The Mayans gave us one of the most loved cuisines in the world today — Mexican. Mexico's love for mother earth makes the country's food not just exotic but immensely luring and intriguing; as if every bite tells a tale and tastes like history. ANANYA BORGOHAIN visits Arriba-Mexican Grill & Tequileria and finds out how the restaurant tries to present Mexican food with authentic ingredients and an earnest and creative sincerity
The classical civilisation of the Mayans gave the world one of the most loved cuisines, the Mexican. Today, the sizzling enchiladas, delicious tacos and quesadillas, the bright guacamole, all juxtaposed with Mexico’s love for mother earth make the country’s cuisine not just exotic but immensely luring and intriguing; as if every bite tells a tale and tastes like history. Helping the Delhiites relish the same is the quaint and delightful restaurant, Arriba-Mexican Grill & Tequileria.
The restaurant furnishes food lovers with Mexican food made with authentic ingredients and presented with earnest and creative sincerity.
As the management claims, “Our chefs have wisely used Tequila in their dishes to infuse that extra punch. An extensive salsa and guacamole bar boasts eight dazzling types of Salsa and our Guacamole is prepared fresh right at your table.” What adds to the charm of the place is the colourful and sprightly décor designed by art students. The blue walls of the restaurant are adorned with figures of cactus and iguana to highlight their Mexican theme; the falcon painted in the bathroom does the same! The Mayan Indians were, after all, nomadic gatherers. The walls of the restaurant are all hand painted and attempt to emphasise the inspiring Mayan legacy. The music tries to do the same.
lending an insight into their objective and work culture, the head chef Noah Barnes shares, “In the evening, from 7.30-10.30, we play classical Mexican and Spanish and from 10:30 onwards, we move to the upbeat and commercial tracks. I have also kept the number of staffers compact. We have only five people in service with each of them having a thorough idea about the menu. A server can attend to his colleague’s table too but without overstepping his colleague. They are also paid more than the standard rates in the market for servers. There are times when we all have done dishes and cleaned too, it’s an ambience where division of labour is honoured.”
That is believable as Barnes takes us through the nitty-gritty of his ambitious eatery. He says that what they planned to be a 54 seater initially sometimes sees 120 guests, especially on weekends.
That does sound convincing because the food compels guests to return. Its pork skewers and ribs are not just filling but also juicy and rich in a way that most restaurants fail to offer. The skewers marinated in smoked habanero and honey, and served with pickled jalapenos and a hot chili sauce make for a beautiful sight and exquisite taste. The charred pork panuchos served with sweet chilly tequila sauce is understandably a crowd puller and stays in memory.
The shredded spiced tenderloin cooked with scrambled egg, roast tomato and coriander served with homemade soft tortillas are not just unique and rich but a remarkable insight into Mexican culinary culture.
Its cocktails are as delicious and refreshing. It’s India’s first tequileria and its tequila infused drinks add to the lively, happy spirit of the place. Be it the frozen layered kiwi and strawberry margarita served with triple sec, lime and tequila or the smoked grill pineapple and avocado margarita that contains muddled charred pineapple, fresh avocado puree, tequila, triple sec and lime juice, they are all innovative and delectable, more so given the Delhi heat.
Chef Barnes says that he never compromises on the quality of the ingredients that go into making the dishes. “All of my chillies come from Mexico. The avocados come from Sikkim, Bangalore and Maharashtra. My ingredients come straight from the farmers with no middlemen to peddle. And I make sure I get authentic, fresh produce. For example, my chorizo comes from Goa. I rely on a family for it instead of a supply chain. I have done extensive research for about six months to find my sources for food.”
But Barnes does admit that his field is immensely competitive and surprisingly, there aren’t enough stringent intellectual property laws to protect restaurants from unfair replication. “Well, I did not visit any Mexican restaurant for reference because I did not want to be influenced by what is already out there. I visited the Mexican embassy in Delhi though and asked the chef at the cafeteria there about the food. I made different kinds of salsa and asked them to taste it. I also conducted tasting sessions for people who have travelled to Mexico, lived there and are aware of their food culture, and took their feedback. I wanted to be creative instead of imitating tried and tested styles.
That, however, did not stop his rivals from imitation though. “Here, I will put it on record that Gastronomica not only poached my sous chef but also copied my work from presentation to plating an item! They even did not make the effort to rename it and called it what I had named it!” Barnes reveals.
Chef Barnes continues to explain how, on his part, he still tries to tweak the ordinary making it look — and taste — so unusual and better. He says, “I don’t serve just Tex-Mex like burritos, nachos or tacos. I experiment much more than that. For instance, I mix my chilli rellenos with walnut sauce. I also opted for creative drinks like cinnamon tamarind or jalapeno pineapple or, say, I twisted the Indian bharwa mirchi into pickle jalapeno.”
However, despite all hope, efforts do get lost on some people. The chef shares an anecdote. “Well, this guest placed an order for an item that had habanero, the second hottest chili in the world. I have asked my staff to tell the guests that the dish is going to be spicy at least seven times. This guest kept reiterating, ‘Yes, I can take it, don’t worry’. The item also came with a flag denoting that it’s going to be spicy, which the server pointed out again while serving. After tasting it, the guest complains that it is spicy! Now, I don’t tell them that it’s their fault; I hear them out till they start hearing themselves!” he chuckles.
All said and done, this place must be tried by food lovers especially those who have an interest in world cuisine as well as on food experimentation. Although one cannot help but note that it may be heavy on the pocket for some.
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