As Dhaka's palate grows, the demand for a more diverse range of cuisine can be seen around the city. The newest craze is Mexican food, or more precisely tacos.
Tapping into that, Radisson now offers a full range of Tex-Mex buffet every Thursday night. It's a word play on Texas and Mexico where an Americanized version of Mexican cuisine emerged.
Radisson has traditionally hosted several themed buffets featuring different countries and cultures and has been hosting a Tex-Mex theme since November 18, 2022. Both locals and their in-room guests enjoy these buffets.
"Particularly, this cuisine is enjoyed by foreigners, but the locals also seem to enjoy it," said Tashfeen Ahmad, Marketing and communications executive at the Radisson.
Food:
The range includes flavours that are still traditionally prepared in Mexico and Texas.
Despite the American influence, Texas enjoys a vibrant Mexican community and culture; therefore, the theme is Tex-Mex.
This Tex-Mex-themed buffet includes a wide variety of Mexican delicacies at stations comprising the classic favourite of beef, Con Carne Tacos. These tacos shells are meaty and filled with guacamole, cheddar cheese, salsa, hot chilli, cocktail sauce, and sour cream as a necessary condiment.
The rich-yet soft taco is flaky and generously stuffed inside a crisp fried corn tortilla. The spicy Mexican flavour accentuates the unique combination of a hot chili sauce and a cocktail sauce.
The spices pop out as you take your first bite into the delicious taco, a winner of a dish through and through and a personal favourite.
Then there was their roast chicken sub-sandwich, another traditional dish prepared with a Medianoche Pan suave bread and a combination of mayonnaise, butter, chicken, vegetable, and cheddar cheese, slices of jalapeno, and their signature cocktail sauce to finish it off with a hint of spice.
The sandwich was carefully prepared in front of the guests and was a savoury delight, accompanied by guacamole and sour cream. This sandwich should be your go-to if you are a meaty-sub fan, as the sweet-soft doughy bread leaves you awestruck.
Among a variety, another signature delicacy was their paprika-marinated grilled fish with a drizzle of paprika, lemon juice, vinegar, and a thick tuscan sauce, a much-needed diversion from the chicken and beef. This brings out the delicate, zesty fish, a welcome change. The tuscan sauce is a mix of tomatoes, basil, garlic, and olive oil that helps bring out the umami taste of the fish. However, they could have turned up the spice a notch higher with more vigorous use of the paprika.
Their dessert selection is endless, and you will be spoiled for choice if you have a sweet tooth. It included the understated American sky-high carrot cake, the nutty lemon cheesecake, a sweet and sour pineapple cake, and the delectable chocolate churro- The highlight.
The chocolate churro is a Mexican specialty that is a long deep-fried pastry covered in hot chocolate, champurrado, and dulce de leche and makes for heavenly chocolate- cinnamon bites as you hold on the ridges.
Along with the desserts, there is a salad option such as the Mexican black bean corn salad for vegetarians and vegans.
The Tex-Mex dinner is TK3990+ for adults and Tk2100 for children.
"Compared to the other buffets, the price for this one is more reasonable," assured Ahmad.
Ambiance
Radisson's signature themed buffets captivate Dhaka's restaurant lovers every Thursday night with their Tex-Mex-themed decor and food. This buffet is at their Water Garden Brasserie restaurant in the 2nd-floor lobby.
The 5-star hotel pulled out all the stops by adding a gigantic thermal foam guitar in the middle of the buffet. Its beige colour complements the white colored tablecloth, napkins and walls. The famed guitarrón Mexicano is an instrument the Latin American country plays to unite the entire community with dance, music and food galore.
To further underscore the country's heritage the 5-star hotel included the flags of both Mexico and the USA. The warm glow added to the festivities and reminded us of the toned colours of Mexico.
Challenges:
To stay true to the dish they are trying to create, they looked at several sources for meat options as the required meats were unavailable at the neighbourhood markets.
"We had to get the meat from several different places, and adjust to the circumstances like that," said Ahmad.
These buffets have been a way for the hotels to make a long recovery since Covid-19 hit in March 2020.
The Covid-19 outbreak has had a double impact on the tourism and hospitality sectors. Still reeling from the twin shocks, Radisson seems to have made a comeback with these buffets, he added.
"These buffets were a way for us to recover extensive losses incurred due to Covid since we made a comeback with the buffets last year," said Ahmad.
Go enjoy the vibrant culture and spicy renditions of Mexico celebrated at Radisson, recurrently on Thursday night. You have till February 23, 2023, every Thursday starting at 6:30 pm.