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Brilliance is brewing in Bahrain as two bright and determined entrepreneurs are delivering a burrito bonanza … with a strong focus on nutrition and healthy ingredients.
Sinan Khatib and Wejdan Hameed Aldean are the co-owners of Burrito Loco and deliver fresh Mexican grills and salads to its loyal batch of customers.
Photographer Ryan Bayona and I were invited to sample the outlet’s wares, and we immediately fell in love with the quaint set-up. Sinan met us along with his beaming staff, who operate like clockwork and with remarkable efficiency in a cute space just inside the ABC Mall on American Alley, Juffair.
Before we sat down to eat, Sinan told us his remarkable story of how he ditched a law career in the United States to become a restaurateur in Bahrain.
He said: “My parents are of Syrian descent, but I spent most of my life in New York and I also studied in Toronto for a while. While I was there, I saw how the urban lifestyle was gravitating towards fresh, fast food, where people wanted a quick bite at good value, but while also trying to get away from deep fried and processed food.
“With my career, I was always busy and on-the-go, but I find junk food grotesque, so when I saw these amazing alternatives I was hooked. So much so that I realised I had a lot more passion for food than law, and decided on a career change.”
Sinan and Wejdan had already established a working relationship over the years, and the two decided to start from scratch in Bahrain when they saw that similar dynamics of the population wanting better food quality were playing out.
The Mexican concept grew out of Sinan’s love for Chipotle in the US. He explained: “I used to have it two or three times a week and my palate had memorised it. I found myself missing it and at the same time I realised that there weren’t so many Mexican-style restaurants in Bahrain, so it was the perfect choice.”
By this point, there was too much talking and too little feasting, so I grabbed a menu and pored over my options. What I really liked about it was that there was no set choice of determined combinations, but rather, I could just pick my own.
So the first step was picking a filling. I agonised over the chicken (BD2.900) which comes marinated in spicy adobo sauce or the beef barbacoa (BD3.400) which is shredded, seared and slow cooked for hours before serving, before plumping for the latter option on Sinan’s recommendation.
Luckily, I wasn’t tempted by the shrimp option for BD3.400 (seafood … nope) or the veggie choice for BD2.400 (I’m not a rabbit), and even fluffy scrambled eggs for BD2.400 (which are only served in the mornings. Again … I don’t do those).
Then there’s the important bit, the base. Obviously there’s the burrito, with a choice of white or whole wheat, a rice bowl with white rice with cilantro and lime or quinoa brown rice as options, a salad bowl, or crispy corn tacos.
It would be criminal to not have a burrito given the name of the restaurant, so I went for the healthy whole-wheat option.
Then, the big hurrah, toppings! The brilliant part about this is that you can have as many as you like and the cost of your meal will be the same; you solely pay for the filling. The only extra is the guacamole (700fils) thanks to its vitamin-rich avocado pieces.
Not one to miss out on a golden opportunity, I plumped for the chile con queso, salsa, shredded white cheddar, sweet corn, sour cream, lettuce and, best of all, the brown pinto beans.
I have absolutely no idea what trickery was used next, but somehow this mammoth creation was rolled up into shape and served in foil when it looked like you’d need industrial machinery to fold it over. Talk about value for money!
Tearing the foil open carefully so as to make this monster manageable, I munched away and was met with an explosion of flavour that was simply incredible. You’d think with so many toppings that it would all meld into one, albeit tasty, extravaganza, but I could really taste every individual ingredient, particularly the tender beef and the tangy, yet slightly sweet, beans.
Opposite me, photographer Ryan was equally enjoying his dish and gave me a huge thumbs up in between shovelling mouthfuls of his rice bowl with chicken and toppings of lettuce, spicy ranchero dressing and black beans.
Burrito Loco has a second branch in Hamala, with a third opening soon in Khobar and a fourth on the horizon in Seef, with deliveries available.
