Wraps are found in every culture. Most of us are familiar with popiah and Vietnamese rolls. There are also wraps with hummus as filling and even meat balls, like the falafel stuffed in pita bread. Then there are Mexican wraps like tacos and burritos. For these, we now have a new fast food chain in town, Taco Bell to go to try them.
See also: Instagram (@lifeofaworkingadult) Gallery of Taco Bell
This is my experience at one of their outlets.
Taco is basically a Mexican food. So the name Taco Bell, basically sums it all, a fast food chain bearing the name of its founder that serves Mexican food. It’s basically a Mexican fast food chain that serves taco, burrito, quesadilla and nachos. Basically this is a joint that serves everything tortilla; from soft to crispy. You can read about the history of the chain here.
| Fun Fact: Taco Bell originated in California, United States of America. It was founded by Glen Bell, and he opened the first Taco Bell restaurant back in 1962 in Downey, California. |
What is tortilla?
A little bit about tortilla for the uninitiated. Tortilla is basically a flat, thin pancake made from maize flour, eaten hot or cold, typically with a savoury filling. The filling is usually minced meat, seafood or beans with vegetables.
Basically this makes the food very versatile as you can practically eat it with everything. What the tortilla does is it holds the fillings together and also acts as a main source of energy for the dish. I like eating wraps because it is such a neat way of eating. You basically can eat it on the go because you can hold it in your hand, a practical food.
Taco Bell
When Taco Bell first started in Malaysia, the queues for it were so long. You read about people queuing up for more than an hour just to try their food. FYI, Taco Bell opened its first outlet in Cyberjaya in April, 2021. Since then, 3 more branches have followed suit.
I went to Taco Bell in Tropicana Gardens Mall. The mall was quite empty when I went as it was a weekday. However, when we got to Taco Bell, there was a line of people waiting to dine in and also for takeaways. The restaurant was full. When it came to our turn, we ordered their 2 Taco Supreme Combo Set which was made up of 2 tacos, a choice of nacho chips or Mexican fries and a choice of beverage.
Apart from that, we also ordered their Grilled Stuff Burrito, with beef filling and their nacho fries.
The Food
Loaded Nachos with Ground Beef – RM15.90
Let’s start with their loaded nachos. I ordered the nachos expecting it to give me a different taste experience. Mexican food is known for its distinct taste, from the rich chilli and spice tastes, especially garlic and onion. If you flavour your food with Mexican herbs and spices you will know what I mean by distinct.
For example, if you like Jalapeño like me, this is one of those chillis that give Mexican food its distinctness. And if you use Jalapeño in your cooking, you can count on the Jalapeño taste to make its presence known in the food. From Jalapeño, you get chipotle which is used widely in the salsas and Mexican sauces.
The loaded nachos at Taco Bell didn’t give me that sort of kick that I was expecting. The loaded nachos are basically nacho chips seasoned with Mexican herbs, and piled high with avocado guacamole, pico de gallo salsa, sour cream, warm nacho cheese sauce and your choice of protein. I chose the seasoned ground beef. Their other protein choices are grilled chicken, ground chicken or black beans.
The beef was so-so. The herbs didn’t quite kick in. Overall, I would say their loaded nachos was not something that wowed me.
2 Kickin’ Chicken Taco – RM15.90 (set with sides + drink)
The tacos come in their signature hot sauce, sour cream, fresh lettuce, diced tomatoes, cheddar cheese and your choice of protein. There are two types of tacos to choose from – freshly fried crunchy corn tortilla shell or a soft flour tortilla.
I felt that the chicken in the taco stood out. I felt it would nicer if the chicken was in a burrito. Though I’m not a big fan of tacos, it was surprisingly not bad. I might return for this order.
Grilled Stuft Burrito – RM11.50 (ala carte) / RM14.90 (set with sides + drink)
Taco Bell’s Grilled Stuft Burrito was the only entry that stood out from the orders that we made for that visit. I chose the seasoned ground beef as the main protein. The sauces and the blend of cheeses (mozzarella and cheddar) blended well. Do you know the difference between wraps and burrito? Apparently wraps are served cold while burritos can have cold or hot fillings. And because burrito have thicker ‘skins’ they tend to be able to hold juicier fillings. I guess you can call the burrito as a tightly packed and thicker skin ‘popiah’. And guess that’s why too, burritos usually have a richer taste as a result.
I would go back for the Grilled Stuft Burrito, but probably with their grilled chicken instead of beef.
Verdict
One visit is never sufficient to try out everything they have to offer but generally, I think Taco Bell’s food is okay considering this is a fast-food joint. If you want a more authentic Mexican dining experience, I think you might want to try out Chilli’s Grill and Bar.
My Rating
85%: Ambiance
70%: Price (value for money)
70%: Taste
90%: Location (ease of parking)
80%: Service
79%: Overall Rating
Opening Hours
Open daily from 10 AM to 9 PM.
Address / Contact Information
03 7612 6170Lot CC-33 & CC-34
Concourse Floor
Tropicana Gardens Mall
Tropicana Indah
47810 Petaling Jaya
Selangor
