Super Loco, Robertson Quay

On day 2 of Chinese New Year, we took a break from pineapple tarts and loaded up on Mexican food at Super Loco. The entire Robertson Quay area was fairly quiet till you reached Super Loco, which was brimming with chatter and noshing.

The food at Super Loco is decent though I will say, the bar in Singapore for Mexican food is pretty and sadly low. Having tasted the food. I am surprised by how popular this place is. Then again, 80% of the crowd were expats so... maybe they are just really really homesick or worried about Trump's wall.

Ham & cheese quesadilas for the kids, which is usually a safe bet but these were a wee bit lifeless.

You must order a portion of the Esquites (grilled corn kernels, cotija cheese, with a moreish lime mayo)! And if you really love corn like I do, order one for yourself.
 

The Super Huevos Rancheros was a handsome plate consisting of cheese quesadilla, baked black beans, sunny-side eggs, tomato salsa, guacamole and sour cream. This dish needed some crunch fator in my opinion, but KW enjoyed it.

I preferred the Chilaquiles, which came with crispy totopos, fried free-range egg, smoked bacon lardons, Monterey jack, salsa roja, black beans, pickled shallots. I love the crunchiness and thiness of the totopos, but most of the chips under the salsa weere soggy by the time we got to them. Sad.

Burrito bowl from Guzman y Gomez

Burrito bowl - Steak chipotle, brown rice (+1), Jack cheese, black beans, and salsa. 

Fiesta in a bowl. Tasty and filling. Will be back for more. 

Myra's, Fort Canning Arts Centre

A couple of week's ago, we wanted to have dinner at Myra's Beach Club, but we severely underestimated the popularity of East Coast Park and left the area frustrated with the lack of parking. Turns out Myra's has a few outlets around the island, and we decided to check out their newest branch at Fort Canning Arts Centre. This was by far a superior idea as we thoroughly enjoyed our visit this time round. 

Myra's speclialises in Mexian and North Indian cuisine; we were in the mood for Mexican so it turned out to be a thoroughly hands-on experience. 

It was a no brainer to get their Nacho Supremo. We are a family of nacho nomsters so bring on the nachos! To be honest, the resonation wasn't "Supremo" impressive but I loved the tender chunks of beef and thinish nacho chips.

KW told me this is the kind of chips he used to have a lot of back when he was working in the States. Seriously, Mexican food is all I hear him talk about when he reminisces about his work back then. Go figure.

A quesadilla benefits greatly from a good char so we were really happy the kitchen kept these babies on the burner for a minute or two longer.

A main course here would easily veer into the $20-ish region but they justify it with respectable cuts of meat that are well-seasoned and super tender. None of that questionable mystery meat nonsense.

The guacamole was unlike any other dip we had ever tried. It was accompanied by grilled beef and served in a stone bowl. Once again, the nacho chips proved hard to resist.

I thought the food was pretty good but I especially loved the convivial yet polished ambience of the restaurant. Compared to the East Coast outlet, I loved the central yet serene location of this location - there is a certain charm about the stillness of the area. A walk around Fort Canning Park after a nacho-filled dinner didn't hurt either.

Muchachos - Mexican with the mostest

Whenever KW and I think of somewhere to do lunch, the unspoken first requirement is - No brunch food. You have no idea how that drastically reduces our weekend options, which incidentally makes our lives easier as well. We somehow settled on Muchachos as it is a place that we both wanted to visit for the longest time - and there weren't Eggs Benedict on the menu (Amen!).

Keong Saik is an area KW and I frequented when we were dating, well before the kids (gasp, plural!) came along. After so many years, the area is decidedly trendier and parking determinedly a bigger pain in the ass.

The simple and straightforward menu at Muchachos offers just burritos and quesadillas with similar fillings (think awesome salsa and guacamole), and a modest list of sides (the buffalo wings do look slightly out of place). Among the 2.5 of us (we only brought the Munchkin along), we shared a burrito, quesadilla, and a basket of guac and chips, and left feeling mucho satisfied.

The burritos at Muchachos come deliciously stuffed with salsa, guacamole, refried beans, rice and a meat of your choice (carne asada), swaddled in a flour tortilla.

