Mexican flavour is a taste that I enjoy, a lot. Not sure if it's the lineage or because I have some weird affinity to anything and anyone related to Español.

When I heard that a new Mexican foodie joint has just opened, I got very excited. The other fave Mex place that I adore is currently under renovation and so it's a blessing in disguise for me to have a new one to try out. 

With high hopes, I, hubby and kids marched down to Mall of the Emirates salivating over the thought of Mexican flavour explosion (mostly me on the salivating part).

The Sad Story (... but continue on and you'll get to the happy ending... I promise)
Safe to say that the first time around we tried Taqado, it was pretty eventful or lacking thereof.

I ordered Burrito with barbacoa beef and pinto rice while my husband ordered tacos. Kids got their lunch dishes somewhere else.  

Tacos were filled to the brim with the filling soaking wet and so it fell apart even before my husband got his hands on them. So that's flop 1. They replaced it but forgot to add tomatoes and cheese. Flop 2. The third time, it was still soaking wet... and so, he's able to hurriedly eat the first taco intact while the rest broke into pieces. I'm sure you know how to count.

My barbacoa wasn't bad but it's just missing the Mexican character I was so craving for. I was expecting more oomph from it... sadly it bored me.

We really looked very disappointed and the good thing about Taqado team was they knew they are on teething stage and have to be very aware of how happy customers are with their food and service. A very nice Mexican gentleman name Isaac came over to our table and asked how the meal was. And so we told him ... everything. No holds barred. At the end of the day, it's for their benefit.

He did try to find us something that we perhaps might like. Brought us Churros con Chocolate, Chili con Carne, Nachos con salsa y guacamole. 

Churros con chocolate was a hit especially to my kids, it's just how we want it. And the cacao they used to create their chocolate es muy buena. It reminded me of our Cacao tree back home which we pick, dry, roast, grind and mold to medallón de chocolata. To put it mildly, HOME RUN!!!!

I was prepared to be disappointed with the Chili con Carne because one of their staff said it's not that spicy and I thought well, "why is it called chili if it's not going to be spicy?". Apparently, it wasn't crazy spicy. It was warm and comforting that the heat tickles your throat just enough for those cold weather. It was really lovely. 

Another enjoyable snacks are their Nachos. It went well with guacamole but its at its best when eaten with their spicy salsa. Those cinema nachos should be very, very ashamed.

We tucked in to whatever was on the table while telling him which we like, what's missing and some suggestions we think will help. Isaac was very receptive and all the while everyone's just nice and super friendly. 

Hubby and I swear it definitely felt like we were back in Disneyland where everyone's just smiling... even when we complained and pointed out the flaws with really irritated faces and tones, they were just ALL SMILES! It was crazy nice,,, too-out of this (Dubai) world. Usually it will feel fake and condescending but surprisingly, it didn't. They're just genuinely nice group of people! Whoever hired them definitely aced job-fit. 

It's not the food that impressed us the first time, it was the fantastic attitude that is missing in other places. They might be located in the food court with other fast food chains but their service is definitely up there with the many stars. 

So I made the decision to give them another try, when they're on more stable footing and less stressed out with the opening.

Happy Ending! (I told you we'll get there) 
After a month, we came back and it was a totally different story. 

I ordered Tacos the way Isaac will enjoy Tacos. I call it Tacos-the-Isaac-way... And so it came with a kick that made me enjoy it more than I have ever expected. I finished all three in a jif, it was that tasty. Definitely not boring, full of ooomph, and not soaking wet. I ate every single bit that fell off my hand onto the serving box.

The kids went for the usual. Nachos con salsa, guacamole y crema agria or sour cream and Churros con chocolate. 

We were so happy that we even lingered a bit, took funny shots of our 'taches. That's the TaqadoMo initiative supporting the month of Movember. We had so much fun. Defo looking forward to next year and what awesomeness they'll come up with.

The other plus that Taqado does is strive to serve their dishes in recyclable items, from spoons, forks, cups, to boxes and tissues. I think that earns some awesome points, don't you? 

Insider info
Taqado makes their own salsa, guacamole, churros and chocolate dips. Guacamole is made from Spanish Haas avocados.

