KUALA LUMPUR, April 24 — In Malaysia, traditional Mexican fare served at wallet-friendly prices is a rarity, especially in a shopping mall environment.
The people behind Panchos Mexican Taqueria which opens in Mid Valley Megamall on April 26 — Thomas An and Jennifer Wong — hope to change that. “We are very excited as there's nothing like our restaurant in Malaysia that serves traditional Mexican fast food style,” explained Thomas.
Originally from South Korea, Thomas lived in Argentina and Brazil for more than 15 years. The IHMES International Hotel School (UK) graduate also studied culinary management at Le Cordon Bleu in Australia.
He met Jennifer at Le Cordon Bleu where she was studying hospitality management, graduating with a prestigious Dux award. In Sydney, Thomas cut his teeth at restaurants like Rockpool and Pier before he opened his own modern French restaurant together with Jennifer.
Subsequently, the couple relocated to Malaysia, Jennifer's home country, to settle down with their family. About two years ago, they saw a gap for fresh casual Mexican fare served taqueria style since the cuisine remains relatively untapped here, hence the idea for Panchos.
Taqueria is Spanish for taco shop and is commonly found in Mexico where they serve traditional Mexican food like tacos, burritos and quesadillas. The duo also see parallels between Mexican food and Malaysian cuisine.
For instance, local palates like punchy flavours and Panchos will be serving a variety of homemade hot sauces for an extra kick. Rice is also a staple in Mexican food that is very relatable for Malaysians.
It took some time for Thomas to plan Panchos (Argentinian slang for laid back and relaxed), as his priority was the menu must stay affordable. “My biggest effort was to make the price affordable. That is why I needed a recipe that is still true to the flavours and high quality.”
He tapped on his teenage years growing up in Latin America where he used to frequent roadside taco stalls ran by abuelas (Spanish for grandma). “Everything was created by me to bring the costs down. I didn't buy any recipes from anyone as that would cost a chunk of money.”
Even though the recipes were developed quickly, Thomas took up to one year to source for quality ingredients from Mexico to keep the prices affordable. “All of our spices, chillies and ingredients come from Mexico. We bring in raw pinto beans, we cook them as we do not buy it canned. The only thing we source locally is the vegetables and even then, we looked at different suppliers to buy the best quality lettuce and tomatoes,” said Thomas.
The menu will feature traditional fare like tacos (soft and hard), burritos, burritos bowls, nachos and quesadillas. Customers can have a choice of five different fillings; grilled chicken in Panchos Mexican herb & spice marinade, spicy chicken in Panchos picante chilli marinade, chipotle beef or slow roasted pulled beef in Panchos smoky chipotle marinade, slow cooked braised beef brisket in Panchos sweet & sticky marinade, and pan fried fillet fish in Panchos Mexican herb & spice marinade.
Instead of French fries as a side, expect to find corn chips in its place. The burritos bowls are good for gluten intolerant diners who prefer their burrito without the tortilla wrap or eating it with a fork and spoon.
Unlike other places that just serve bottled tomato ketchup, chilli sauce or even mustard, Panchos has a condiment counter that features its homemade hot sauces (chipotle, jalapeno and the extremely spicy XX-rated), pickled jalapenos, chopped coriander, spring onions to give a personalised taste to your meal.
The tortillas and tacos are from the supplier but their hot sauces, marinades, pico de gallo, rice and beans are made from scratch to keep the items fresh. "Everything is made from scratch because that is what I am good at. There is no point buying ready-made products. That is our difference compared to other fast food restaurants like McDonalds, as they rather buy than create."
Keeping to their Mexican theme, Panchos will also be serving Jarritos bottled drinks, a popular Mexican soda flavoured with fruits. There will also be a slushy non-alcoholic frozen Pina Colada.
Thomas' personal favourite is the chipolte beef burrito, literally a labour of love that takes time and patience to make. "We make our own smoky chipolte adobo sauce from the various herbs and spices we brought in from Mexico. The meat is marinated overnight in the sauce and cooked for five hours at a very low temperature until it's tender and juicy. We don't need to use any machine as it's so tender and juicy that it can be easily hand pulled. The braising liquid is then reduced to a sauce consistency and mixed with the hand pulled beef. That's only one part of the burrito, as we put rice, guacamole, pico de gallo and chopped fresh lettuce inside it."
For their grand opening on May 1, Panchos will be giving away 200 free burritos to customers from 12pm onwards. Note that Panchos is pork-free and alcohol-free. Prices start from RM14.50 onwards for a meal.
Panchos Mexican Taqueria, T-041B (Next to Black Bull), Level 3 Mezzanine Flour, Mid Valley Megamall, Lingkaran Syed Putra, Kuala Lumpur. https://www.facebook.com/PanchosMY
