When Ashish Saxena says, “Walk into any Chili’s in the world, and it will look the same,” I don’t believe him. One quick Google search later, the CEO of the American Tex-Mex chain in India is proved right. From the handcrafted glass chandelier made in Mexico, to the logo-etched chairs and condiment holders, and the bar area with high stools where mocktails are shaken and stirred, there’s a thread of continuity in the interiors.
On a weekday evening, their first outlet in the city is packed. Understandable, as it’s only about ten days since they have opened. The murmur of people having a chat over dinner and the clinking of cutlery is overlaid by familiar songs from the 1970s to present-day hits.
Tex-Mex cuisine is not known for its health benefits; but if you love cheese and all things fried, well, you’ll get what you’re looking for. So, it’s no surprise when the description under each item on the menu includes various types of cheese. There’s a tableside guacamole on offer, but since the avocados aren’t ripe, we forgo that for the addictive white spinach queso dip with tostada chips.
The service is quick, and our waiter — also an Ashish — recommends his favourites. Too sample the starters, we go for the Ultimate Dipper. It comes with six dipping sauces: loved the chipotle ranch, not a fan of the honey mustard. The chicken crispers, wings and boneless wings are delicious, as are the vegetarian Southwestern rolls. But the Texas cheese poppers are the clear winner. The country fried calamari (not part of the dipper) disappears even without us noticing that we’re eating.
We skip the salads and burgers and unwisely order too many mains. Clearly, everything is bigger in Tex-Mex, including the serving sizes. While we wait for the dishes, we sample some of their signature chili. The non-vegetarian version, made of buffalo meat, packs a punch with flavour. However, the vegetarian variant is too spicy to handle, and can’t be enjoyed because your mouth is aflame. Thankfully, a fruity Tropical Sunrise mocktail is on hand to save the day, as is a peach iced tea served in a beer mug. If we can’t have alcohol, might as well pretend we are indulging anyway.
The bacon ranch chicken quesadilla, that’s topped with sour cream and pico de gallo, is the size of a large pizza. Prepare for a whole lot of Monterey Jack cheese on the grilled chicken. The chipotle salmon, which comes with rice and beans and doused in smoky chipotle cream sauce, is flaky and melt-in-the-mouth.
If there’s one dish to go back for, it would be the original baby back ribs: slow-roasted and covered in sticky BBQ sauce, it falls off the bone. It’s the kind of dish that makes you put down your knife and fork and reach in with your hands.
Although science has been unable to point out the exact location of the “dessert stomach”, it surely exists. Because, after all this, we still call for a molten chocolate cake instead of the bill. As they say on MasterChef, it’s all about the theatre: the scoop of ice cream sitting on top melts slightly as the spoon cuts through the sponge and chocolate spills out onto the plate. And at that moment, all is well with the world.
