It was with a heavy (and slightly burnt) heart that we left the private tasting at Taco Fresco on Saturday night, which opens for business today. Ever since discovering that the Chicago-based chain was coming to Mumbai, we’d lived in a state of culinary anticipation, looking forward to guacamole and chalupas in a city with virtually no authentic Mexican restaurants. Perhaps that’s why the actual meal was such a let down.

It began on a promising note, under a whirring fan out in the open-air section, with Mexican pop art on the walls and four kinds of salsa on the table. The tortilla chips accompanying them seemed soggy and one of the salsas was tasteless, but we remained optimistic, concentrating on the better, super spicy jalapeño and seriously flavorful medium red versions, determined to love our Mexican-in-Mumbai meal.

When the Chips Are Down

But other faux pas were more pronounced, harder to ignore: vegetarian quesadillas for instance, were properly encased in real soft tortillas instead of the rotis Mumbai restaurants often use, but otherwise bland and filled with stringy cheese. A dinner companion commented that he had made better in his frat house kitchen after a night of partying. We were forced to agree.

The burritos, stuffed with paneer and accompanied by yum Mexican rice and refried beans are a better bet, as are the chicken wings with creamy dip. Warning: prepare your digestive systems in advance, because these are literally soaked in oil. If you like your meal fried, also try the Chimichangas, re-imagined here essentially as Mexican spring rolls.

Made in Mexico

All of the above get much better, though, when you add a dash of salt and pile on sides of coarsely-chopped tomato salsa, sour cream and – lo and behold – guacamole! On its own however, the wildly-anticipated avocado dip tasted of…. nothing at all. That’s probably because of the substandard avocados available, something many Indian chefs complain about.

Lack of access to other ingredients integral to Mexican food – good tomatoes, spices, beans – has been cited as one of the main reasons why we don’t see more of the cuisine in India. One chef also points out that Mexican dishes are commonly cooked in pork fat, which adds a lot of flavor, but cannot be used in vegetarian versions, making them much blander.

Taco Fresco too, seems to be suffering from this “Indianisation”. It is run by a Chicago native with family here, who thought Mumbai was ripe for Mexican food and so bought the chain’s franchise rights for all of Asia. She has the right idea, and her menu tries to be scrupulously true to the original, but in its current avatar, the food is mediocre at best.

New Tex Message

But the night we went was her first run, so chances are that the kitchen will get more skilled, that they’ll figure out how to source good ingredients, that the addition of imported beers, shots and margaritas (scheduled to start in three weeks) will heighten the overall dining experience, and that ultimately, Taco Fresco will succeed in bringing delish Mexican fare to our shores. Fingers crossed!

Getting there: 8-9, Mangal Bhavan, junction of 14th and Khar Pali Road, next to Café Mangii, Khar (W), call 26484498/ 32222462, or visit www.tacofresco.com, Rs 400 for a meal for two (without alcohol), opens May 3.

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