Starboard

Rest : Starboard
Loc : The Taj Mahal Palace and Towers
Meal : 10'o clock munch

It was nice to see the buzzing Taj Lobby after all the crap that happened, it was even nicer to finally be able to reach Starboard for a Mexican. Considering i am a huge lover of the cuisine (my recent trip to London was dominated by Mexican cuisine) and we have nothing resembling an authentic Mexican or Tex Mex meal in the city (Sanchos in Delhi and Sammy Sosa in far away Andheri)

Most people consider Mexican to be the bastardized cusisine served by New Yorker & Cream Centre (my visit here) which consists of heavy tomato gravies and lots of beans and cheese, i will be the first to admit that these dishes have a unique and enjoyable taste of their own but are not a patch on the real thing.

The Mexican menu is the only one in the country which can be considered authentic although it is not very expansive. Even then, there is plenty of for everyone to choose from.

The salsa's again were more on the Mexican market eatery than the tangy masala type we are served most places.

The taco was pretty awesome, served with veggies and green beans and salsa, since its not exactly a native mexican dish, there was def an effort in bringing some authentic flavor to it, on the bottom was a little bit of mashed potato (awesome)


The enchilada was again, pretty amazing, the outsides were very different with the tomato and beans seeping out to that section, however once you dig in towards the centre it gets better and better. The black bean rice was great, the beans were not refried and were gravier but def tasted amazing. I would have avoided the less than stellar salad (though amazingly served with Ranch dressing)

The potatos were interesting, very indian in their taste and texture but yet different, they came with a side of salsa different to the one served as table salsa. Interesting.

Overall : Well, overall i was pretty happy getting any of this stuff in this country and have resolved to become a regular. Chef Bansi, who i spoke with has spent years in Mexico and picked up his skills the right way.

He mentioned they were going to introduce some Tex-Mex variations by August, he also reiterated my point that people in India know Mexican as beans and heavy cheese and tomato sauce, the Taj is trying to change that with this endeavour (Wasabi is another commendable venture on the Sushi front)

The service is Taj, which means it was impeccable.

My only complaints being that they should offer larger sides of rice and beans, its how the sides are served in the US anyway. Also come on, give us some tortilla and salsa as munchies from the get go and not have us order it (350 for tortilla, 150 for salsa) no self respecting Mexican restaurant would charge for chips n salsa....

Also, introduce some other Mexican beers other than Coronia (Dox Equis or XX)

Cant wait to go back..

Food : 9/10
Service : 9/10
Damage : 2500

Taj Mahal Hotel
Apollo Bunder
Colaba, Mumbai
Phone 66653366