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A
twist of Mexico
Loco Amigos brings Mexican food, the latest in international
cuisine, to Islamabad. Instep pays a visit...
By Hya
Khawar
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Pedro
and Ernesto both got kicked out by their respective bosses. When
Pedro, who was a cook, came to see his friend Ernesto, he saw him
sitting on the pavement in front of his shop with his hands on the
head. Instead of crying over what had taken place earlier during
the day, they both started to laugh crazily and knew exactly what
had to be done. Soon they decided to open their own taco shop which
they named after what the towns' people called them… Crazy
guys….Loco Amigos! Their mission was to make strange, delicious
Mexican cuisine and promised to make customers smile.
Similar is a story of six cousins in their late twenties working
in their own fields, who one day came up with a 'lets do something'
plan! All boys holding MBA degrees conducted a detailed market research
of the capital and decided that a Mexican take away should be a
good idea. Soon they divided duties and after seven months of struggle
their new venture finally made its soft launch on April 7, 2007,
marking itself as the capitals first exclusive Mexican take away.
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| Mexican
cuisine is known for its intense and varied flavors, color and variety
of spices. Mexican gastronomy is one of the richest in the world:
both with respect to diverse and appealing tastes and textures; and
in terms of proteins, vitamins, and minerals. Most of today's Mexican
food is based on pre-Hispanic traditions introduced by Spanish colonists.
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| Loco Amigos is
Islamabad's latest installment of theme restaurants located in the
most central market area of Islamabad's F-10 sector. The story mentioned
above was printed on a brochure floated around the capital city to
attract attention just prior to the launch. As the story narrates,
these six cousins were termed crazy by family and friends when they
floated the idea around and so Loco Amigos has lots of crazy aspects
to it. Five waiters dressed up in Mexican outfits with typical Mexican
hats perform magic tricks, sword fight, joke around with customers
and even pretend playing cricket without a bat |
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or
a ball! This greatly attracts attention of passerby's and has proved
to be a good source of generating revenue.
The logo comprises a red colored nacho with a Mexican hat called a
sombrero on top in a bright attractive red/yellow combination. The
boys conducted a detailed research upon the ingredients used in Mexican
cuisine. Some are locally available but most of it including tortillas
has to be imported in order to generate the real Mexican flavor. Initially
they started to practice Mexican recipes by themselves at home, once
that was mastered a professional Mexican chef was hired and all of
them sat down to finalize the recipes slightly changing to adjust
according to the Pakistani taste. Finally the whole family was invited
for a special Mexican feast in order to get their final approval.
As expected, the food was greatly appreciated and the family gave
a green signal. |
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Loco
Amigos is located in the basement of main F 10 sector with other neighboring
take away restaurants and designer shops. It's a small counter with
a glass partition on the outside and a neat mini kitchen towards the
inside. Well lighted and presentable, it gives a very welcoming impression.
To a passer-by, Loco Amigos would appear to be just another take away
outlet on busy commercial F-10. However, place the order, trigger
your taste buds and you will discover that it is no ordinary Mexican
treat that is served here. In each bite there is a dollop of Mexican
magic and the essence of history. When seeking a change from the well-frequented
Chinese restaurants and Italian cafés around the city, the
Mexican delights at Loco Amigos are manna for the palate.
The elaborate, pictorial menu offers an extensive choice of great
mouth watering Mexican treats displaying a wide variety of Tacos,
Quesadillas, Enchiladas, Nachos, Burritos, Chimichanga and Fajita.
It comprises just the right number of dishes to keep visitors interested
while specializing in particular tastes. Top of the list is Taco which
is one of the old Mexican dishes comprising a rolled tortilla filled
with meat based salsa and sour cream brings any meat lovers dream
come true. Quesadillas are also tortillas of corn or flour folded
over a filling of cheese, cooked on a griddle until the cheese is
melted and tortilla becomes crisp, a must try as an appetizer. Next
in line is Enchiladas which are softened corn tortillas dipped in
a chili sauce wrapped around a filling of meat or cheese garnished
with even more cheese, filling and tantalizing to the taste. Nachos
are tostados topped with beans, melted cheese, sliced jalapenos served
with chicken and sour cream. The dish really gets your hands dirty
but its worth a try. Burritos come as a main course item consisting
of a filling, usually shredded or dried meat, mixed with chili sauce
wrapped in a large thin flour tortilla. Round and easy to handle,
they are a specialty of the State of Sonora where they are often packed
into saddlebags. Have two and they become a meal, have one and it's
a filling snack. Worthy of special mention are its Fajitas which originated
as a campfire favorite in the ranch lands of South and West Texas.
It's a grilled steak served on a sizzling platter with tortillas and
condiments. Chimichanga is a deep fried burrito that originated in
Mexico. Flour tortillas are folded into rectangular packages and filled
with a wide range of ingredients, most commonly beans, rice, cheese
and shredded meat. They are then deep fried and served with salsa,
sour cream or cheese.
Visitors discovered there was a lot to like about Mexican food, and
that the myths about it being fiery hot and very oily were untrue.
While Mexican food is flavorful, this comes mostly from a subtle blend
of herbs and spices rather than a heavy handed use of chili peppers.
Rarely does a meal in Mexico pass without olive oil having played
a part. Olive oil is the usual choice for frying, sautéing
and salad dressing and its fruity, delicate flavor and unmistakable
aroma characterizes Mexican cookery.
The price list doesn't look so bad, fairly equal to many other take-aways.
There is no doubt that the quality of food and service is better than
good and one eagerly looks forward to another visit, but quite frankly,
the wallet of teenagers and university students does not feel the
same way. Open from 12 noon till midnight it is a spot to sit back
in your car, relax and enjoy the flavor of Mexico.
By Pakistani standards the food here, like most Mexican food elsewhere,
is rudimentary at best. Without many spoonfuls of spices and even
less grease, flavoring is owed mainly to olive oil, salt, saffron,
green peppers, onion and parsley. And yet the outcome is satisfying
and very filling, without any of the artery-clogging aftereffects
that most local culinary delights induce. |
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