Other vegetables they use are produced within the region. They're also trying to find a local supplier for their Roma tomatoes which at the moment is coming all the way from Brussels.

One of my faves, the Chili con Carne is made with grass fed beef from New Zealand.

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Curious of What I Wore Today? http://wiwt.com/user/AcousticChef/52008/

Moons and moons ago, I distinctly remember a lovely Soup on Bread Bowl which hubby and I enjoyed at Coco's Deira City Centre. Trying to remember what else we had seems to be quite an effort. It was as if it fell into the abyss of my food memory, not that memorable then. Indeed it wasn't.

 I, hubby, our two boys and their nanny arrived at Coco's barely filled restaurant at Sheikh Zayed Road on a mid Saturday. Granted it's past the usual lunch time, it still looked odd. Then again, Dubai is saturated with gajillions of dining choices that they really have to be on top of their game to convert curious diners into patrons.

Based on our experience, I don't know how many converts they have made, we definitely are not.

We sat down in one of the the booths and received a thick menu. We are pretty surprised at the number of dishes that is in it.

Thirty-eight (38) options for breakfast. One hundred thirty-seven (137) for lunch/dinner. Seventeen (17) desserts and the remaining Twenty-three (23) are for drinks. Too many to create at its best and for diners like myself, it was confusing for my appetite. Nevertheless since we are already there, we thought we might as well try to enjoy the meal. I had a feeling though that mediocrity is inevitable. It was quantity over quality and it's never a great thing. I'd rather go to a small place that offers ten outstanding dishes than infinite forgettable ones.

I told the server I want to order fajita, which he immediately shut down with, "Oh, that's very spicy". And since he made the assumption that I couldn't handle spicy, I asked him how did it fair to him when he tried it, to which he replied, "it's one step milder from Indian spice". Duh? So I asked again, "yes, I heard yah but what do you think of it?" That's me showing him how assumptions sound, me hoping that he sees where I'm heading to. Knowing that his tolerance of spice has no bearing on mine, I'd like to push the button and assume away the way he was doing it. Like talking to a smart mouth wall he replied, "I DON'T KNOW since I don't know how much spice you can take". I would have enjoyed interrogating him until he realizes how arrogant and nonsensical he sounded but we're not in court and I'm trying my best to keep my excitement up for the soup.

I just wish F&B management train their staff up to the mark and consistently remind them of what standard service is, most especially what manners are. 

I find it ridiculous sometimes that some staff take the lazy road or the subpar level expecting us to cut them a slack just because they're from the same country as where we came from. I really take offense and find it discriminatory. Why attend to customers differently based on nationality? At the end of the day, we are all paying customers. We don't want you to treat us special, we only asked fair.

Anywho, we proceeded and ordered Baked Potato and Cream of Broccoli Soups in Bread Bowls. Deep Fried Calamari. Mixed Fajita to share, one of the burgers for my hubby while our oldest boy chose Gone Fishing and Chips. The youngest decided for Champ's Chunky Chicken Strips. 

Our soups arrived and we were very happy with it. Even my kids were impressed. The presentation, the taste, it really was a soup experience, one which I would like to re-create at home. Between the two soups? Baked potato was the clear winner. Broccoli was top notch too but just a tad lower than the potato.

Happy ever after however ended after the soups arrived.

The soup came, kid's meals, starters, main course... I guess what I'm trying to say is, they served every single dish we ordered all at the same time! The whole table was filled with food. While we were "trying" our best to enjoy the soup, we had to tuck into the calamari before it gets cold. Also keeping in mind the main dishes that's quickly losing its warmth.

So irritating that hubby had to say something. Clenched jaw and trying his best not to lose it, he told the server the right way to serve food. The difference between courses and the importance of enjoying the meal hot.

Server was apologetic a little too late. Damage was already done. Our meal felt like a disaster. Appetite disappearing fast. He retreated to the kitchen's entrance where somehow every single server retreats to.

What do we think of our meal?

Bread rolls with butter on the side was okay, tasted commercial as opposed to baked fresh in-house.  Calamari was okay but I think they could have done better with the dip. There's nothing extra ordinary, we're not expecting it to be superb in the first place.

