After much teasing and taco tasting, Tom & Serg’s latest restaurant opens today in Dubai’s Al Safa neighbourhood — and we can already tell you it’s gooood.
Yes, we meant to write gooood that way.
Muchachas, the turquoise-tinged taqueria located inside the Holiday Inn Al Safa, starts serving customers today, but Tom Arnel — one half of the indie restaurant wizards behind Tom & Serg (with his business partner Sergio Lopez) — gave us an early tasting tour so that we could come and tell you:
Tom Arnel (bottom left) with his Muchachas team. Courtesy: Arshad Ali/Gulf News
Go for the tacos, stay for the diablo shrimp
The licensed outlet yet again sees Tom & Serg head to uncharted territory — when it comes to dining locations, that is. Boxpark aside, the Al Safa neighbourhood doesn’t have much in the way of destination dining (I should know: Gulf News is based there.) So it was a little surprising when the pair announced their next venture inside a small hotel here. But remember that five years ago they opened a cafe in Al Quoz that has made everyone think differently about the neighbourhood, and it doesn’t seem as odd.
“We had a good relationship with the guys from Holiday Inn, we knew what they were doing and we knew they had spaces that were strategically located in residential areas, which is really cool,” says Arnel. “It’s central and quite accessible from Shaikh Zayed Road, and in the Jumeirah-Safa area, there isn’t much food and beverage. It was a no-brainer.”
Although the team didn’t have plans specifically for a Mexican spot (they already have three cafes and a sports bar), the natural light in the space, and its small size (91 seats) spoke to them of beach-y bars “with fruit and tropical colours”.
One of the don't-miss dishes at Muchachas is camarones a la diabla, a spicy, creamy shrimp dish with pineapple. Courtesy: Arshad Ali/Gulf News
“[Muchachas] is more about fresh colours and flavours, herbs, fresh vegetables and barbecue meat, lots of spice. We’ve got some chilli sauces that are going to blow you away.”
So what’s on the menu? Plenty, from tacos to quesadillas to small plates and grills. I’ll describe them in a little more detail shortly, but know that if you can’t be bothered to peruse the menu, you can place your trust in the staff: For Dh225 per person (for a minimum of two people) they will bring you their top selections, until you can’t eat any more. It’s called the Fiesta Menu, and is a twist on all-you-can-eat. “We will feed you as much as we think you need. If you like chicken, or fish or lots of spiciness, our staff will choose their favourites. Come here and have a good time and not worry about what you’re ordering and be surprised that it’s amazing and flavourful. It’s us looking after the customer,” says Arnel.
The dishes here are slightly fancier versions of classic Mexican — not Tex-Mex — meals. With all due respect to flour tortillas, loaded fajitas and refried beans, you won’t find that here. Instead, the homemade tortillas are made of corn, the traditional choice, and they are heady with the scent of the sweet starch, warm and soft to the touch. The toppings are acidic, tangy and fresh, like charcoal chicken with lime and coriander, or a juicy twice-cooked veal adobo taco with charred avocado and habanero and spring onion, or freshly shucked oysters with vinaigrette, lime and “Unicorn Tears” hot sauce (all the hot sauces are made in-house, says Arnel, and come in varying settings on the Scoville scale. The one served at the table comes in an eyedropper).
Let’s also talk about those diablo shrimp (camarones a la diabla). They’re served in half a pineapple, which tells you more about Muchachas: It’s a fun place, even if the food is taken seriously. It looks like a souped-up, Instagrammable surf shack, all whitewashed walls, pink signage and artfully placed cacti, with pineapples on the table and tacos served in ceramic stands shaped like chihuahuas. The shrimp comes in spicy, creamy melted cheese sauce that’s got a touch of pureed sweetcorn in it, and hunks of tangy pineapple. It’s hot, sweet, cheesy and seafood-y, wrapped in a warm corn tortilla.
The light-filled interior of Muchachas at Holiday Inn Al Safa in Dubai. Courtesy: Arshad Ali/Gulf News
Arnel suggests for two people to “start with guacamole, sopes and quesadillas, and then a couple of tacos”.
And next for the team? As usual, they are measured, but always thinking of the next move.
“It’s fun being creative, not just for us but our whole team. Dubai needs that as well, it needs a bit more personality in its restaurants,” he says, recalling a ramen night they held at Tom & Serge earlier this year that had queues around the corner. “It’s so encouraging to see people in Dubai want something different. We are going to continue on the route of doing individual things that really fill gaps in the city, that excite people and us.”
The details
What: Muchachas Mexican Cantina
Where: Holiday Inn Al Safa, Dubai
Call: 04-3275878.
Reservations should be made online at reserveout.com
