CARLOS Zubir has never stepped foot on Mexican soil, but that has never stopped him from opening a restaurant serving the country's specialities.
It all started when Carlos met an American friend who told him about how lovely Mexican food was. And the next day Carlos invited his friend to his house for a cookout session that left Carlos craving for more.
Authentic: The servers are dressed in cowboy hats, belts and boots to match the theme of the restaurant.
He soon harboured the hope to bring Mexican food to Malaysians as there were not many restaurants offering such cuisine back then.
Today, after 17 years in the industry, his restaurant Carlos Mexican Canteena is not only famous for its Fajitas and Nachos but also the local favourite teh tarik.
“Our guests come here at all times of the day and in the evenings for a cup of teh tarik.
“We have to prepare up to 60 barrels of the tea and it is always a sell out,” said manager John Fernandez.
The outlet brings together a combination of Mexican and Malaysian cuisines for the diners.
“We do not want to serve only Mexican food. We want to combine food of both countries under one roof,” said Fernandez, a style which was adopted when Carlos first open his outlet in 1991 in Jalan Tun Razak.
After moving to a few places, the restaurant now sits comfortably at the Pavilion Kuala Lumpur.
The interior of the restaurant is warmly lit with pictures of Red Indians and other Mexican icons gracing its walls.
Our treat: A Tequila girl pouring shots of the liquor directly into the mouth of a diner while he sits comfortably on a barber's chair.
Servers at the restaurant also dress up as cowboys complete with hats, boots and fake guns.
During our visit, Fernandez shared with us the Mexican “must-haves” on the menu which comprised tacos, nachos and fajitas.
Each appears to be in a medium portion, enough to be shared among friends as appetisers. The tacos were filled with shredded vegetables and grated cheese while the nachos were swarmed with a generous topping of melted cheese and salsa sauce.
As for the fajitas, enchiladas and burritos, patrons have a choice of either shredded chicken or beef to go with it.
Fernandez explained that enchiladas was oven grilled and burritos had to be deep-fried.
However, ingredients in both were similar and one would not be able to tell them apart except for trying it out themselves.
Other popular dishes include Braised Lamb Shank and Grilled Salmon. Also available are oysters which is said to be the cheapest in town, going at only RM2 per piece.
For desserts, guests can look forward to Chocolate Banana Buri-tos as well as Deep Fried Tortilla stuffed with Melted Chocolate Banana served with ice cream.
Inviting: The interior of the restaurant has a mix of warm colours coupled with pictures of Red Indians hung on walls.
The bar area of the restaurant also has a classic-looking barber's chair where it is specially used by patrons who are seeking to party the night away with tequila shots poured down their throat while they rest on the chair.
“We tell them, they need a haircut and the patrons know what that means.
“With every six shots of the liquor, the restaurant awards the guests with a t-shirt for their brave move,” said Fernandez.
It is the restaurant's treat to keep their guests entertained after a long day at work and to look ahead to a well deserved weekend.
CARLOS MEXICAN CANTEENA
Lot C3-03 The Pavilion, Jalan Bukit Bintang, Kuala Lumpur. (Tel: 03-2145 3996/5996)
Business Hours : Mon-Sun (10am-3am).
No comments:
Post a Comment