There is nothing posh about the Mexican Cantina. It is a place for those, students etc., whose tastes for food exceed their income. Simple, even tacky decor (complete with disused concrete and stone lily and fish pond), reasonable prices and exotic wel prepared food.

It is Mexican. What pasta is to - urn - Diamond, tortilla is to Mexican food. A pancake about the size of a bread and butter plate it can be served in several basic ways: Taco- folded and fried with seasoned meat or beans.

Enchilada - rolled soft tortilla

Tostada - flat toasted tortilla with other ingredients plonked on top.

Taquitos - rolled and stuffed then deep fried.

Aperitives: a series of dips with crisp corn meal chips to scoop them up one at a time. We tried Chile Sauce Dip at $1.50 and Taquitios at $1.20. The chilli sauce dip was like thin home made tomato sauce with a slight wallop - ask for water before you start - ergonomically ill conceived when coupled with a thin 'chippie-like' corn crisp. It is probably just as well that you can't get much sauce on at a time as you may not be used to your chilli sauces more or less straight. Tasted good. A good appetizer.

Taquitos came like a ground beef filled savory brandy snap with plenty of lettuce and more chilli. I'd never thought of the Mexicans eating a lot of lettuce, that's my fault not theirs, but crisp lettuce and chilli is the first idea from the place stored away for later home use.

We didn't bother with an entree but available were:

• Enchilada 1.40
• Chile Con Carne 1.40
• Taco 1.20
• Tostada 1.60

A combination of these could be ordered as your meal proper especially as Chilli Con Carne was not listed as a main course.