Mercado, Wisma Central

Most Mexican restaurants in Malaysia serve soft tacos, so it's a treat to uncover Mercado, which offers tacos in traditional corn tortilla shells, still fairly crisp after a fast delivery from its new restaurant base in Wisma Central, a short stroll from KLCC.

Mercado lets you completely customise these tacos, from the meat to veggies to sauces - our best bet is grilled beef or chicken, tender and tasty, with pico de gallo, fresh jalapeños and shredded lettuce, jazzed up generously with salsa roja for tangy, spicy, lively flavours.

The familiar crowd-pleasers are available, from burritos bursting with beef, rice and refried beans to thickly textured chili con carne, hot and hearty, to guacamole, piquantly, pleasurably chilled and creamy.

Mercado Mexican Food Market

Wisma Central, Jalan Ampang, Kuala Lumpur. Tel: 010-431-5313

This post first appeared on eatdrinkkl.com

Churittos Fresh Mex, Subang Jaya

Living up to the promise of its name, Churittos Fresh Mex delivers a balanced bevy of veggie-loaded burrito bowls, tacos and nachos from its Subang kitchen, punched up with an arsenal of sauces that span chipotle to cheese, lemongrass to garlic mayo.

Choose from burrito bowls or nacho bowls - the first boasts a foundation of long-grain rice, while the latter is full of tortilla chips. Each is heaped with a choice of tender, full-bodied pulled beef, chicken or beans, then packed to the brim with tomatoes, lettuce, onions, corn, cilantro, sour cream and guacamole. Seasonings are light, so you can taste the natural nuances of the produce.

If you like your Mexican-inspired fare to have a flavourful kick, that's where Churittos' sauces come in. The Classic Chipotle brings on the heat of chilli peppers; the Taco sauce has savoury-spicy depth; the BBQ sauce is sweet-smoky and tangy. Secret Cheese is a creamy crowd-pleaser, Garlic Mayo is rich and robust, while Creamy Lemongrass tastes straight out of Thailand.

Folded or rolled? Try it all - tacos, available in both soft and hard-shell tortillas, and burritos round out Churittos' repertoire.

Churittos Fresh Mex

75, Jalan SS 15/8A, 47500 Subang Jaya, Selangor. Tel: 012-532-0250

This post first appeared on eatdrinkkl.com

Chica Bonita, Publika

Hola, Publika: With Coco playing on the TV and sugar skulls and colourful La Catrina portraits on the wall, KL's new Mexican restaurant has launched in time for the Nov. 2 Day of the Dead holiday. Fun fact: Chica Bonita is the sister outlet of Penang's Holy Guacamole restaurant.

Tacos and burritos abound. You can order individual tacos (in a choice of crispy or soft corn tortillas) to sample a wider variety. Meat-and-flavour-packed highlights include the Pulled Beef Barbacoa (RM13; with eight-hour slow-cooked brisket, buoyed with onions, coriander and lettuce) and Pato (RM15; smooth smoked duck with zesty mojo sauce, pineapple salsa and cabbage).

Balance that with a fresh-to-order vegetarian burrito, nicely stuffed with spiced pumpkin, grilled mushroom asada, guacamole and pico de gallo salsa, reasonably lively-tasting enough to do justice to Mexican traditions (RM25).

Chica Bonita's menu is extensive. Mexican tlayuda isn't often seen in KL, but you'll find the southwestern Oaxaca state's equivalent of pizza here - 12-inch tortillas topped with possibilities like prawns and squid with refried beans and cheese, a worthwhile order for folks seeking something a little different (RM44).

Can't leave a true-blue Mexican joint without getting a bit (or a lot) tipsy. Sip on cocktails like the Lomo Paloma (RM30; premium tequila with grapefruit soda and lime juice, rimmed with Mexico's tajin chile pepper seasoning) and Coronarita (RM60; a Margarita mixed with Mexico's pale lager for big, big gulps).

Chica Bonita

Lot 34, Level G2, Block C5, Publika Shopping Gallery, Solaris Dutamas, 50480 Kuala Lumpur. Daily, 1030am-10pm.

This post first appeared on eatdrinkkl.com

 

Coffeeboy Club: Mexicola Nights

Black coffee by day, burritos by night: PJ's Coffeeboy Club has recently started serving dinner every Friday and Saturday, tackling tacos for its new Mexicola nights. 