Our burrito weighed roughly the size of a newborn puppy but it is all business. We came looking to scratch that Mexican craving and our carne asada burrito nailed it. To be honest, I would have preferred it without the refried beans but KW argued that would not have been a burrito then.

Resembling a Chinese pancake, the quesadilla might look like it suffers from an identity crisis but the taste is anything but confusing.

We went with the carnitas, which cooked in pork lard, bore an unapologetic dose of porkiness. Packed within a toasty tortilla wrap, it was a handful of love and commitment. KW would have preferred it to be cheesier but I liked how I was able to taste everything without it being smothered in cheese.

Even a simple basket of guacamole and chips was endearing. The guacamole, with strong notes of onions and parsley, was legit; and together with those thinnish chips, it was a dip / side dish that matched up to the main players.

The eatery is not designed for lingering conversations and it was a messy meal (especially since I was balancing a 2.5 year old who refused to sit on his own) but we would gladly be back for more.

Thirds at Kilo & Pact, Orchard Central

For some reason, last weekend was pretty rough on my system. Far from being the usual restful weekend, all I wanted to do was vegetate on the couch/bed/any flat surface. And I thought the second trimester would be breeze... Right.

Thankfully, days like these were also filled with many "Keep Calm and Count Your Bloody Blessings" moments. Take Sunday lunch with the family at Kilo @ Pact for instance. In addition to the pork belly rice bowl, salmon quinoa donburi and salt & pepper short ribs that we had previously, a bunch of other stuff went from farm to table to our bellies in record time.

I would proclaim my favourite dish of the day was the avocado wasabi tuna tartare. Rich, creamy yet punchy, it was something I could inhale if it were served in a bucket.

I chose the roasted pork belly with sweet potato hash as my chosen main. It was rather delicious but when it comes to meat, I am still a whole-slab-of-protein kind of person.

Unfortunately, a commonplace dish like the Kilo Smashburger was far from being a slam dunk. Dry beef patties and insipid greens, this is one dish I would probably ask you to stay away from. It was edible but you know, let's not waste time.

As I have mentioned before, despite its name, portions at Kilo are less than weighty. I ended up ordering another main course - prawn flautas, heavily (perhaps a wee bit too heavily) drizzled with chipotle may, avocado cream and pico de gallo. A tasty dish nonetheless.

Then, I turned the dish and I saw A FRIED EGG! Have I mentioned what a cheap date I am? Dump a fried egg on any dish in front of me and watch me grovel.

I didn't take to the basil panna cotta initially but it sat in front of me - forlornly - and I took pity on it by scooping through every last spoonful of it. It was kind of odd yet oddly intriguing. 

The pumpkin churros sounded promising on paper but the actual churros were as dense as the accompanying chocolate. Boo and yay, at the same time. The warmth of freshly fried churros was appreciate. 

Three scoops of ice cream might seem a little excessive for one molten chocolate lava cake but noone at the table was complaining. The lava cake itself was exemplary - think thinnish crusty walls and molten-y center. Oh, those sugar-coated walnut... Let's just say there wasn't any 'caring and sharing' with the little one. 

Wild Honey's Sante Fe

Though the Tunisian has served me well, I decided to go for the Sante Fe during brunch at Wild Honey. Sante Fe is the eatery’s take on huevos rancheros, a classic Mexican breakfast dish. To be honest, I didn’t even know where Sante Fe was but now thanks to Wikipedia, I have discovered Sante Fe is the capital of New Mexico - and one less trivia stands in my way if I were to appear on a game show.

Oh my, I might have just found my new favourite breakfast/ brunch stack! Our waiter kindly alerted me that it would be hot and boy, did I dig the tongue-nipping sensation.

Sharp cheddar cheese, and fresh tomato and green japeleno salsa wrapped in warm tortillas; accompanied by two yolk-still-runny fried eggs; topped with fresh tomatoes, shallots and coriander, as well as a smattering of chargrilled corn; a zesty squirt of lime gamely completed the ensemble.

Hearty yet wholesome and refreshing, it was quite the carnival we should be waking up to every Sunday morning.

Mission accomplished at El Farolito

Looking back, I would admit that Mexican food and I share little, if not hardly any happy memories together. Thus, I made it a mission to have at least one authentic Mexican meal while I was in San Francisco. But it was out of sheer luck and coincidence that we met up with Charlene, who took us to El Farolito in Mission District for dinner.



