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A Latin American Feast



Mumbai is the place to be when you want to try food from farflung corners of the world. If there aren't specialty restaurants catering to your tastebuds, there will be one of the countless popups serving your cuisine of choice. Except there are blatant misses. There is hardly anything from Africa. And while Mexico is well represented, there is almost nothing else from rest of South America. Rachana, over at second helping, is tackling this gap with the launch of her Latin American popup - Tan Bueno. It's a particularly brave venture given that her menu is completely and fully vegetarian. Rachana invited me over to taste her new menu and I can't help but tell you about this fabulous feast.

At Tan Bueno, Rachana welcomes you with that refreshing Mexican summer drink, an agua fresca. Her version has pineapple and mint in it and we sipped on this delicious drink all through our meal. A meal that starts off with three brilliant appetizers. There are empanadas filled with minced vegetables and carrying heat from ancho chillies. I particularly liked the pink guava and chipotle sauce that came with the empanadas.

Next we had corn arepas, crisp on the outside but pleasantly plump and full of beans. Rachana serves these Columbian street favourites with sour cream and a side of home made plantain chips. Rounding up the starter season were crisp tacos, left flat and stacked with beans, lettuce, cheese and dollops of guacamole and salsa. We were feeling pretty full by then so it helped to be in company of fellow food and travel enthusiasts so we could talk for a while before Rachana brought out her mains.



The mains have two very different and unique dishes. From Peru, Rachana brings in a potato bake in a cheese and walnut sauce that she serves with tortillas. And there is a spicier curry from Jamaica, of vegetables in peanut and chilli sauce, served with a Columbian coconut rice.

We skimped on the mains because we suspected the desserts will be worth looking forward to. And they surely were - a creamy Jamaican trifle served with fresh fruits and my personal favourite, the tres leches cake.

At Tan Bueno's popups, they play beautiful Latin American music to match the food. And they even sent us home with a bottle of salsa and a jar of home made dulce de leche to carry over the experience for the next few days. If you haven't experienced Latin American food beyond nachos and tacos, this is the perfect place to make acquaintance with some brilliant dishes. Or if you are looking to bring back memories of that last vacation you took there, as one of my fellow diners did, Rachana's food is sure to transport you.
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Second Helping said…
Thanks Simmi. Happy you enjoyed the Latin American food and music :) hope to see you again!
April 16, 2017 at 6:40 PM
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