“East is East and West is West, and never the twain shall meet” – so claimed Rudyard Kipling but a new restaurant chain in Mumbai is set to bring these two extremes together through their new Chinese-Mexican restaurant chain called Loco Chino.
The name and the concept sounded Loco (Spanish: Crazy) enough and I decided to give it a dekko.
Located in the khaugalli of Carter road, it is a small Fast Food restaurant with tastefully done décor where one wall has been left somewhat bare with a few graffiti and another adorned with Chinese and Mexican people cutouts with mirrors in place of the face for the selfie crazed nation to indulge once more in their now famous narcissist activity. Bamboo Steamers have been used as overhead lanterns which gives the place a novel look.
The menu is divided into two sections – Chinese and Mexican – and is quite basic. There are also a few interesting mock tails which can be ordered to get some respite from
their fiery habanero salsa. Do try their mock tail called Mexican Twist (Rs.89) which I found quite refreshing and with an explosion of flavours – goes very well with both their Mexican and Chinese dishes.
Starting off the tasting, I ordered their Chicken Nachos (Rs.169) which was served in a decent portion to be shared by two. The topping of frijoles and chicken was a bit heavy but the sour cream and guacamole were both made fresh and were tasty.
I also tried sample portions of their dim sums which are priced at Rs.159 for 4 pieces of the regular and Rs.219 for the one with Truffles. I found the price to be a bit steep but the taste pretty much made up for the price. The most outstanding ones amongst the vegetarian dim sums which I would recommend were the Thai Sambal Cottage Cheese Dim Sum and the Spinach and Parmesan Dim Sum where I found the taste lingering on in my mouth for a while. The Four Mushrooms Dim Sum also had a good flavor where the taste of Shitake Mushrooms stands out prominently.
In the Non Vegetarian Dim sum selection, the Spicy Smokey Chicken Dim Sum was smothered with smoky barbecue sauce. Though I found the smokyness of the sauce quite delicious, I found the wrapper of the dim sum thick and pasty and the filling average. The standout dim sum was the Chicken and Chives one with a beautiful crystal thin wrap and good clean flavours.
Surprisingly both the truffle based dim sums – Edamame and Edamame with Chicken – were what I would call an acquired taste as the edamame was used as a paste and gave a certain weird creamy texture to the filling which I didn’t really like much.
Coming to the Mexican dishes, the Veg Chimichanga (Rs.139) which is deep fried dough filled with veggies and topped with salsa, guacamole and sour cream, can prove to be a very good wholesome meal for a person looking for a quick bite.
I felt that the Chicken Quesadillas felt more like chapattis with chicken rather than tortillas with chicken. I would ideally like my tortillas to be a bit thicker and have a slight crunch on the edges.
As for the Tacos, customers can choose between a soft and a crunchy taco and have it prepared accordingly. I went for the crunchy one and was quite happy with the end result. The only downside was that the tacos were not served on a stand hence they toppled over and the filling came out. .The restaurant may want to serve their hard tacos in a stand similar to the ones that are used for hot dogs, thereby ensuring that the filling does not fall out
The Churros con Chocolate (Rs.129) for dessert do not match in quality with the churros I have tried at San Churros which are quite light, airy and crunchy and the chocolate sauce accompanying it is thick and decadent. However considering the price and concept of this restaurant I think they were quite decent.
On the downside, the restaurant needs to urgently get some pest control done as throughout my meal I was attacked by fruit flies and mosquitoes which was quite bothersome. Another input is that the flex for the menu above the service counter should include images of the dishes as a rookie will find it difficult to understand the difference between an enchilada, a burrito and a soft taco.
I personally felt their Chinese was far better than their Mexican but then their guacamole and salsas were far superior to the Chinese dipping sauces. All in all,Loco Chino is worth a visit if you happen to be around Carter road for a leisurely evening stroll by the sea.
Aah ! If you do happen to land up there, don’t forget to ask them for the meaning of the tag line on the back of their T-Shirts –“I have a Mexican attitude with a Chinese mind”!!!(I totally forgot to ask and have been busting my brains ever since trying to understand the meaning…Que Loco No)!!
Ratings out of 5
Food: 3 | Ambiance: 3 | Service: 3.5 | Overall: 3
Meal for Two without Alcohol: Rs. 500 | Alcohol: No | Credit Card: Yes|
Timing:11.30 AM to 12:00 AM| Wheelchair access : Yes
Address: 389, A Wing, Gagangiri Premises Co Operative Society, Carter Road, Bandra West, Mumbai
Telephone : 022 6500 6544
Disclaimer : This review was done on an invitation from the restaurant. Due judgment and care has been applied by the author to remain objective and unbiased in the review; however readers may exercise their own discretion.
