Now, before I start, I’d like to tell you readers that after today, I’d be away for a short holiday in Bangkok so my posts will all be time-stamped posts until next month. Don’t worry, I’ll give you a close up look at what we ate (including any creepy crawlies) in Bangkok once I get back.
Okay, now, let’s move on to the spicy taste of Mexican food. I’ve always loved mexican food because of all the spices! I remember when we went to LA, we particularly tried out some of the mexican fast foods there too and though, those probably can’t compare to the real thing, I love them no less.
When Traders Hotel invited me over for some Mexican food, I jumped at it. What can I say? Who could resist burritos, fajitas and chili the mexican style? I can only hope that they won’t have too many beef dishes…
Although it’s supposed to be a Mexican buffet dinner, The Islander is known to have some international dishes so the starters, appetizers and desserts are quite varied:
They have sushi…
They have salads…
A bed of shrimps, crabs and oysters on ice.
Of course, they have a mexican style soup: Pinto Bean Soup
If you like pinto beans, you will like this. Furthermore it is creamy and quite, quite rich. I’m not a pinto bean fan so I gave this a miss while The Food Critic finished it. Mr Picky didn’t want to even touch it but that’s just him being typically picky. To him, soups are all supposed to be clear soup.
The last time I had a burrito was years and years ago so I had to give it a try. A note to all: don’t take too long photographing the burritos or else it will become sorta limp and chewy instead of when it is freshly made. The burritos are pretty simple creations, it is tortilla wraps stuffed with vegetables and chicken and loaded up with sauces, although I’d prefer they use salsa.
The other thing, the ones that look like karipaps, I don’t know what they are called but they tasted like a mexican version of our local currypuffs. It is stuffed with meat, beans and vegetables.
Mexican food is not complete without chili con carne which they have a plenty. Again, we have to give this a miss since it is ground beef with chili and beans. Sigh. And it does look so inviting.
So, we went for the lamb which is tender and cooked just nice.
One thing though, this buffet is great for fish lovers because they have at least three different types of fish. Grilled fish, fish tamales and lime fish. Above is the fish tamales, which is the mexican style fish curry. No bones for you to pick through too because they use fish fillets. How very convenient.
They have a big huge grilled fish topped with a tomato-chili type of paste, so you have to cut out a small piece for yourself to try:
Other than that, they have chili roast duck, picante de mariscos (mixed seafood in chili tomato sauce), roast chicken, chili stir fried beef, coriander rice, cheesy vegetables, mashed potatoes and a load of different international dishes. So, it may be a Mexican theme buffet but I’d say it is more international than anything with quite a variety to choose from.
Here are some of the things we ate:
As you can see, we have sushi and sashimi, steamed shrimps, roast duck, the different types of fish, lamb and rice. The roast duck is a must-try. It has crispy skin and damn delicious.
Next, the desserts…
They have an array of ice cream, cakes, local kuih and this weird UFO-lookalike. I don’t know what it’s called and don’t know what’s inside so I took one out of curiosity.
It’s some mango paste inside. The pastry is saltish and inside is sweet mango. Not bad.
All in, the Taste of Mexico is worth a try if you want to try out mexican food (without needing to book a flight to Mexico). The best part about buffet dinners in The Islander is that if you go in a group and someone in your group is not that into mexican food, they can still go for the other international-style fare while you tuck into the chili dishes, burritos and such. I also understand that they change the menu every Sunday so when you go, some of the dishes may be different.
Taste of Mexico
The Islander, Traders Hotel
Price: RM66nett (adult) RM33nett (children below 12 and senior citizens)
Promotion period: March & April 2009
For reservations: 04- 2622622
Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.
Looks lovely! I’ve given up on the buffets at Traders since my last visit to their very disappointing weekend hi-tea. Maybe they’ve gotten their act together, looks like it’s worth another spin!
550ml jar of faith’s last blog post..Out of the wilderness, into the woods!
happy holidays foong! mexican food eh? looks like it’s worth a try
lingzie’s last blog post..OXO Cafelab @ Queensbay, Penang
Wow! Mexican buffet! Hardly seen in penang uh?!
cariso’s last blog post..Coffee Island ei khi meh?!
Whooooo, overload! Love this. So many good things.
The Duo Dishes’s last blog post..We’re Playing Favorites
550ml: I wouldn’t know whether they meet your tastes this time or not though…
lingzhie: Mexican food is mostly spicy but theirs not all that spicy so it is quite okay la. But then if they use the exact spiciness of mexican food, not many people would be able to take the heat. Trust me, the habenaro peppers are much, much more spicy than our cili padis.
cariso: ya, very difficult to find mexican food in Penang. So, you want a taste, give it a try.
Duo Dishes: tell me about it, I went back so stuffed I think I may have burst a seam.