KUALA LUMPUR, March 18 — I take tacos very seriously, especially homemade ones.
Feeling dissatisfied with tacos from a recent restaurant visit that disintegrated when I picked it up, I went searching for a better homemade version.
It felt like the food gods heard my plea. Next thing I knew, a friend posted on social media about tacos from this under-the-radar eatery. Turns out, it's the venue of a pop-up by Mexican chef Ivan Chavarria.
Labelled as "Street Food of Mexico Surf and Turf Edition", it's their second pop-up in the city. This one will run until April 30.
Chavarria, who is from Puebla, Mexico, had honed his craft in Spain's La Sucursal and Mexico's Ocean Maya Royale hotel. He moved to Bali where he worked at various places on the island like Motel Mexicola, Sky Garden and Casa Blanca.
During the pandemic, he co-founded a digital channel, known as Flavors of Mexico, where he shares his knowledge about Mexican food with others.
The place has a very casual vibe. Larger groups dominate the inside of the restaurant while one can sit outside to enjoy the breeze.
Kick off the meal with their starters, a choice of corn chips with guacamole or Coctel de Camaron, a tangy cold tomato dip with prawns and avocado. There's also Nachos with cheese sauce, pico de Gallo, guacamole, sour cream and jalapeños. Curious about the Ceviche (RM24), I ordered this.
There are main dishes with your choice of protein ranging from lamb, beef ribs and chicken. However, all I wanted were tacos.
The Taco Baja (RM13) with tempura fish and pico de Gallo came highly recommended by my friend. I liked the corn tortillas used as you definitely taste the corn there. It's still firm enough holding up the ingredients well. It's hard to decide which I prefer but the Taco de Camaros (RM14) tasted a little better with its tempura prawn, chipotle mayonnaise and pineapple relish.
Vegetarians can opt for Hongos Taco with blanched spinach, black beans, sautéed mushrooms and vegetarian sour cream. There's also a chicken version with the Taco de Pollo Al Pastor with red chillies, achiote and pineapple relish.
Here the tacos tend to be simpler and less dressed up compared to other places. What I notice though is they aren't big bites and the portion of toppings tends to vary. For instance, the prawn taco was quite skimpy while the lamb was a heftier bite.
Round up your Mexican meal with desserts like the Flan (RM15). It's a Mexican custard with a firmer texture yet still creamy for you to enjoy with the caramel sauce.
You will also find brunch dishes, available from 11.30am to 5.30pm. These include various Mexican rice dishes, topped with a choice of chicken adobo, birria lamb and a mix of corn, mushrooms, black beans and so forth.
There's also various sets for families and for two to three persons.
Flavors of Mexico Asia Pop Up, Bessz Cafe, Ground Floor, (in between Starbucks and Zus Coffee), Hartamas Shopping Centre, Kuala Lumpur. Open: 11.30am to 8.30pm. (Tuesday to Sunday). Closed on Monday.
Facebook:@flavorsofmexico.asia
Instagram: @flavorsofmexico.asia
*This is an independent review where the writer paid for the meal.
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