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| Chips & Queso (Special) |
Last December, I was fortunate enough to be a part of Chihuahua Mexican Grill and Margarita Bar’s new menu preview. Together with Manila’s top food bloggers and writers, we indulged in scrumptious nachos, quesadillas, and refreshing drinks all night long, thanks to the wonderful menu line-up created by Ines Cabarrus and Elian Habayeb.
We were welcomed by Ines and Elian, and were offered traditional Mexican fruit juices – Aguas Frescas – made with melon, pear, and watermelon. My first drink was melon and I instantly fell in love with it. Little did I knew that I was gonna like watermelon (my second drink), too! These are made from fresh fruit juices so you could really savor the original flavors with just the right sweetness.
While waiting for the others, we munched on their best-selling Chips & Queso Special (Php 195). Simple as it is, the crisp nacho chips perfectly combines with the delectable chili con carne made of beef, bell peppers, jalapeños, and tomatoes mixed with my first love – CHEESE! It’s a good appetizer or pica-pica over a good conversation and some alcoholic concoctions. The cheese dip is LOVE.
Next, we tried the new variations of their nachos: Chicken Nachos (Php 345) and Steak Nachos (Php 385). An offspring of their famous Nacho Grande, the Steak Nachos highlights tender chunks of char-grilled, perfectly marinated beef over queso, chili, guacamole, pico de gallo, salsa, sour cream, grated cheddar and Monterey Jack cheese, jalapeños and crisp nacho chips. The Chicken Nachos is almost similar, except that it’s topped with well-seasoned grilled chicken chunks. Both are a bit spicy but I must say I love the kick. It’s very Mexican.
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| Chicken Nachos |
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| Steak Nachos |
The Carnitas Quesadillas (Php 485) came next, and at this point I was already getting high with cheese! It looks like a Mexican pizza made with two toasted flour tortillas held together by the delectable filling consists of slow-cooked pork, red onions, cilantro and cheese. The spicy and savory burst of flavors will definitely keep you hooked into it, add to that a side serving of pico de gallo, chipotle salsa, sour cream, and guacamole. Again, don’t forget to wash it down with either the melon or watermelon Aguas Frescas, or their margarita rimmed with sea salt, cayenne and paprika.
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| Carnitas Quesadillas |
There’s also a hot sauce bar where you can see and use any of the owners’ hot sauces curated from their trips abroad. Among the collection, Elian swears by Valentina, or what he describes as Mexico’s number one salsa picante (hot sauce). They also have their own signature hot sauces like the Jules Jalapeño Sauce and Dr. Evils. They are damn hot and good! Wheeeww!
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| Mexico’s No. 1 Hot Sauce |
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| Some of their signature hot sauces |
The Burritos came in next, with two of their latest offerings: Two-Bean Burrito (Php 135) and the Mini Me Burrito (Php 225). The Two-Bean Burrito was created for those who wish to have a convenient Tex-Mex lunch at an affordable price. It’s packed with smoky refried beans, Mexican rice, black beans, creamy queso, and chipotle salsa wrapped in a 10-inch tortilla. Exclusively available for Chihuahua’s FB fans only during lunch on weekdays, the Mini Me Burrito is a smaller version of Chihuahua’s famous burrito. It has refried beans, guacamole, Mexican rice, black beans, queso, pico de gallo, salsa, sour cream, lettuce and a choice of meat or veggies wrapped in a 10-inch soft flour tortilla.
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| Two-Bean Burrito |
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| Mini Me Burrito |
And for dessert, the Banana Nutella Quesadilla (Php 195-small; Php 345-large) a la mode was unveiled. It’s made of soft flour tortillas filled with fresh bananas, Nutella, and Jiffy’s peanut butter topped with vanilla ice cream and almonds, and drizzled with cajeta (a Mexican caramel). This desert is divine. It’s better than crepe, actually.
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| Banana Nutella Quesadilla |
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| Ines Cabarrus and Elian Habayeb with Manila’s food bloggers |
So if you want a taste of Texas+Mexico, you know where to go. Enjoy!
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CHIHUAHUA 1
7838 Makati Ave. (across A-Venue)
890-3192 11am – 3am weekdays
CHIHUAHUA 2
G/F Greenbelt 2 (street-side across The Residences)
625-0106, 0905-501-7800 11am – 11pm
Delivery Hotline 212-1212
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Travelogues by Matet Garcia-Reyes 