Loco Chino, Oshiwara, Mumbai – a fun global dining experience
Written exclusively for Buzzintown.
It was a refreshing experience to have stepped into a brand new outlet of Loco Chino at Oshiwara, Andheri West.
Loco Chino define themselves as a ‘revolutionary fast casual dining concept’ that offers you some select menus from Indonesia, Mexico, Thailand and China.
So from Nachos, Quesadillas, Burritos, Enchiladas, Chimichanga (deep-fried burrito), Fajita, steamed and fried dimsums – you’ll be in for a fun global food treat.
The best part being, Loco Chino claims to not use any MSG/ ajinomoto in their oriental cuisines and almost every meal is freshly made at the restaurant.
The menu is short, crisp and no fuss – they keep a pencil along with the menu on every table which gives you the liberty to create a mix and match style of menu depending on your mood, appetite, time and the weather.
Not only that you also get to select and customise a Wok Box – with just five simple steps you can create a vegetarian, a non-vegetarian and a sea food meal box.
To give you an idea, Step 1 begins with a choice of veggies – be it Pockchoy, Broccoli, Zucchini, before you move on to Step 2 where you get to pick your proteins.
Here you have a choice from Tofu, Cottage Cheese for vegetarian options or Chicken, Basa Fish, Prawns or Squids for the non-vegetarians.
In Step 3 you can pick your base – from steamed rice and a choice of noodles such as whole-wheat noodles, spinach noodles or Jasmine Rice. Step 4 offers you a choice of sauce from black pepper, Mandarin Chilli, Oyster Chilli, Xo or Garlic Butter and finally Step 5 is where you get to pick your choice of toppings from Basil, Bean Sprout, Burnt Garlic or Roasted Peanut.
This is ideal for a takeaway menu and for in-dining options if you’re with a group of friends as each gets to customise a meal of their choice.
Just tick the options to pick your meal and watch the chefs cook up a storm in the Loco Chino open kitchen.
Drinks:
So while we got down to deciding on what to eat, we started off with Lemon Grass Ice Tea and Mexican Twist – which are Loco Chino’s signature mocktails.
If you love spicy and tangy food, then these two refreshing mocktails are just the companions to compliment your meal. While the Mexican Twist offers you one of those regular sweet and tangy kick, the Lemon Grass Ice Tea was something quite unique.
Loco Chino has quite a few other beverages on offer such as the Looseleaf Green Tea, Flower Tea and Sassy Senorita. For the weight watchers and calorie conscious maybe a green tea with some steamed dimsums could do the trick.
Food:
We started with Loco Chino’s exclusive Edamam Truffle – a creamy dimsum made with finely pureed French beans and parmesan cheese wrapped in a soft potato starch blanket and Spinach Parmesan dimsum – a delightful combination of spinach and cheese.
These mouth-watering dimsums get more character when you play with the flavours of three types of sauces served along with them – soya chilli, spice dip and Thai ginger.
For non-vegetarians you can opt for Chicken Sh ui Mai and Indonesian Chicken dimsums. Chicken Sh ui Mai is a beautiful blend of shitake mushrooms, carrots, ginger and chicken that are beautifully steamed and cocooned in the dimsum.
For me, the Indonesian Chicken Dimsum was a winner – where all the ingredients are marinated in Indonesian spices and herbs such as ginger, lemon grass; take one bite to feel the lemon grass welcome you with its fresh and distinct flavour.
If you love Indonesian or Thai food, then starting off with these dimsums is definitely a good idea.
Moving on we tried a plate of Paneer Chilli Basil – which can be had as a starter or as a side dish along with some sticky rice or noodles.
What we liked the most about the paneer was that they were soft and cushy and when you take a bite of the paneer the flavours right from the fried basil, black and dark soya sauces offer a powerful punch to the dish.
On the other side, there’s the very delicious Black Pepper Chicken that’s made with a heavenly concoction of dark soya sauce, sweet soya sauce, oyster sauce, butter, ginger, garlic, Thai ginger and of course crushed black pepper.
The chicken has a glazy finish to it and if had along with some rice or noodles will pep up the mood on a rainy day.
For those who love the fiery and tangy Mexican fare, there’s the delicious Chicken Quesadillas – flour tortillas packed with chicken, and Colby Jack cheese served with an interesting Avocado dip and a roasted tomato salsa. The melting cheese and the soft chunks of chicken from the tortilla makes it a filling snack that goes best with one of the mocktails.
If you’re hungry and looking for a one meal snack, then try their Big Fat Buritto which comes with a healthy filling of rice, chicken, black beans and a host of other magical ingredients that make it sumptuous.
Desserts:
While there are quite a few dessert options to sign off a meal at Loco Chino, you could try Tres Leches – a soft cushy 3-milk cake that comes on a bed of condensed milk – it’s sweet, light and fluffy.
Other options to choose from are the Churros, Sumatra Chocolate and Banoffee Pie.
There’s so much more to explore in their menu especially Khao Suey and Thai food, that we plan to go back to Loco Chino again to do full justice to it.
Décor:
Loco Chino’s Oshiwara outlet has just been launched on 9th May and has a young and a vibrant theme to it.
The ambience is bright and well lit with ample seating area and an open kitchen as well. The décor is fun with all the elements from the Far East and Mexico to liven things up.
Price:
Meal for two: Rs. 900/- approx.
Vegetarian Wok Box – Rs. 179/-
Non Vegetarian Wok Box – Rs. 189/-
Sea Food Wok Box – Rs. 229/-
Address:
Building 25,
Linkway CHS, Meera Tower,
Opp. Beauty Palace,
Oshiwara, Andheri West,
Mumbai
For more photos of Loco Chino, visit our official Facebook page.
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