Bite into authentic Mexican flavours
When Thiromi Gamage Lamba arrived in Sri Lanka two years ago, she was disappointed to find that there were no restaurants dedicated to her favourite Mexican cuisine here. Having grown up in Bangladesh and worked in Singapore, where it was readily available, the young business executive, then decided to take it upon herself to fill in the visible gap in the market. “It has always been a dream of mine to start a restaurant, since I was 16,” she says.
Starting off with food stalls at events such as Eat Street CMB, the positive feedback prompted her to open up her own Mexican fusion restaurant ‘Let’s Taco Colombo’ in July. Though set to launch in February, construction phase problems had delayed the opening. Coincidentally this was at the same time that the American fast food franchise ‘Taco Bell’ opened its first outlet here.
Though initially worried about what impact it would have on her fledgling business, demand was strong from the outset, to a level not anticipated by Thiromi, resulting in them running short of food and seating in the initial days. “People had been waiting in expectation since the sign was up for a few months,” she says.
Thiromi wants to ensure her No 33A Dr. Lester James Peiris Mawatha ( Dickmans Road), Colombo 05 Operating Hours : 11 a.m. - 10 p.m (weekends) /9.45 p.m. (weekdays) Price range : Rs. 900 - 2000 Contact no : 011 4248301 Follow them on : *Instagram: @letstacocolombo
*Facebook:@letstacocolombo : diners get as close to the real deal as possible and even hired a foreign chef experienced in Mexican cuisine to achieve this. Everything is made in house, using locally sourced ingredients from the guacamole to the taco shells. “I wanted it fresh and tasting homemade,” she says, even if it does result in her tacos being more pricey. In a bid to be inclusive pork is not on the menu.
Located on Dickmans Road in Colombo 5, and brightly decorated with a mural and posters, Let’s Taco can seat 40. We sampled a few of the more popular items off their menu, starting with the Chicken Nachos (Rs 900). The dish came with a large serving of chicken and nachos topped with guacamole, cheese, and capsicums. The chicken was well cooked and seasoned and together with the cheese and guacamole, it meant that each bite you took was different from the last. The nacho chips were crunchy and delicious, it was difficult to stop eating.
The Chicken Quesadilla at Rs. 900, came with four quesadillas in a portion, drizzled with sour cream and with a guacamole and Mexican salsa dip. The chewy and cheesy filling went well with the slightly crunchy texture of the tortilla shell it was wrapped in. The tomatoes and sour cream added the required touch of freshness to the dish as well.
As our main, we had the Spicy Chicken Taco - two soft shell tacos, nachos, corn and a guacamole and salsa dip which may seem pricey at Rs 1150, but was intensely satisfying. Eating the taco itself is a little messy but the lovely heat and the well cooked chicken ensures that the mess won’t stop you from eating the whole thing.
For dessert we tried the Churro Cups with Vanilla ice cream. Priced at Rs 524, the dessert had a two inch cup made from a churro with ice cream inside the cup.The soft warm churro paired wonderfully well with the cold ice cream. Coated in sugar and dusted with what seemed to be cinnamon , this was one of the better churros we’ve tasted in Colombo.
Overall the food was delicious and the portions well sized, and the ambience upbeat and colourful. But on the flipside it does mean that the food at Let’s Taco is a bit expensive, if worth the price.