If you like fresh, soft tacos, assembled to order with respectable produce, the Fishy Tacos should satisfy, stuffed with crisply battered sole, salsa, sriracha mayo, and onions and plenty of cilantro for a zesty snack in a house-made corn flour tortilla wrap (RM18; served with ultra-crunchy fries). 

Spice up the Staff Meal Burrito with some chipotle or habanero hot sauce and you're good to go for this neatly filled bundle of buttermilk-fried chicken, diced avocado, sour cream and sriracha fried rice in white flour tortilla, wholesome-tasting and easy to eat on the move (RM18).

The dinner menu also includes burgers that Coffeeboy Club offers during the day. The X2 Hot Dayum doubles down on a choice of two pieces of fried or grilled chicken (or one of both, by request), layered with red cabbage slaw and smoked cheese in a brioche bun for a big burger with a hefty, well-balanced bite (RM22; with spiced fries too).

Pandan coolers, with or without milk (RM5), help douse the heat from the hot sauce.

Coffeeboy Club

The Gasket Alley, Jalan 13/6, Seksyen 13, 46200 Petaling Jaya, Selangor. Mexicola Dinners on Friday and Saturday, 7pm-1030pm.

This post first appeared on eatdrinkkl.com

Bar Roca, Medan Damansara

This friendly bar serves up Latin American-inspired treats like mini tacos, big on flavour with chili con carne, sour cream, cilantro and fresh lettuce stuffed in flour tortillas (RM21), and crisp batter-fried avocado slices with a spicy mayo dip (RM15), washed down with cocktails that strive to do justice to Tijuana and Trujillo - Bar Roca's Special is billed as 'the ultimate margarita,' with Patron Anejo, Cointreau and a hint of house-made raw cane sugar syrup (RM45), while Pisco Tauto stirs up El Gobernador Pisco with brown sugar and squeezes of lime and orange (RM22).



Bar Roca
1 Jalan Setiapuspa, Medan Damansara, 50490 Kuala Lumpur. Daily, 1030am-1am. Tel: 03-2011-5252

This post first appeared on eatdrinkkl.com

Mad Mex, KLCC

Mad Mex, the Sydney-based chain of Mexican fast-food restaurants, rolls into the Thunderdome of Suria KLCC with its first Malaysian outpost, serving up customisable burritos and tacos with a focus on fresh, wholesome ingredients with authentic Mexican chillies and chipotles.

First, choose your preparation - burritos, naked burritos (without the tortilla wrap, for carb watchers), tacos (with soft flour or gluten-free soft corn tortillas), quesadillas, nachos or salads. Then pick your filling - grilled chicken, tofu, or slow-cooked beef. Finally, select a spice level for your salsa - mild with roasted tomatoes, medium with salsa verde, spicy with picante habanero.

Prices start at RM7.90 for a single taco and RM17.90 for a 'small' burrito that should be sufficient for most folks' lunch. Each burrito and taco is plumply packed with brown rice, black beans, pico de gallo, cheese, shredded lettuce and sour cream, and an add-on of guacamole is also available.

Our favourite filling is the barbacoa-style pulled beef - beautifully juicy, richly flavoursome with a chipotle marinade. Don't fear the spices - even the most fiery level is fairly tame for Malaysian palates. But what makes these burritos and tacos work is their sink-your-teeth-into-this succulence, with an abundance of ingredients that genuinely taste like real, honest food, seasoned in lively fashion - a vibrantly textured testament to Mad Mex's success with more than 70 branches in Australia and New Zealand.

Mad Mex
Lot 254, Level 2, Suria KLCC, 50088 Kuala Lumpur. Daily, 10am-10pm.

This post first appeared on eatdrinkkl.com

Comamos At Rueben's, Subang Jaya

With more fine-tuning for its food, Comamos could become an enjoyable destination, with a wide-ranging menu of Tex-Mex and Filipino favourites. The huevos rancheros is hamstrung by a cloying sauce that evokes mass-market salad dressings (RM14.95), the guacamole would be more pleasant as a chunky, fresh-tasting dip instead of a chilled puree (RM22.95), and the minced beef taco needs some salsa and other vibrant vegetables and cheese for proper dynamics (RM9.95). The Filipino longsilog sausage platter with rice is rustic, with an egg that looks like it endured an accident on the pan (RM14.95). Cocktails like the Margarita befit their price here (RM16), with a little less potency than needed.

Comamos At Rueben's

40, Jalan USJ 9/5q, Subang Business Centre, 47620 Subang Jaya, Selangor. Daily, 3pm-1130pm. Tel: 03-8081-1446

This post first appeared on eatdrinkkl.com