Sep 20, 2014 11:03 AM
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Say what you like about fast food, but it is here to stay. The large players in the Indian fast food market have been Dominos and McDonalds. Basically pizzas and burgers. But Taco Bell aims to be different. It aims to bring Mexican(or American Mexican) food to the Indian marketplace. Don’t think of their food as authentic Mexican. Rather, it is a hybrid designed to be crowd pleasing. A bit like Indian-Chinese cuisine, actually. But that is not necessarily a bad thing.
Taco Bell has 4 outlets in Bangalore – at Mantri Square, Malleswaram, Gopalan Innovation Mall, Bannerghatta Road, Sony World, Koramangala, and Cosmos Mall, Brookefileds. So far I have visited their Kormanagala, Bannerghatta and Malleswaram outlets.
The outlets and ambiance
Taco Bell does not depart from the template laid down by other fast food chains. There are self-service counters, and plastic tables and chairs in the dining area. The colour tone of the outlets is warm, with orange, yellow and red accents, with a bit of purple thrown in. It is warm and inviting from the outside. The outlets are generally in good condition and cleaned well. Note that in two of their outlets, seating is upstairs and you need to climb stairs to reach it.
The service
Taco Bell follows the self-service model, and it works. Billing is fast and I never had a problem of change. The difference between this and McDonalds is that here, after payment, you get a token number. You go to a separate counter where they announce your token number and pick up your order. This helps eliminate queues in the payment line.
The food
You will not find a single bun here. Taco Bell lives up to its tagline ‘’Think outside the bun’. The meu spans over 50 items and both vegetarian and non-vegetarian patrons will be happy. Prices are reasonable. Like McDonalds Taco Bell has separate production lines and people for handling veg and non-veg food. Unlike McDonalds though, they do not put veg and non-veg items into separate bags when packing for takeaway.
Note: Most items in Taco Bell are tangy and/or spicy.
I have tried almost the entire menu in Taco Bell. Some items I liked, some not so much. So I have shortlisted my favourites here:
Tacos: Tacos are basically round flour or corn flatbreads folded in half.
1 – Soft Potato Taco Rs. 25– The taco is like a soft roti and is filled with a spicy soft potato filling. There are tangy and spices sauces also included to further pleasure the tastebuds. At Rs. 25, this is the cheapest item on the menu and great value.
2 – Soft Mexican Chicken taco – Rs. 40 – The taco is soft like the Potato version, but they replace the potato with spiced minced chicken. There is also a topping of salsa consisting of tomato and shredded cabbage. Also great value.
3 – Supreme Taco Chicken – Rs. 55 – The taco shell here changes to a nice crunchy corn exterior. The interior is the same minced chicken as in the soft taco, but with an additional chilli sauce and mayo to add a depth of flavour.
Burritos – They are shaped like a kathi roll. The roti is called a tortilla here and is made from maida. They are more expensive but also more filling than tacos, and all of them contain rice in the stuffing.
4 – Potato and Paneer Burrito – Rs. 69. The potato filling is similar to that of the Potato taco. The paneer consists of nice soft juicy cubes which complement the tanginess of the potato with their creaminess
5 – Egg and Cheese Burrito – Rs. 59. Combine eggs and cheese and you have made me a hapy man. Probably the ultimate comfort food combination, these spicy eggs and cheese combine well in a burrito to create magic. They are a bit on the salty side but I like that.
6 – Crunchwrap – Potato / Mexican Chicken Rs. 120 – A crunchwrap is like a sandwich, but instead of bread the covering is the roti / tortilla like flatbread. It comes stuffed with cheese, tomato, onion, cabbage and potato / chicken filling. Quite nice and large, it also makes for a very filling meal for one
7 – Volcano – Supreme Nachos – Chicken Rs. 99– Why buy expensive useless nachos at movie theatres when you can enjoy much better and cheaper ones here? You get a nice plate of nachos with mayo and spicy chilli sauces, topped with minced chicken and a vegetable salsa.
8 – Cheesy Fiesta Potatoes Rs. 65 – Small bite sized and deep fried potato poppers, drowned in melted cheese and topped with salsa sound appealing to you? It should. These are very tangy and may irritate some, but not me. I love this combination of comfort food. Note: You will not feel like doing any manual labour after eating these. They are perfect when watching a movie.
Drinks – One promotion of Taco Bell is that you get unlimited Pepsi /mountain dew / Fanta / 7-up for just Rs. 60. This does not make much sense, as there is only so much soft drink you can consume before you feel bloated and gassy.
Price
Prices in taco bell are quite reasonable, with most items costing less than Rs. 100. In fact, it si the cheaper items which are my favourite. Two people can easily heartile aet here for Rs. 250 – 300. The prices listed above are exclusive of taxes, so they will be inflated by a further 15%.
Verdict
We may know that fast food is not good for us, but it doesn’t hurt to enjoy it once in a while. And if you are fed up of the continuous Burger and Pizza train, head over to Taco Bell. It is spicy, tangy and delicious.
