, but it was well seasoned. The next tapas were mushroom croquettes with a truffle aioli. The mushroom mixture seemed to have come cheese mixed into it because it was creamy and the panko-like breading on the outside was a nice textural contrast. The truffle aioli was alright, but it didn't really wow me. 

I was lucky enough to be able to try okra for the first time though. I know, I know...how have I been in the South for this long and not tried okra? Most okra I have seen is usually fried, but this was grilled. Okra tends to be very oily and so it must be cooked in a very particular way, however this one wasn't. It had a chorizo oil sauce and the grilling gave it that char taste. The last dish was crispy calamari served with pico de gallo and a paprika vinaigrette. The interesting thing about this was that the pico de gallo was large piece of tomatoes that had been seasoned, not like the typical tomato, onion and cilantro mix I am used to seeing. The coating on the calamari had a smokiness to it that was complimented with the paprika sauce. I think that the chicken skewered were the best dish that we sampled.

The dessert was a traditional flan, which I am usually not a fan of because the consistency kind of freaks me out. However, this one was more like the consistency of a creme brulee. It was very rich and creamy so it was a good thing it wasn't very big. It had some kind of light carmel drizzle over it which helped cut through the richness of the custard. Overall, it was an okay meal. I can't say that I was impressed with every dish, but there were a few things that stood out. I am not sure if I would go back again, but I am glad that I was able to give it a try. Plus for $12, it wasn't a bad deal.