Since the server did not bother to ask how hubby wanted his burger patty done, it arrived well done of course. Seriously? If I wanted a template burger, I'll just go to MickeyD's or some other fast food chain. Assuming how a particular customer like their meat done, is total no-no. This server looked like his guide on how to attend to us was based on our nationality. Assumptions like that really irks me to no end. Lucky for him, hubby does like his burger well done, I like mine cooked medium and sometimes I even like mine medium rare. Had it been my order, it would have been a pretty interesting and entertaining discussion. 

Burger verdict? Hubby said it was like any other burger, there's nothing special to it. There's nothing that separates them from other fast food chains. The chips that came with it were like every other too, from a huge packet, ready to be fried. Definitely not hand cut. His meal was ho-hum.

Moving on to my curious Fajita. Lackluster to say the least. The Mexican rice was uber spicy which overpowered everything else. Chicken strips were dry, so, honestly, this dish did not do it for me, at all. Not the beef strips which were also forgettable, not the onions or capsicums that came with it, nothing in the dish will ever make me order it again. Definitely, spicier than Indian food, I think they miss the mark on this dish altogether. Fajita is sooooo hard to do wrong... but they managed. Maybe it's time to revise their recipe? If the server felt the urge to jump in and warn customers, it only means he knows it's not a tasty dish to fork your dirhams over. Only problem is, he didn't really communicate well.

My kids enjoyed their meal which was puzzling. I tasted both their meals and it tasted like the ones that came out of a box. I think they will say the same thing had I fed them "Smiley Meals"... meaning, no difference in taste, just difference in price. Disappointing.

Will we ever come back to Coco's again? Maybe not. I think I'll just look for another place to get my soup in bread bowl fix. I'm not willing to pay for forgettable meals and endure disappointing service.

Don't take my word for it though... explore. Consistency has always been an issue in most F&B outlets, so there's a chance that our dining experience could be different from yours. If you do happen to dine at Coco's and find a dish that redeems them or had a better service than what we received, drop me a line via comments!

If Coco's team read this? I think it's time you overhaul your menu and have some focus. Under promise but over deliver. It certainly has better results than the other way around.

www.cocosme.ae seems to be under construction. Right now it's a static one pager.

Branches: 
Deira City Center - 042953777
Khalid Al Attar Tower, SZR - 043326333
Jumeirah Beach Residence - 044243740

Aaaaah! Shake Shack. I consider it fast food but the quality of food and the price makes it more of a gourmet burger joint.

It's like this... If I, hubby, our two kids and nanny ate at McDonalds, we will definitely spend not more than AED 75. If we dine in at Shake Shack, just hubby and I will cost double of what we'll spend at MickeyD's for the whole fam. Is it worth it? BUT OF COURSE!

There are certain dishes which I know I can top and would be bothered to pay the second time once I already know the taste. Shake Shack concoction? No way in the world will I ever replicate and so it will never bug me to pay again and again.

Hubby and I had the pleasure of eating the best steak and wine in our lifetime. Steaks that are melt in your mouth, literally it's like foodgasm on every bite. Shack Stack of Shake Shack (say that again like five times!)... was almost as many foodgasm as the steaks we had.

We've been to this joint twice or thrice I think. The first time was out of curiosity. I enjoyed the food but was a bit taken aback by the price... so maybe that affected my overall tastes.

So I suggest you go to Shake Shack knowing you'll be paying AED 50 a burger and that if you add chips and soda, you're looking at AED 100 a head. Have that in your head so you know you're ready to pay. The next advise is... don't go there half full... go there starving! So that every bite is an explosion of flavours.

Yes you can see the more affordable Cheeseburgers or hotdogs and stuff.... Don't. Order. That. Order Shack Stack. It is a combination of Shroom Burger and Cheeseburger. Also, don't order the french fries with cheese. Order the plain one so your burger has no competition... if you ask me I love the unadulterated french fries... you can taste the quality of potatoes they used. Once you've tasted the creme de la creme, the pièce de résistance of Shack Stack,,, then on your next visit... order the others and judge for yourself how much it compares to the king of kings Shack Stack.

