Cafe Mambo Restaurant
Food in Scotland
Cafe Mambo
12/13 Aviemore Centre,
Aviemore
01479 812475
As the Winter sports season kicks in to gear, Aviemore braces itself for the multitude of skiers and snowboarders who will use it as their base to get to the slopes of the Cairngorm mountains. But, after a hard day of fun on the hills, where do they go to eat and chill out? The answer is Caf� Mambo.
Caf� Mambo is to be found amongst the ski and bike hire shops on the High Street beside the immaculately restored railway station. The front comprises floor to ceiling glass sections which open out in summer. The interior is simple and functional with a twist: wooden floors and a colour scheme of dark blue and orange prevail throughout.
Taking up a corner is a large curvy bar offering the requisite European beers and a serious coffee machine. Caf� Mambo has the feel of a real hang-out joint: there are dark blue sofas and coffee tables towards the front with a spread of tables and chairs taking up the rest of the space. Suitably groovy music pipes gently out of the speakers.
There is also an upstairs games room with pool tables and fruit machines which can apparently be rented out for parties.
We went at around four o'clock on a Sunday where there were people either finishing late lunches or reading the papers and having a beer. Having walked up Cairngorm and felt the first snow of the season underfoot, we were hungry and in the mood for something big!
The menu is a tried and tested mixture of Tex Mex, sandwiches, baked potatoes and an eclectic list of 'house specials' including pasta and deep fried scampi.
I decided to have the bacon and cheese burger which is 8oz of Aberdeen beef with fries and salad (�6.45). The burger was fresh, succulent and juicy with generous toppings of cheese and bacon. Fries were large and crisp.
My partner went for Chicken Macho Nachos (a House Special at �5.95) which came with the obligatory salsa, sour cream and guacamole. As with my burger, the portion was generous but not greedy! The strips of chicken, which tasted like they had been marinated, transformed what is usually a snack into a good, filling main course and worked well with the great combination of flavours which make nachos so popular.
I washed my burger down with a pint of lager and my partner had an excellent caf� latte. After such hearty fare, we opted to split a dessert. As with the main courses, the old favourites such as apple pie, sticky toffee pudding and chocolate gateau are all in evidence, costing �2.95. We decided to share the toffee pudding which was served deliciously hot and covered with plenty of sweet toffee and ice-cream.
The table service was quick and good-humoured with young and energetic staff. In addition to the food menu there is a cocktail list offering shooters, pitchers and the intriguingly titled alco-ice cream drinks. Be you a serious skier, an aspiring snowboard dude or just passing through, I suggest you spend some time chilling at Mambo!
~ by Hector MacAndrew
