In the mood for some authentic Mexican? Look no further than the revamped menu at Miss Margarita in Delhi’s GK-2. And don’t forget to pair the food with their progressive cocktails while you’re at it.
One of the tragedies of the Indian restaurant scene is that there are so few Mexican restaurants around (no, Tex-Mex is not Mexican). It is, after all, a cuisine which should appeal to us. And, yet, Mexican hasn’t caught on like it should.
And then comes along Miss Margarita and rewrites the narrative. Just a year old, this restaurant has not only weathered the tough competition in GK-2’s M-Block Market (Diva, Sidecar, Fig & Maple, Mensho Tokyo, to name just a few), it has positively thrived and earned itself a loyal clientele. The friend I generously offered to take along to check out their new menu turned out to be a regular there.
The menu is by the super-talented Chef Noah Barnes. Noah’s love for Mexican cuisine is palpable in Miss Margarita’s menu. Talking about the new menu, hesays, “The influence behind the new dishes is to introduce the different styles of meat cooking from the different regions of Mexico to open-flame BBQ to slow cooking of vegetables. With these dishes we have taken a dive into the simpler, more rustic Mexican preparations and foods.”
After sampling the menu, I can say that the dishes have soul — and the soul is decidedly Mexican.
For drinks we settled for the Pineapple Ginger Jalapeno Margarita and the Spiced Cucumber Agave, the latter made with the premium Patron Reposado tequila. Both drinks were excellent, some of the best I’ve had in a while, but completely different from each other. While the pineapple-based drink was a bold burst of flavours, the cucumber one was a quieter, more confident drink which needed no bells and whistles to impress.
Calling itself India’s first tequila bar, Miss Margarita celebrates all things tequila with a wide selection of cocktails and shots. Apart from the drinks we had, there’s also Devils Double, Kafir Lime Mimosa Margarita, Spicy Berry Blast Slushy, Mojitorita Slushy, and many more to choose from. And then there’s the Gigante Bull Dog Margarita, a classic lime margarita served in a one-litre glass with two Corona beers! Long live Mexico, I say.
We started off the meal with some excellent guacamole. What stands out at Miss Margarita are the colourful nachos, served with a side of tomato and jalapeno salsas.
The Salsa Roja Tequila Prawns, which arrived next, were flambéed at the table — quite a performance! I would like to say that anything with tequila in it tastes good, but the truth is that the prawns were prepared with great skill and no Indianisation of flavour.
The Jalapeno & Cilantro Carne Asada — thinly sliced, spice-rubbed juicy BBQ tenderloin served with red onion & coriander salsa — was the star of the afternoon. The tenderloin had been cooked perfectly, neither too much nor too little — and we all know how difficult that is to find in this part of the world.
The Yucatan Style Grilled Adobo Pork Belly & Jalapeno Skewers followed last but by that time we were too stuffed to polish it off completely. Of course, the taste was excellent but I’m wondering if the restaurant would consider serving smaller pieces of the pork belly for ease of eating.
Fajita and taco lovers needn’t despair. It’s all there. Recommended dishes include Stuffed chilli skewers in a roast chipotle & tomato sauce(a corn & black bean stuffed, charred chilli, topped with melted cheese) and Street Style Corn Elotes (sweet corn on the cob topped with crumbled feta, spice rub, lime & coriander). For meat lovers there’s also Tenderloin Birria Taco, a pan-seared crisp tortilla stuffed with pulled tenderloin braised to perfection, stringy Queso Blanco, and onion & coriander salsa, and served with an ancho chilli dipping consommé; Roast Buff & cilantro beans enchiladas, a tortilla rolled around a filling and covered with chilli pepper sauce, with chunks of roast tenderloin, black beans & onion salsa, cheese & jalapeno; and, last but not least, Pan-Seared Pork Tenderloin with roasted peppers, onions, tomato, chipotle marinade, salsa and lime.
The Tres Leches I wanted for dessert wasn’t available — but that only means I’ll be going back to Miss Margarita soon.
Overall rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (Max: 5 stars)
Food: 9/10
Service: 8/10
Interiors/Décor: 8/10
Vibe: 8/10
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