Shake Shack is on the upper level of Mall of the Emirates, next to the food court. Take away is alright but for the first timers... eat there! The place is not upmarket. It has tables and benches but somehow food transports you to another place.

Enjoy!

For a Full Menu and other infos... click this link http://www.shakeshack.com/location/dubai/

Ordering Pasta from Santino's is so entertaining. You get to choose which pasta you want, which sauce you feel like having and what other ingredients you want in it.

I chose spaghetti with meat sauce and chicken balls. And because I'm in the mood to eat, I added bell pepper, broccolli, black olives, mushrooms, spinach and tomatoes. I have no plans to short change myself when it comes to food.

All my selection were placed in a smoking little hot pan, tossed effortlessly by the gentleman in-charged and is simmered to perfection. A little dash of parmesan cheese and it's ready for my taking!

As if a plateful of pasta is not enough, the server added breadsticks with herbs, garlic dip on the side, potato wedges and ice cold soda... all for the price of AED 36!

As always, I have to first taste my main target, to avoid competing stars. I hurriedly tucked in to my pasta and savoured each flavour. Pasta's firm, veggies weren't overcooked, the chicken compliments the meat sauce... it was perfect. I just wished I waited for the whole dish to cool down a bit... yup... burned my tongue a bit.

Burned tongue or not, I was finally convinced that I can then turn my attention to the side lines. I took a piece of bread stick and dipped it in garlic sauce. Herby-buttery bread with garlic sauce.... yum-mmy! It almost stole my pasta's thunder,,, and that's not an exaggeration.

I then took few bites of potato wedges and thought, "this isn't bad at all". It worked well with everything in my tray. Shame I wasn't able to eat it all up, pasta and bread were filling.

It only took 5 minutes for everything to be ready and I gobbled them all up in probably 15 minutes. It only means one thing. It's my kind of fast food combo,,, under price yet over delivered... it's bursting with flavours and I'm definitely going to be back.

*sadly, Santino's in Ibn Battuta Mall closed down in 2012. Hope to bump into it in other malls coz I wouldn't mind having their pasta again,,, spicy next time.

Chili's in Sh. Zayed Branch has a pretty good service. Let's just say you won't be pulling someone's hair to get attention, and by someone I mean, a server to take your order.

Food comes to your table as soon as it's ready. It also helped that it's not as crowded as the other branches. And yes the fact that it was an hour before closing when we arrived. It's all about strategy, baby!

So, we went there to find out which tastes better, the Mushroom-Swiss or the Bacon Burger. 

Both arrived with thick french fries, crisp on the outside yet soft and crumbly on the inside. It's still junk food but as I always say, "I know it'll kill me but at least I'll die happy!" So the chips were a good start. Even better if it has melted cheese on top of it... yes, bacon bits won't hurt either! Oh well, mayonnaise and catsup will do more trick too!

Going back to the challenge... we asked for the burgers to be cut in half, so we can both enjoy it. The gloriousness of medium-to-well done patty was shown by our server and oooh-la-la, it looks juicy-licious, not bloody at all, just perfect! 

I bit on the Mushroom-Swiss and immediately tasted the rich sauteed mushroom, swiss cheese and fresh veggies. The patty tasted just as how I've imagined it'll be, delish! It was so good that my burger bar was way up high when I tasted the Bacon Burger. I fell flat on my face. I was expecting more from it. Much to my disappointment, it wasn't as good. The bacon was on the hard side and the cheddar cheese didn't help. It did have all the fresh veggies but it just didn't cut it. Deep inside me, (don't know about my friend) I wished I didn't give her my half of the Mushroom-Swiss :P

In the end, we both had a small portion of Bacon Burger uneaten. It wasn't as appetizing as we hoped it will be so we didn't bother to finish it.

For AED 35, this burger is a gift to the hungry. It is a decent size, a bit heavy on the tummy but who freaking cares! It is sooooo worth it!

Tip 1: You must eat this hungry. You'll thank me for it.
Tip 2: If you want to enjoy this burger, don't order any appetizers...  
Tip 3: Eat your french fries after you've already enjoyed a bite or two of your burger.

Enjoy!