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May 29, 2003
Mexican food for a fair price
Salsa is Kiran Nadeem’s Mexican answer to a craving for hot, spicy exotic food. With the opening of this restaurant in Gulberg, she has launched herself as one of the youngest restaurateurs of Lahore.
In a city rife with gastronomic competition, Kiran Nadeem has taken risk by the horns to show that cost effectiveness does not always have to follow the wider graph of macro economics. “It was risky to start my own restaurant and invest in it heavily. But I went into it with the knowledge that there’s no business and no profit without taking risk,” says Kiran Nadeem the 25-year-old owner of Salsa.
“I don’t know about being the youngest restaurateur, but mine is certainly the first, original Mexican restaurant in the city. From the moment I tasted the food when I went to the US, I was determined to bring it home for everyone to enjoy,” says Kiran quite matter-of-factly.
The place is divided into a small, intimate dining area, opening on to another section where meals can be enjoyed al fresco in a brightly decorated environment. Besides the wide variety in the menu, Kiran’s second most important consideration is to stick to a vivid fusion of colours, giving the customers a simulated impression of a Mexican bistro. “I have deliberately kept the yellow and blue colour. For me, Mexican cuisine represents intensity and lustre.”
The yellow stucco walls and the beige floor are part of the open eating area, while a more sombre interior has been chosen for the other enclosure. Salsa is certainly not the envy of Taco Bell or Chiquita, two hardcore franchised Mexican restaurants, but neither is it too local not to relish the idea of those delicious Enchiladas, Burritos and Fajitas.
“Nearly all my ingredients are imported from the US so that you can taste genuine Mexican cuisine,” informs Kiran. Though the soup section is not Salsa’s strength, it can pick up points on its appetizers like Tacos and Salsa and Salsa Special Wings. The main course comes with outlandish names, but a bite of a generous serving of Ranchero Santa (boneless pieces of chicken prepared with ginger and green chilies, and served with spicy rice) removes much of the guests’ alienation.
The Mapo Chicken, once again boneless and marinated in hot sauce and served with rice, is one of the favourites of Salsa’s regular customers. So is Chicken Piccado, comprising thick cubes of chicken mixed with mushrooms in black sauce, with white rice on the side. Most of the food is grilled and is minus the mass of calories found in our rich desi specialities. Salsa keeps a special section for weight watchers. Their diet salad and grilled chicken sandwich is worth a try.
What Kiran needs to concentrate on is the Salsa’s dessert area. The regular Banana Split and the Hot Brownie comes with a selection of plenty of flavours in ice cream. But that Salsa touch seems to teeter off towards the end of a meal.
“In the beginning people didn’t take a young woman managing a restaurant seriously. Amidst the competitive franchised giants, they have come to realize that I won’t give up in the face of competition.”
Feeding Lahoris with Mexican food is not the end of the road for Kiran Nadeem. Soon, she’ll be going to Karachi to delve into the prospects of opening up there as well. “Karachi is such an open city. It will be fun to challenge my business skills there.”
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