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ONE OF THE MOST wonderful aspects of Bengaluru’s booming and fantastic F&B scene is that restaurants birth more restaurants, chefs platform chefs and there’s room for everyone. Comal – named after the griddle used to make tacos – the city’s newest Mexican cantina on MG Road, is a result of the easy exchange and encouragement consistently happening in kitchens across the city.
Chef Varun Periera – with nearly two decades of experience contributing to the sterling reputations of Lupa, Olive Beach and Sly Granny – has roped in friend and entrepreneur Pratheek Reddy – to start off this Mexican joint. Tucked into the Ramanashree Arcade – remember the old Kids Kemp building with their unearthly, bedraggled Disney-adjacent mascots – among other retail and F&B businesses, Comal is another serious spike in the city centre’s revival indices.
¿Qué pex, cómo estás?
Walking into this 41-seater – through a forest-green entrance trimmed with inky blue Talavera tiles with Mexican motifs – on a surprising-but-not-surprising-at-all rainy December afternoon, we were greeted by peppy, stringy, Mariachi music that teleported us to sultrier times. Tricked into switching seasons, we asked for two fizzy orange and grapefruit agua frescas while we browsed the refreshingly, tightly-edited menu. Unsurprisingly, my gecko expert lunch companion and I ordered most of the items from their ‘Platos Chicos’ offerings. We were just taking one for the collective team, okay.
Here’s our list of our table treats, make notes. The cured egg yolk of the Carne Tartar Tostadas with its delightful creaminess, the kick of habanero oil and bits of garlic in the beef tartare scooped up with the crunchy tostada was yum; the brightness of spicy, vinegary salsa bruja, pickled aji amarillo and Guajillo chilli in the Aguachile Tostada Mixto with seabass, calamari and shrimp was finished in quick forkfuls; the crunchiest pork belly chicharron which would have woken up the buried on the Day of the Dead served up with a fruity, smoky tomatillo & morita sauce and islands of sweet, fried plantains; Carne Asada that was simply divine and submitted to the gentlest nudge of our forks; and our Camarones El Diablo was a la bamba between shrimp and Goan chorizo with tart pickled kohlrabi and devilish-spicy salsa diabla keeping time. We just wished the Goan chorizo in the mix wouldn’t be a smooth criminal but retained its grainy, distinct bite.
Our eyes away from our cleaned-out, very pretty plates – for a moment before our next orders arrive – we take in our surroundings. We spotted two ladies catching up in a corner with exposed brick, another gang of friends under the warm glow of a lamp, and a couple canoodling at the bar counter. We’re all sitting beside sweetly framed images of Mother Mary, Mexican musicians and other mural art on the walls. The bar’s gotten this wonderful, wooden trimming that looks decorative at first glance but stares long enough and one can begin to see the skulls – Mexican-style – stringed together. There are Tavelera – blue – tiles with geckos, and other flora and fauna motifs dotting the tables – similar to the doorway. These decor details of the culinary inspiration aren’t smack-in-the-face but subtle and significant to the styling of a cantina.
Buena Onda
For our mains, we get the CDMX fried chicken from the ‘Platos chicos’ options, the Al Pastor tacos and a Cantina bowl with jackfruit barbacoa. There are other ‘Platos Grandes’ options: stuffed poblano chillies, a roasted chicken and a roasted fish. But we were stuffed to our gills but mustered energy for the sake of our journalistic duty.
While the chicken was crispy – we wouldn’t have expected any less by now – it was the accompanying banana hot sauce that was the true revelation. The silky, sweet banana was a foil to the heat of the sauce – such a fascinating, satisfying interplay of ingredients. The chunks of roasted pork had this delicious skirting of char on each piece that along with the sweetness of grilled pineapple cradled in their house-made tacos were yummy. And you could have fooled us with the “meaty” delight of the jackfruit – slow-cooked in an oven like meat – in the salad bowl, which was a symphony of textures and tastes.
Just the previous night, my gecko expert friend had topped our overflowing bowls of vanilla ice cream with a giant scoop of his homemade pomelo marmalade, so we can confirm their ‘soft serve’ dessert option will be a hit. And we skipped past the churros because if these guys can fry a crispy chicken, they can most definitely do a good churro. And instead for ‘Postres’ we shared a serving of their third option: Buñuelos Sundae, a happy together of custard and caramelised bananas drizzled with dulce de leche. Super!
Stepping outside, we’d nearly been food coma-ed into forgetting it was a non-stop drizzle outdoors. Suddenly remembering to leap over the puddle on the pavement, we’re also reminded that good food has the ability to transport us back into our memories or propel us to Mexico. And we’re here for this ride.
Ramanashree Arcade, MG Road. For reservations, click here. Tuesday-Sunday, 12-3 pm ; 7-10.30 pm.
