Mirror Magazine

Mirror Magazine

Where Salsa music plays and Enchiladas sizzle
By Ruwanthi Herat Gunaratne
It's different. The restaurant is a burst of colour, a white fence on the outside and sunny yellow walls on the inside. The ceiling demands attention. It's swathed in shades of yellow, red and green, completely Latin American. The sounds of a catchy Spanish tune come from a discreet corner. It's just right for a bit of the salsa and the mirangé.

The Bistro Latino, the latest restaurant cum Tapas and Wine Bar down Duplication Road is daring to be different. "A Latin restaurant was established here about a year ago and my husband and I were regulars," says Narmada Muller, the Managing Director of Bistro Latino. "One Friday night when we made our usual stop we were surprised to find that it was closed down. We were informed that the previous owners were giving it up and my husband saw it as an opportunity."

Narmada, a mother of two, had just submitted her resignation to the Oberoi, where she worked as the Public Relations Manger, in order to spend more time with her kids. But opportunity beckoned. "We both felt that with this kind of venture I'd have the best of both worlds. I could spend time with the kids during the day doing "Mommy things" and work during the nights."

What does the Bistro Latino entail? Bistro in French stands for a small café. The Bistro Latino thereby stands for a small, informal restaurant specializing in Latin food with a definite emphasis on Mexican cuisine and the popular Spanish Tapas.

"Tapas is the quintessential Spanish experience," smiles Narmada. "They are dainty little portions of food served with your pre-dinner drinks." Tapas, Spain's gift to the culinary world, is now a world phenomenon and a national pastime in Spain.

They are very similar to our local bites. The word Tapas comes from the Spanish verb "Taper" which means to cover, and the first Tapas was a slice of ham served on top of a sherry glass, reportedly to keep the flies away, continues Narmada. "Therefore the ham was eaten prior to taking the drink. Bar keepers then discovered that the saltiness of the ham spurred beverage sales and a tradition was born."

What are they made of? "Any kind of finger food can now be considered Tapas. Popular items on the Tapas menu would include green and black olives, Spanish omelettes, cured ham, cheese, slices of crusty baguette with olive oil or garlic, calamari, prawns and other shellfish."

If you are feeling a little adventurous their famous green chilli dips might just hit the spot. "That's the advantage in Latin American food," smiles Narmada, "it's almost made to cater to our palate, it's spicy, it's chilli and it's different." But why not a completely Mexican food restaurant? 'This is still a niche market. And we wanted to give our customers a bit of everything. For example in Latin America Tapas Bars are all the range. They have large display boxes with over 100 varieties of Tapas available. All you have to do is to pick out the few you want and get it over the counter."

But at the Bistro Latino things are different. "We don't have hundreds of Tapas on our menu but there are a selected few which we will finalise according to the consumers' likes and dislikes. We've basically made the entire bites concept more trendy and fun!"

But if it's a big meal you want, then it's a big meal you'll get. Tex-Mex favourites - Enchiladas, Burritos, Fajitas, Tacos and Nachos along with Tortilla Chips and a choice of the best in dips are definitely the house specialities and must be on everyone's list. That's not all. There's Char-grilled chicken, Tender Loin Latino and Prawns Al Forno to choose from.

Dessert? "Well," smiles Narmada, "To finish your meal off on a sweet note there's our signature dessert - the Bistro Banana Fritters."

The idea of the Wine Bar in itself is completely different. "Wine is now associated with health worldwide. What we propose to do at Bistro Latino is to give everyone an opportunity of sipping their favourite wine. The advantage being that you don't have to purchase an entire bottle to enjoy a quiet meal."

Wines are not the only beverages served, a beverage list comprising popular cocktails, beers and fruit juices and speciality coffees are available.

But that's not all. Anyone who walks into the Bistro Latino on a Thursday will be treated to free Salsa lessons.

Though the restaurant is only open for dinner at the moment, it is proposed to open up for lunch in the future along with a take away counter serving Tex-Mex favourites, fresh cut sandwiches, gourmet hot dogs and healthy salads.

So if you are in the mood for an Enchilada, and a completely Latin American experience, a walk into the Bistro Latino might prove to be the perfect recipe for you!

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