When you step into Sizzling Shell, a Mexican restaurant, you immediately notice the food cooking. Fajitas on the grill, meat on the plates nearby. It’s impossible not to notice. An aroma of spice also hits you from the plates of people who ordered our Diablo tacos. The tables feel alive with different conversations. You see plates coming in with pops of colors and people have menus in their hands. Other than all this appetite building vibe, you’ll also notice that there is no strict “rulebook”. People are there on casual dates with friends or relaxing and enjoying their meal. But you also see some things in common with all the people. Notice how there’s no one dish in front of each person, food is moving around the table. People are ditching cutlery and going all in and sides shine just as much as the main. So it feels that there’s something that everyone just knows and here we have made it clear. So read, observe and follow the next time you visit us or any other Mexican restaurant near you.
Every dish a group orders ends up in the center of the table. Be it a platter of sizzling chicken fajitas or burrito bowls, everyone wants a taste of simply everything. Bowls of guacamole, rice and salsa, even all these simple things, somehow become a shared bite.
First you start with your own plate. Then nibble some of your friend’s quesadillas and someone nudges over a bite of their taco. You take it. They steal some of your guac, but the conversation still goes on. Everyone’s reaching for a bite, tasting and sharing. There’s no etiquette here obviously, other than the basic ones. The point is that the food is passed around the table the whole time. And this here is what Mexican dining is all about. The meal is about socialising, filling your stomach comes second.
Open it, and it looks like too many dishes. Tacos, fajitas, burritos, bowls, sides, toppings and sauces. You pause and think how the indecisive in you’ll choose any one dish? But then you start seeing that they’re not really different dishes. They are the same ingredients dressed differently. Some are wrapped in tortillas. Some are charred but the base is the same: some cream, some smoke, some crunch.
You realize the repetition makes it not confusing it’s the flexibility of choosing what you’re really in the mood for. Want something fiery? Go for our Mexican Favourite Diablo tacos. Want something cheesy and comforting? Try a quesadilla. And if you’re looking for a wholesome, hearty meal, a burrito bowl is the pick for you. Or if you want to try something new and experiment, pick a random topping and enjoy the surprise that’s always delicious. The menu gives you freedom it lets you eat whatever you want that day.
Rice, beans and corn aren’t only a little addition. Little bowls of salsa and guac? they’re not extras. They’re staples here. They go with everything and make it even better. Put some of the beans on your taco and the bite goes from crunchy to soft and even more savory. The fajita with a spoonful of rice is even better. And what’s chips without some salsa and guac? Dip one in the middle of the meal to give variety to your taste buds. You notice yourself making different bites and simply enjoying yourself doing it without thinking. The sides aren’t the background, they’re the supporting characters. They shift the monotony of flavors and the conversation you have with them. They’re important and you notice that only after a few plates.
Forks and spoons are provided, but mostly they’re optional. The freshly made tortillas are soft and call to be held. You use your hands instead of forks and the cheese stretches better. Some salsa might escape. A little guac lands on your thumb. But that’s okay in fact good. Because the experience is supposed to be indulging like this. Messiness here isn’t unmannered. It’s exactly how Mexican food is meant to be eaten. You taste textures and feel it before it go into your mouth and this is what makes the meal even more enjoyable. Similar to the saying you eat with your eyes, we say you eat with your hands too( both literally and idiomatically) you feel the heat of the tortilla and the cold of the sour cream. Eating neatly is not the priority here. But taste is.
Some people like to return to the same dish every visit. Some try a new one every time they visit. And some hesitate and order what looks the safest but this isn’t how you’ll enjoy and grow your Mexican palette. However if you’re someone who really doesn’t like to experiment and is picky, sticking to a select few foods is okay too. Some only order appetizers with sauces and some foodies like to have two dishes all to themselves. All of it is fine. None of it is wrong. The menu is built exactly for this. Your mood changes. Sometimes you feel like eating something light and sometimes you have all the appetite. That’s part of the joy.
At our Mexican restaurant in Karachi, there’s only one rule, and it is, if you’re enjoying it, you’re eating the right way. When you visit us, leave all the worries of eating neatly outside and just enjoy the flavours you actually came here for. Hold a taco in your hand and laugh with your friends between bites. If you like how this sounds, then visit Sizzling Shell, a Mexican restaurant in DHA Karachi, today. Bring your friends or surprise your family with the taste of Mexico (Karachi style).
