Chubby Blog: Mexican Food Extravaganza at Bengawan

ola! a few weeks ago, I got a lovely invitation from Bengawan, a restaurant of Keraton at the Plaza to try their Mexican menu, brought directly from Mexico by Chef Lamberto Valdez Lara.. it was really exciting since not many good Mexican restaurant I can name in Jakarta.. I personally think the Mexican cuisine is sexy and unique, thus I really can't wait to explore it.. especially when it's brought by a Mexican chef.. prepare your taste buds :)

the Mexican menu is part of the buffet menu served at Bengawan.. there was a special section dedicated for these appetizing menu.. let's start with the classic nachos.. I reckon this is one of the most popular Mexican dish in Indonesia, consisted of corn tortilla chips topped with cheese, tomatoes, beans and beef.. this was awesome! I have always been a huge fan of nachos.. I find this dish very appetizing both in the eyes and in the taste.. the fact that all of the ingredients were freshly made is just another plus point.. I need to warn you to be careful with this if you are not used to eat spicy food since there were chopped chilies in the toppings..

next, we have Mexican soup, caldo tlalpeño, which basically was made from chicken broth with garlic and onion.. you can add available toppings which includes chicken chunks and thin tortilla chips.. as basically, all Mexican dishes were spicy, the soup was also quite hot.. luckily, I love spicy food and so I enjoyed it so much.. it was very refreshing and unique with a strong sour and spicy taste..

on to the main courses.. let's try the staple food first, rice.. served here is Mexican green rice.. chef Lamberto himself suggested us to eat the green rice along with the tomato salsa, guacamole and red beans.. though I found the suggestion quite unusual for my tongue, I did try it and it resulted in a unique and delicate combination..

the next one is my favorite dish of the day.. carne asada which literally means 'grilled beef'.. the beef was marinated in achiote before perfectly cooked medium then served with roasted guajillo salsa, wild mushrooms and organic grown cherry tomatoes.. this tasted awesome! I have never tasted anything like this befoer and I'm totally loving it.. the beef was very tender and the seasoning was heavenly :)

other menu includes chicken flautas and chilles rellenos.. chicken flautas is basically rolled taco stuffed with chicken and cheese while chilles rellenos is stuffed bell pepper with Alaskan king crab, fresh corn, goat cheese and chipotle sauce.. chicken flautas, in my opinion, will be a perfect choice for snack or light lunch as this was easily lovable and quite fulfilling.. as for the chilles rellenos, I'm not a fan of bell pepper and so I just cut the bell pepper into half and eat the fillings which was delicious :)

chicken flautas

chilles rellenos

my lunch plate

of course, our lunch did not just end with the Mexican dishes.. instead we went for more from the store.. including the foie gras and oysters which available daily.. talking about spoiling your tongue, tummy and just making you realize how beautiful the world can be.. haha.. for drinks, I return to have their lychee ice tea which was still the best in Jakarta.. love the crushed lychee and the pop-up bubbles..