MEAT!!!

Okay, so the family and I were in Swindon over the weekend. We decided to go out for a nice lunch. On the way to Cosmo (nice Chinese place), we came across a restaurant we'd never seen before. It was called Rios.

It was bright and eye-catching. It apparently was also brand new. We had a peek in the window at what they offered for food, and saw this.

That's a lot of different meats. It was intriguing, to say the least. The price was a bit steep, and we questioned whether it was worth about £18 a head, as there were four of us altogether. Then we saw that they had an opening offer of 25% off the bill (which continues until the 14th of September, if anyone is in the area and wants to take advantage of it!). Fair enough, that's a good deal. Then we looked at the sign next to the menu. Check out how this restaurant actually works.

Basically, from the moment you're seated, you can go up and help yourself to the hot and cold buffets (which look small, but actually have a good range of stuff). Then, once you have a plate, you go back to your table, where a rectangular piece of wood is standing in the middle. Half is red, half is green. If the red side is up, nothing happens. But if the green side is up, be prepared for some amazing food.

The best thing about this place is that there is no waiting for your main course to arrive. The waiters (chefs? I'm not sure, to be honest) spend their entire shift bringing meat to the tables with their green markers. They come into the dining area with meat on a giant skewer and a massive knife. They then cut the meat right at the table, allowing you to take as much or as little as you like, before moving on to the next table. Within a few minutes, another waiter comes around with another meat skewer. And then another, and another. We had completely full plates within about ten minutes of sitting down. And since every waiter brings out a different kind of meat, you're all but guaranteed to get a taste of everything.

Oh, and did I mention the food itself is absolutely fantastic? We all took a huge liking to the Parmesan Pork. The rump steak, though a bit bloodier than I usually like my meat, was amazing. In fact, there was very little they brought out that I didn't immediately love. The chicken was not particularly special, and I think one of the things they brought around were chicken hearts (so the boyfriend says). But they will tell you what the meat is if you don't recognise it, and as I said, almost everything is well worth trying.

As for a couple tiny points of interest, what made the experience even better was that the staff were lovely. All of them were smiling and cheerful, and they were happy to answer any questions or requests. Also, though it isn't listed on the menu in the window, there is a reduced price for kids between 5 and 10, and kids under 5 eat free.

So yeah. I think we found our new favourite eatery in Swindon. :)