loudlunch

Magarita’s is situated right beside Symposium on King Street, in Uptown Waterloo. The brick walls and wooden door on the outside provide no relevant hints regarding the exotic playful decor within. The chef graduated from culinary school in Mexico, and deliberately designed the restaurant to be filled with colourful and stylish Mexican flavours. Trust me, you’ll be pleasantly surprised after entering Magarita’s Authentic Mexican Cuisine.

A small corridor in the restaurant

That is just a small part of the restaurant. You’ll have to check out the rest yourself!

I went with a company of five. If you’re lucky / unlucky, there are sometimes live music or entertainment at the restaurant. Though it will be a fun experience, probably not a good idea to go with people you would want to carry conversations with. I was a little disappointed as there was no live band during my visit. However, I was really immersed and enjoying the unique ambiance – felt like a totally different world from the usual Uptown King Street atmostphere.

Camarones in Green Tomatillo Sauce ($15.95)

If you’re similiar to me – with almost no prior encounters with Mexican food – the menu will probably look like a brochure full of alien codes. Luckily, there are helpful explanations under each intriguing dish listed on the menu. I ordered the Shrimp with Green Tomatillo Sauce, with a side of Guacamole ($4.25). It was a fascinating dish. To be honest, it was hard to benchmark is against anything else I’ve ever had, due to the lack of experience with Mexican food, so my enjoyment factor was amplified simply due to the exotic-ness of it.

The serving size was fantastic, way too much for me though. The presentation was unique, with the rice, shrimp in sauce, and a side salad separated on a long plate. Did I already mention… CACTUS!? Ooooooooooooh~

Beef Chorizo Enchiladas ($15.25)

This dish consists of corn tortillas with beef chorizo covered with your choice of sauce, topped with cheese and baked. There’s also a choice of chicken or vegetarian. Again, alien code. Wikipedia tells me that Chorizo is some kind of sausage, and Mexican ones are usually made with chili peppers.

Oaxacan Black Mole Chicken ($16)

Mole refers to different types of sauces used in Mexican Cuisine. Again, thank you Wikipedia – “The best known of Oaxaca’s moles is mole negro, which is darker than mole poblano and just as thick and rich. It also includes chocolate, as well as chili peppers, onions, garlic and more, but what makes it distinct is the addition of a plant called hoja santa. It is the most complex and difficult to make of the sauces.”

As you can see, the vocabulary of a Mexican restaurant menu is as foreign to me as a JavaScript code. Although a little on the pricey side, it was definitely a worthwhile visit. Did I also talk about how I polished off the tortilla chips & Guacamole? Heehee.

P.S. Magarita’s tweets!