Mexican Cantina
When it comes to selecting somewhere to eat, there are a few things that I look for.
Of course, there’s the menu – it should consist of interesting and tasty dishes, preferably distinctive, at a reasonable price. Then there is the service, it always helps when the staff are pleasant, welcoming diners with a friendly smile. The atmosphere is important, (things like surroundings and décor – a summer patio so that I can sit outside and indulge in people watching is an advantage, clientèle – for example, has anyone recommended it to me, music – not too loud and obtrusive so as to impede conversation); after all, nobody wants to eat in “dump”.
I have to admit, however, that this list is not in any particular order of priority and I am not sure what weighting I would place on each item.
There is one other thing that often affects my choice – accessibility. Although I happy to travel to some particular café or restaurant if it means I am going to be rewarded with a special experience, but on the whole I prefer to frequent places in the immediate neighbourhood.
As it happens, the Mexican Cantina in Bishkek scores highly on practically every criteria in this list.
The Cantina is based in the corner of the Ai Peri building, which is just at the back of my office … it’s only minutes away which gives it a definite attractiveness for me. Ai Peri was originally built in 1984 as a fashion and beauty centre to bring the latest in authorized fashion and hairstyles to the women of Bishkek. The building has a bit of a history, having been apparently taken over by Aidar Akaev just before the Tulip revolution, who closed it and started to make renovations to make it a major shopping centre. After the revolution, the ownership was disputed and it has only just started renting out and reopening some of the units. The one occupied by the Cantina was at one point a small café and the current owners took out a lease on it last year.
I was introduced to it by some friends, international consultants, who had tried it out for lunch one day and were pleasantly surprised. There are a couple of places in Bishkek that offer the odd Mexican dish, but this seemed to be an interesting and attractive alternative for the ex-pat community who, like me, enjoy different ethnic cuisines. Indeed, most, (but by no means all), of the clients I have seen there have been foreigners.
As the name implies, the menu is mainly Mexican, (Tacos, Burritos, Fajitas, Enchalados, Quesadilla and Carnitas, not forgetting Gazpacho, Posole, Menudo and Guacamole – although that’s not always available). They admit, however, that it is “Americanized” Mexican rather than what you might expect to find in somewhere like Acapulco. It’s quite a small menu and I have now tried virtually everything on it … and I have never been disappointed yet. One of the advantages of being small is that you can be sure that the dishes are a speciality of the chef.
The Cantina experience starts with a portion of Tortilla Chips and Tomato Salsa, which are definitely “moreish” which are complimentary. They say that they process and grind their own Masa Harina to make tortilla and tortilla chips, and that they make their own hot sauce from Arbol peppers imported from Mexico. Although additional portions are not cheap, neither are crisps or pistachios at any café and so that doesn’t stop me ordering another portion.
For the vegetarians, there are a selection of dishes, and diners can be reassured that the food hasn’t been prepared using meat bullion or pots and pans that have just been used to prepare a meat dish.
They also have a selection of what they call “Mexican Pizzas”.
The bar is a little limited, but the Sangria adds a pleasant touch on a hot summer’s day. It’s not meant to be a bar, but I am happy to while away an hour so on a Saturday lunchtime, sipping a Beer, or Sangia, munching on the Tortilla, reading a book and just soaking up the atmosphere if I don’t have a dining partner. I have seen quite a few people doing the same.
The surroundings are not luxurious. The café itself is quite small, and can seem quite dim with it’s marble tiled walls, but in summer there are tables set outside, so it is possible for me to indulge in my favourite pastime. The chairs are hard wooden straight back chairs which I don’t think would encourage anyone to sit and linger for too long, but they are more than adequate and a welcome relief from the soft low couches which seem to be so popular here.
The large oil paintings which are meant to give it a Mexican atmosphere seem a bit out of place on the marble walls, but the marble does have the advantage that it helps to keep a cool atmosphere in the heat of the summer, and is easy to keep clean. The music is not intrusive and they seem to vary the style of music that they play from time to time.
As I said, it scores highly on most of the criteria.
What’s more they do a delivery service … although I’ve never availed myself of this particular service, because it is located, literally, “just around the corner”. Also, the kids are not that keen, they are not used to this sort of food and it’s really not their taste.
Still, as the saying has it – “You can’t please everyone.”
You can find out more about the Cantina on their website, at http://www.kyrgyzcantina.com/index.htm
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Bishkek