Mexican flavours
An all-veg quick service restaurant in Mumbai offers authentic Mexican food at reasonable prices, says Tanmaya Vyas
Words like Buritto, Tortila, Tacos and Nachos are part of every menu of a multi-cuisine restaurant in the city. The words are names of Mexican delicacies and have found a wide audience in India. However, there was no stand-alone Mexican restaurant in Mumbai, till the New York Burrito Company started recently.
Another addition to the line of restaurants by the shore of Girgaum Chowpatty, New York Burrito Company has simple décor, a friendly ambience and a different menu. A Quick Service Restaurant (QSR), this restaurant caters to people who love to try varied cuisines.
Our meal began with a drink and starters. Apart from the regular Colas, the beverage menu has only two distinct options—a dragon fruit-based and a hibiscus flavoured drink. A break from the routine of mojitos, both the drinks are recommended if you are looking for something different. The starters were Cheesy Nachos. Hard shell as well as soft shell tacos, moderately spiced, will certainly suit the Indian appetite and taste buds. As the proprietor, Senil Shah observes: “Mexican cuisine is close to the Indian one, as the ingredients are similar—be it rice or beans. Thus, there is an instant connect for Indians.”
Their most sought-after item on the menu is the Buritto Bowl, which comes in both Jain and Non-Jain variants and is apparently lapped up by patrons. You can make your own burrito and burrito bowl by picking between different bases like brown rice, white rice, fajitas, Pinto beans or black beans and then select from a range of appetising sauces like salsa de queso, salsa verde, salsa roja, salsa fresca, pico de gallo, guacamole, sour cream and mayo sauce, which can be lastly topped off with lettuce, jalapeños, green chilles and ensalada de maiz, which are unlimited.
The Jain variant has no garlic or onion, yet retains the original flavour of the recipe. We have had 100% vegetarian Italian joints and now we have this 100% vegetarian Mexican joint. If you ponder why, here is what the owner had to say, “Two of the physical outlets are in Ghatkopar and Charni Road, predominantly Jain neighbourhoods. And today, increasingly people are choosing to be vegetarians.”
The restaurant imports its avocado from Peru, its dragonfruit from Cambodia and some of their ingredients are all freshly sourced from home-grown farms—all this but the prices are not over the roof! “We tried the local produce, but the taste was nothing close to the original. The greasiness of avacados is its prime feature. And guacamole, a dip made of avocado, is the signature dish from the Mexican heartland; we could not have taken a risk with that,” shared Senil.
What the menu currently lacks is dessert. The owner and the chef are in the process of introducing two desserts. One would be a chocolate-based regular like a mousse or pastry and the other, a traditional Mexican dessert called tres leches cake, a sponge cake based dessert soaked in three kinds of milk and fruits. Again to suit the Jain palette, the cake is eggless.
Curating this scrumptious menu is Chef Delio Armin Puerto Ceballos, who was born and brought up in Mexico, giving this food authenticity.
Pluses Authentic Mexican cuisine, reasonably priced
Minuses Limited beverage menu, not suitable for sit-down dinner
Price Rs 600 for two
Locations Charni Road, Ghatkopar east and Santacruz East
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