Hola! Midweek, Ed and I were in Rosa Mexicano at The Dubai Mall celebrating Cinco de Mayo for the very first time! Actually, we were one day late! I wasn't able to join the media lunch during the Mexican holiday because of schedule conflict, hence my visit was moved the next day. Rosa Mexicano has been on my foodie list, so I delightfully accepted the dinner invitation though it means I had to rush to Downtown right after a busy work shift.
Rosa Mexicano is an international fine-dining Mexican restaurant with two branches in Dubai; one at The Dubai Mall and the other at Mirdif City Centre. The restaurant's name actually means Mexican Pink; no wonder it fascinates me a lot. The color is a mix of red, blue and white; truly different from other shades of pink. Based on its name alone, I guess Rosa Mexicano was created to stand out from the rest of its kind.
Ed and I arrived at Rosa Mexicano two hours before closing time. I was charmed by the restaurant's authentic Mexican ambiance; stylish, detailed and bursting with colors! We were guided to a couch near a water wall with miniature cliff divers, a mini version of The Dubai Mall's Waterfall. Then, Brenda, our server, presented the regular menu and the Cinco de Mayo specials. I'm not good with names, but I never could forget Brenda! She has the most contagious smile. It was quite late and most diners seemed in a hurry, yet she remained attentive and very cheerful. Too bad, I wasn't able to take a photo with her.
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| all things Mexican at Rosa Mexicano Dubai |
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| Rosa Mexicano's water wall with miniature cliff divers |
While we were still browsing Rosa Mexicano's extensive menu, Brenda said we should try the guacamole and the special mocktails first. Moments later, a chef came with a cart of avocados and chopped ingredients. Rosa Mexicano's guacamole was freshly made from scratch right before our very eyes! It was perfectly created based on our preference; easy on the jalapenos and with the right amount of tomato, onion and cilantro. We enjoyed it with warm tortilla chips and cold Mexican mocktails! It was Rosa Mexicano's bestseller Frozen Pomegranate Margarita for me and Pinacolada for the husband!
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| Rosa Mexicano's Guacamole en Molcajete is one of the bests in town! |
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| Frozen Pomegranate Margarita and Pinacolada |
The guacamole started our late Cinco de Mayo celebration with a bang! We were already hyped up when our starters came. We had the Tres Antojitos; a platter of chicken wings, shrimp empanadas and crispy chicken tacos. All three were flavorful and went well with the dips. From the Cinco de Mayo specials, we had Crispy Jalapenos which I surprisingly enjoyed! I actually ordered it for Ed alone as my feeble taste buds couldn't handle much spice. But since it looked really tempting, I gave it a try and I loved it! It has a crunchy coating, warm and cheesy filling and a hint of natural spice coming from the large jalapeno pepper.
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| Tres Antojitos: (left to right) shrimp empanada, crispy chicken tacos, chicken wings |
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| Cinco de Mayo special appetizer: Crispy Jalapenos with sour cream-scallion dip |
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| Crunchy cheese-filled jalapeno, Anyone? |
As for the main course, Rosa Mexicano has a great list of authentic Mexican dishes. On the regular menu are fajitas, enchiladas, tortas and tacos. Then, there are excellent additions on the Cinco de Mayo celebration menu which they will only be serving until May 10. After a thorough foodie discussion, we agreed to try the ones that they are offering on a limited time and save the fajitas for our next visit.
I had Pescado Veracruzana; roasted sea bass with Veracruz sauce. I found the fish dish very heartwarming. The fresh fish fillets were smothered with simple yet delicious tomato-based sauce. It has the warmth of an excellent home-cooked meal and a distinct traditional Mexican flavor! Ed had Lamb Shank with potato, carrot, turnip and corn in light brown gravy. We are not big fans of lamb meat because of the strange after taste, but we gave it a go when our server Brenda said it's one of their finest offerings and doesn't tastes as odd as other lamb dishes. True to her word, it is tender, tastes milder and so much better than what we had before. Guess we are on our way to loving lamb meat after all!
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| Rosa Mexicano's Cinco de Mayo special main dish: Pescado Veracruzana |
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| another fine Mexican dish from the special menu: Lamb Shank |
Our Cinco De Mayo fiesta ended with traditional Mexican sweets, Churros en Bolsa and Pastel de Platano y Chocolate. The sugar-coated traditional Mexican donuts or the Churros were served hot from the pan and with three dipping sauces; chocolate, caramel and strawberry. It's delicious, a little oily though... or should it really be that way? :) Ed and I both enjoyed our other dessert, the long Mexican name actually means Banana Chocolate Chip Cake. It's filled with peanut butter mousse, topped with vanilla ice cream and drizzled with dark chocolate sauce Muy delicioso!
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| Churros en Bolsa or Hot Mexican Donuts with three dipping sauce |
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| Pastel de Platano y Chocolate / Banana Chocolate Chip Cake |
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| traditional Mexican desserts gave a sweet ending to our Cinco de Mayo celebration |
Cinco De Mayo celebration at Rosa Mexicano runs from May 4 to May 10, 2014. The special menu will only be around for a limited time, but fret not as Rosa Mexicano can whip up an authentic Mexican fiesta even on ordinary days.
Location:
Rosa Mexicano
The Dubai Mall
Lower Ground Floor
For the complete menu, please visit Rosa Mexicano's website.
2 Blogger Comments
Hi Anne!
ReplyDeleteWith the Entertainer, we were able to try Rosa Mexicano.
Food was great, but probably considering my family's food spending, I wish they could provide an option for bottomless ice-teas, as well as additional food options in the menu...
Bottomless drinks would be a great addition to the menu. :)
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