Mexican sizzle in boiling Houston

I recently returned from a trip to Houston to visit some family that have moved out there and I have a problem. No matter how hard I try I cannot find a great Mexican restaurant in London. Sure, there's Wahaca, which does great street food but seriously...the queues. Mestizo's Molcajete (a sort of spicy hotpot) is delicious the first time you try it, but you don't find yourself trawling through your diary looking for an excuse to return as soon as possible. Benito's Hat is as good a counter service Mexican restaurant as you could hope for but it's at the fast food end of the dining experience. Three months ago I would have happily of gone to any of these restaurants at the drop of a (Benito's) Hat, but thanks to my trip to Texas, they no longer cut the mustard. This is a serious problem for a chilli fan such as myself and this dilemma is all down to one restaurant I went to during my trip: Lupe Tortilla.

When you arrive, Lupe Tortilla doesn't look anything particularly special - a sprawling series of shacks bolted onto every possible part of the main building and covered in fading paint. It almost looks dare I say a little run down. But those extensions are a clue to the dining experience you are about to encounter - without this extra space, half the people that turn up to dine would go home very, very disappointed. Even with these additions you still have to wait for a table. I went there twice and probably had to wait about 30 minutes on each occasion. This wasn't a problem - we spent the time at the busy bar sipping a couple of frozen margaritas - delicious, sharp, and with a good bite of tequila.

Once seated at the table, you are presented with an endless supply of homemade tortilla chips, a deliciously fresh tomato salsa and a smokey, meaty bean stew. In fact, they replace the baskets of tortillas so quickly you can understand why the starter section is so limited - you really don't need one. Orders from our table included a superb steak with three kinds of chilli - good, smokey meat with sweet firey peppers, including the infamous orange habanero. The flavours blend together so well that the refried beans on the side of the plate may seem superfluous. But two bites into the habanero and you'll soon be spooning the soothing bean concoction into your mouth. Along with another frozen margarita. Salads are tasty too and have a good punch of jalapeno chillies.

The restaurant itself is decorated with a range of paraphernalia, assorted memorabilia and does have the feeling of a family restaurant. There were certainly plenty of children there on both of my visits and even though they were loud at times, they never distracted from the good company and great food. There's even a sand pit outside to keep toddlers amused whilst their parents wait for a table.

But the main reason for this post is the fajitas. So often fajitas in a restaurant can be such a let down - small portions of overcooked meat, tortillas with a plastic-like surface and pureed guacamole. Lupe's sizzling fajitas were a revelation - tender, smokey strips of steak and chicken, sweet onions with a slight bite to them, more of the delicious fresh salsa and a good, chunky guacamole.

So this is the root of my problems - amazing fajitas, 5,000 miles from my doorstep. If you happen to be touring Texas and passing through Houston, I can wholeheartedly recommend Lupe Tortilla. And I envy you. For it will be another 12 months before I get to sample the delights of this sprawling Mexican restaurant again. But one piece of advice: watch those orange habaneros. They may be slow burners but they have an almighty kick when the heat eventually catches up with you - and all the frozen margaritas in the world will struggle to douse that fire...

Lupe Tortilla is situated on the I-10 Highway in West Houston by freeway 6.

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