One of the highlights of any vacation is meeting up with family and friends, but it’s amazing when you head out to a dingy, ratty craphole –in-a-wall eatery for some good ol’ catching up. I would have probably chosen somewhere like La Tacqueria, but there would have been “too many angmohs” (as confirmed by resident angmoh himself, Jeremy). I say, keep your blinkers on and focus on the food.

Our food took a few to arrive but as soon as they arrived, we knew it wouldn’t be easy squeezing out of our booths after dinner.



Carne asada tacos, crispy corn tacos struggling to hoist up tomatoes, onions, lettuce fresh salsa and grilled beef.



The super quesadilla suiza was massive soft tortilla mad-stuffed with cheese, avocado, sour cream fresh salsa and grilled beef. This was so good, I was stuffing my face with little regard for the potentially embarrassing smudges of sour cream on my face.

I could feel my inner Adam Richman rubbing his palms together gleefully . My gut’s not going to like me very much after this … but Gut, we will talk tomorrow, I promise.



Taunt enchiladas slathered in chili pepper sauce and cheese, served with rice and a baby-fist-sized dollop of sour cream. This plate is big enough to feed at least two people.



Despite the smile, folks, this is not a Happy Meal advertisement and the person shown in this picture is a full grown adult in her mid-twenties.



Super Burrito, a supersize burrito filled with grilled meat, beans, sour cream and rice. Talk about a B Bomb.

And a basket of plain nacho chips. Did we need it? No. was it tasty? Hell yeah.

I was skeptical of how we would stuff this into this - and everything else – into our stomachs but we actually cleaned up our plates and baskets – even the nachos. But that was then (October). I’m looking at these pictures now and I’m starting to feel hungry all over again.

Summer at Wahaca, London

On my last day in London, I finally met up with an old friend, Aizhen and her other half, Gavin, who took Yang and I to a traditionally, un-London meal at Wahaca. For someone who didn’t know the difference between taquitos and tostadas, I was caught off by how much I loved this meal.

This is my er, third time having Mexican food but by far, the first time I actually enjoyed it - so much so that when the ash cloud threatened to shut down Heathrow, the first thought that came to my mind was, Ash Cloud = Covent Garden + Mexican food. My priorities are spot-on, I know. Like a bucket of cold water raining down on my Cinco de Mayo, I was naturally kind of crushed when that didn't happen.

The restaurant doesn’t take reservations and at 2:30 pm, we waited for about 25 minutes before being “buzzed” to a table. Wahaca had just launched their new summer menu and it was a fatally delicious-sounding menu. We left the ordering mostly to Gavin which was a wise decision as left to me, I would have probably ordered one of everything. It's care and share time, folks!



During this time, we found ourselves in the good company of airy-light pork scratchings and guacamole, and later, tomato salsa with restaurant-cooked tortilla chips. While eating, a revelation the size of Beyonce’s engagement ring hit me, Hey, this is gooood … serious “freshly-made” stuff… doesn’t feel like it was poured out of a can or supermarket value-pack! Holy guacamoley indeedo.



And thus began the journey of a reckless abandonment…



Their MSC* cerviche tostadas were pretty incredible. Toasted crisp mini discs corn tortillas, heaped with a bounty of shrimp and scallops cerviche, habaneros, lime, mint and tomato salsa.

* MSC – certified sustainable fishing



Also awesome were the taquitos, cigar-shaped corn tortillas, stuffed with marinated chicken, drizzled with crema and topped with shredded lettuce, Lancashire cheese and tomato salsa. Cue You-had-me-at-cliché-Jerry-Maguire-movie-line, please.



Something more familiar were the quesadillas, toasted tortillas filled with melted cheese and chipotle chicken. But just because there are bastardised versions out there doesn’t mean it had outstayed its welcome.



One of the ‘Street Food Specials’ we had was their grilled cactus taco with courgette and cheese. Cactus, unlike alot of alien stuff, doesn’t taste like chicken; it tasted EVEN better given the Wahaca-treatment



The Sonora salad is probably the Superbowl of all salads I’ve had so far – diced avocado, pumpkin seeds, beans, British organic spelt and cos lettuce in a tortilla shell with chargrilled steak. I think I was getting a little depressed about leaving London the next day and subconsciously ate my sorrows through the giga-calorific deep-fried tortilla bowl. Not my finest moment but no regrets as well.

