By Odette and Joe Mascarenhas
‘Well Madame Rosa has invited us for their Mexican bash,’ Joe remarked glibly, tongue in cheek, ‘just think…it’s going to be a Mexican night, something refreshingly different.’ I looked across at the man in my life. Somehow I did not trust the look on his face nor the statement.

After a long holiday filled with gorging on Continental delights, I had firmly told him that eating out was to be restricted. And who was Madame Rosa?
But the thought of trying out a new cuisine was irresistible. So throwing caution to the wind I nodded slowly, albeit reluctantly. His face lit up like a Christmas tree, he scrambled to send in his acceptance….it should have sent out some warning signal…but the backlog of work dulled my normally astute senses.
And so on the night in question we drove over to Ernesto’s to meet Madam Rosa. I looked at the attractive babe seated outside the traditional shelled Goan window. She looked hot…no not because of the sweltering heat…it was a poster displayed out there stating… ‘Taste the flavour of Mexico.’ Was this Madam Rosa? If it was so then I was going to have a very tough night ahead. I put the question across to him sourly, but he hastened to add… ‘No…no…not at all, this is Madam Rosa Distilleries and they are doing some food and drink pairing with the amicable chef Vasquito.’
Keeping in mind the saying…in for a penny, in for a pound, I decided to let the pounds multiply specifically for this night and then it would be back to the treadmill.
And there was a surprise in store for us….the restaurant Ernesto’s had planned a special night for the launch of a new brand of spirit all the way from Mexico…Toroloco… the only Tequila to be bottled in India and that to in Goa.
‘We are going to show you how this spirit adds to the flavour of the food,’ said Richard Dias. Well he has got a point, no wonder we were always trained to ask if anyone would like a drink before they started a meal. And so it was Tequila shots for starters….literally. The starters are placed on the table…Tortilla chips with salsa and the jalapeno cheese sauce…and the Tequila shots. Now what are these shots? Outside of Mexico, it’s common for tequila to be served as a shot, along with salt and a slice of lime. These additions help to compensate for the harshness of the spirit and are referred to as lick-sip-suck, or lick-shoot-suck (referring to the way in which the combination of ingredients is imbibed).
Well Joe was in his element. He hastily left the table to join some like minded friends while I tasted the starters at leisure. Crisp tortillas dipped in salsa sauce. I smacked my lips and reached out for another one. That salsa sauce...in Spanish salsa means sauce while in English it refers to the tomato-based spicy condiment that is served as a dip. I guess we are talking English - ingredients tomatoes, onion, and chillies. Vasquito had added some jalapeno peppers and lime juice too. Wow! On the other table Joe was smacking his lips too, but I was happy to note that the tortilla was doing the trick too. ‘Excellent combo,’ he chortled waving a chip at me.
I dipped into the jalapeno cheese sauce…cheese, cream, jalapeno, and butter…tasty. The second starter - spicy chicken poppers - just right to be popped into the mouth as one takes a swig of the shot.  Good thing the restaurant was air conditioned….the combo was hot…hot…hot.
‘Well we are going to bring down the temperatures a bit,’ Richard stated, ‘with our chilled margaritas. They are an excellent accompaniment with the Mexican main course.’
Now there are many cocktails that go with tequila…the slammer, surprise and the margaritas,  Richard was talking about the frozen varieties - plenty of crushed ice with the spirit and triple sec. But these drinks were being made with food…fruits to be more specific…strawberries, kiwi, mango and banana.
‘Try the strawberry or the Kiwi with the main course,’ Richard offered. Joe needed no second invitation. I guess the heat was building up with those shots. We ordered the quesadillas and the enchiladas. Now the quesadillas primarily consist of cheese inside a folded wheat tortilla, cooked till the cheese melts. The word comes from Spanish and means cheesy tortilla. Vasquito had added chicken, vegetables, beans and cheese. Joe’s plate was wiped clean till the last bite. ‘Kiwi is excellent,’ he explained. The enchilada although not done with a traditional corn tortilla is similar to our kathi roll. This was filled with chicken, shredded vegetables, cheese, but was gratinated and topped with a spicy tomato sauce.
But the piece de resistance was the mango loco - fresh mango and panacota on cookie crumble with tequila syrup. Pure delight. Mob the chef for this preparation…with a banana margarita…to simply die for.
All in all the evening was a surprise…what would you expect with the effervescent Cedric Vaz creating the mood with their spirit...it was a Mexican ‘tequila’ surprise.