Why Mexican cuisine is so popular in Bangalore

Bangalore’s known to have the most global palate in the country, with its widely travelled residents. No wonder, the city welcomes any new cuisine with open arms. While some of the flavours are new, there are some which are closer to the Indian taste buds. Mexican cuisine is one such, which rides high on spices.

Chef Niranjan A, kitchen manager, Hard Rock Café, Bangalore, explains, “The similarity between the spices is what makes the cuisine so popular. Some of their most popular snacks also work as great accompaniments when one is handing out with friends over drinks.”

Niranjan, who will be incorporating a special Mexican menu at his lounge from today for three weeks, says that the cuisine still does require a little tweaking for the Indians. “While one does find vegetarian options of tacos, and burritos, we’ve incorporated a little extra. Instead of giving them just the rice and the beans, we’ve introduced cottage cheese, which doesn’t tamper with the taste too much,” he explains.

Considering that a chain like Hard Rock Cafe needs to keep a uniform menu across the globe, he says the variations come with a lot of detailed research. “The annual Mexican food festival is held across all the outlets. You find a similar menu. But there are little variations which is worked out from country to country,” says Niranjan, adding, “The Legendary Burger, which has beef patty with chipotle puree, baked beans and cheese is uniform across the globe. But for Indians, we do have a chicken option of the same.”

Starting this week, Hard Rock Café begins with a three week long Mexican food festival, which will have samosettes, tacos, toastadas and burritos. “Toastadas, influenced from cocas — the Spanish style baked crusts, make the best snacking options. They’re lighter than the pizzas with lesser cheese,” ends Niranjan.

Be at Hard Rock Café, St Marks Road, to get a dose of Mexico with tequila based cocktails as well as some spicy and tangy fare.