1400 hours, July 3, 2016, Sunday, Malad
The Prelude:
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Chili’s Grill & Bar, owned and operated by Brinker International, is an international casual dining restaurant chain that features Tex-Mex-style cuisine. In India, the master franchise rights are owned by two companies - TexMex Cuisines, which runs ten outlets across West and South - and Stellar, which runs six outlets up North.
The Picture:
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Its a huge outlet at this location. One of the largest for the brand in India, spanning 4000 sq feet. Thrilling red and brown settings, brick textured walls, bright lights, bar counter at the centre, a gigantic LED screen adorning a wall, and servers buzzing around. Vibrant is the term which comes to mind.
The Personality:
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We were invited by the brand for a taste of their new menu. The wife and I were greeted by the second in command, Mohammed Tayyab – the Head Chef cum Operations Manager. Tayyab has been with the brand since 2013 in India and four years prior in Bahrain, and has rose to the ranks rather than being a political appointee. From a junior cook to an HOH to a Manager, to a GM and finally here – it has been a rich experiential journey. His role is vast and varied – kitchen ops, staff training, Internal audits, front end, strategies – he is always on the run, managing and trouble shooting for all the ten outlets.
The Process:
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One of the very rare occasions where the restaurant insisted on a kitchen tour. Spiffy and swanky, clean and extremely systems oriented. A gigantic CTX machine to roll out quesadilla, seafood, nachos perfectly cooked at precise temperatures. A produce washing area with chlorine treatment at exact PPM range. A cold storage area with separate zoning for every food item - seafood, raw meat, poultry and veggies. A shout out at every twenty minute interval by the kitchen supervisor "Please wash your hands".
I got to learn that utter high standards for the brand are maintained as per the directions from the parent company - be it the food, the culture, the service, the decor, the furniture, the cutlery, or anything else. So much so that there are special vendors appointed in India to custom make the food ingredients for them as per the requirements of the brand - the cheese, the spices, the meat, the dough, etc. These processes and customisations are proprietary to Chili’s then, the same cannot be sold to anyone else. Again the rigours are so stringent that a third party auditor appointed by the parent company can walk in any time to inspect any outlet, with complete authority to shut down the premises at the smallest deviations.
The Platter:
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Chili’s is essentially TexMex cuisine, and serves the same food all over the globe. So any complaints of food being better at a particular outlet than the other can be trounced as hollow. New recipes take over six to eight months before they are finally approved and introduced, and the menu gets churned over on a yearly basis. "We won’t Indianise our food in any way. We will never have a Hyderabadi or a Bombay chaat on our menu.".
TABLESIDE GUACAMOLE (3.5 / 5): What’s so great about a Guacamole you would ask? Well, the biggest surprise was that it is custom made for you, at your table itself. So you have brought to you fresh avocados chopped into small pieces, which are then tossed with fresh lime, diced red onion, diced tomatoes, chopped cilantro and fire roasted jalapenos in proportion of your choosing. Served with warm tostada chips and spicy tangy house- made salsa. Scooped up together, they made for a wonderful combination and a healthy option. The beauty was in the simplicity, and the presentation added to further delight.
SMOKED CHICKEN QUESADILLA (4.5 / 5): Flour tortillas stuffed with house smoked chicken, Monterey Jack cheese, sauteed red and green bells, caramelised onion and jalapeno aioli. The tortillas were nicely cooked, crunchy and chewy at the same time, and the stuffing inside was rich with meat. Care had been taken to glamourise the accompanying fresco salad with honey lime vinaigrette to match footsteps with the star.
ANCHO SALMON (5 / 5): A large slab of seared ancho - sauced up salmon topped with queso fresco, and served with fried rice drizzled with citrus chile sauce. Normally accompanied by steamed veggies, an exception was made for us and we were offered grilled ones instead. A welcome change I should say, I strongly insisted on it becoming a regular part of the menu. The dish overall was a super affair, an ace on taste too - with a burst of spicy tangy flavours in the mouth. What sweetened the deal further that this was a healthy food option, with the entire fare rendering only 620 calories. Full marks.
BIG MOUTH BITES (4 / 5): For people who like to share. Four mini burgers - minced chicken patty and minced lamb patty ones - with American cheese, sauteed onion, and mayo. Served with inhouse pickle and fries. Minced lamb burgers are a rarity generally, and these were highly delighting here. The patty was thick and meaty, and well in proportion with the buns, which themselves were slightly toasted and slightly sweetish (?) in taste. The chicken patty ones came a close second, and were equally adorable. The accompanying pickle carried enough punch to knock off the unsavouriness of cucumber, and I immediately made friends with it. The fries were no more than sidekicks.
The Pitcher:
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BLUEBERRY AND PINEAPPLE INFUSED MARGARITA (4.5 / 5): Whoa! Talk about innovation. Innovation not just for innovation’s sake, rather with an absolute relevance. Tequila, orange liqueur and Chili’s signature mix, infused 48 hours (Huh??) with blueberries and pineapple. The resultant concoction had a strong distillation of the natural core of these two fruits, and overall turned out to be a heady, flavourful black beauty.
SWEET AND SPICY PEACH COLLER (4 / 5): Peach syrup, jalapenos, fresh sour and Sprite. Absolutely kicking combination. The addition of peach slices and jalapenos gave it an additional tang, and you probably needed another drink to down this drink, it was so fiery.
The Pleasure:
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CHOCOLATE CHEESECAKE (4 / 5): A layer of Oreo cookie crumbs. Then one of a thick premium frozen chocolate cheese cake. Then a dollop of chilled whipped cream. So tempting that you would elbow out any thoughts of calorie counts. Like you could just dig deep in to reach out to the bottom-most layer and scoop out a combination of all three in one spoonful. Like you could scrape the sides of the glass even to finish the remnants. A sinful closure.
The Postlude:
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I am a stickler for perfection, fussy about extremely high standards. And when I find the same elsewhere, it warms the cockles of my heart. I find my panacea there. It takes guts and gumption to adhere to such rigid codes, and to come out with head held high. It is as if the ordeal is chalked out in blue print, and following them is almost a religion. Little wonder that the quality of the food comes out impeccable, and the brand stands out with its pure, authentic Tex Mex.
The Parameters:
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The Food Quotient: Food Quality: 4.5/5, Food Choices: 4 /5, Food Portions: 4.5 / 5, Food Presentation: 4 / 5
The Other Determinants: Location: 4.5 / 5, Cleanliness: 5 / 5, Warmth: 5 / 5
The Hygiene Factors: Ambiance: 4 / 5, Space Quotient: 5 / 5, Delivery Time: 4 / 5
The Conclusives: Pricing: 4 / 5, Overall Experience: 4.5 / 5, Will I visit Again: 5 / 5.
The Ps:
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Bouquets / brickbats can be addressed to sanjaynpunja