At the end of the meal, we ran an unregulated election and voted for our favourite dish. Unlike the recent British elections, the clear winner was the Baja-California fish tacos, which sounds a lot like a coalition dish though with clear motives – bang-on flavour and yumminess (lame word, I know).



Breadcrumbed, then deep-fried goujons (like fish fingers mmm) in tacos, slathered with chipotle mayonnaise and tomato salsa. Joining them were mini ramekins of black beans rice and spicy slaw.



Unsurprisingly, the crowds didn’t thin out in the late afternoon and there was a pleasant buzz throughout our meal. In tune with the culture’s warm disposition , we had great pre-, during and post-meal service. Winner of Masterchef 2005, Thomasina Miers’s take on Mexican market fooding is one place I’m definitely coming back to.

Cha Cha Cha

Holland Village has seen better days. Back in JC and SMU Bukit Timah campus days, I had sought solace in its mishmash of cafes and coffee chains. I even had my first Subway encounter there- hated it on sight and smell but am a convert -heart and soul-. Unfortunately, these days the ever-ongoing renovation works and hellish parking experiences have quelched any incentive for me to visit. Furthermore, its position as Bohemian Central "place to hang" has since been ursped by the likes of Dempsey and to a lesser extent, Rochester. On account of old time's sake, some friends and I decided to head there for dinner last Friday.

Waddling past the usual suspects Crystal Jade and Sushi Tei, I was tickled by the thought of Mexican food. I'm embarrassed to say much of my Mexican food experiences have been largely restricted to Dorito Nachos and Taco Bell. Me like-ko Nacho-deo.

Yes, I deserve to be stoned but Your Honour, I plead second degree ignorance. I ALSO hope you would grant me pardon and 3 months supervised probation at a Mexican restaurant where I hopefully learn to tell the difference between fajitas, tacos and burritos



There was a lot going for the menu but it might as well have been written in Hebrew. As we were flipping through the menu, a basket of nachos and salsa appeared ala Speedy Gonzales disrupting my thoughts, distracting me from more important things in life- fajitas, chicken or beef?

Hmm, shall we have (ooo nachos) quesdailas? The fajitas (mmm finely chopped salsa) sound good too... Waiter, we'll have the (dang no more chips) chili con carne, quesadilas (could we ask for more chips) and fajitas (well, maybe not), chicken please?



My first experience with chili con carne ("chili" for short) was in Copenhagen, prepared by a German who read the recipe as Chili CORN Carne and added well, corn kernels. Not complaining, loved her for her efforts. Here at Cha Cha Cha, their chili was essentially comfort stew made with ground beef and beans, dash of melted cheese. Within the context of "first time trying", this was easily my favourite dish of the evening.



Any GourmetMexican101 professor would tell us to order quesadillas, flour tortilla with cheese, served with finely sliced lettuce, guacamole, sour cream and salsa.



I don't know how authentic the Tapa is for when I googled "Mexican Tapa", all I got was a bunch of listings for Mexican Tapas Bars. The tapa, according to Cha Cha Cha, consists of deep fried rolls stuffed with shredded chicken, served with [copy and paste] served with finely sliced lettuce, guacamole, sour cream and salsa. Though it was supposedly a hit with the regulars, I found the over-fried dry chicken shreds just passable.



Following the trail of Les Familairs, we had the chicken fajitas, served on a hot plate for that oo-hot-hot effect, served with the usual da-das. The fajitas sans green chili reminded me of American-Chinese stir fry and I meant that in the nicest possible way- like a good stir fry that you are probably too embarrassed to admit liking.



I'll be the first one to admit I no more of an expert on Mexican cuisine than say, a Mexican mule.Throughout dinner, images of supermarket lanes and bottled sauces filled my mind and while tasty, Cha Cha Cha left me with the impression that everything could easily be bought from Cold Storage. Perhaps what we ordered barely scratched the surface of what Mexican food had to offer. Secondary research reveals that Cha Cha Cha has been around for more than a decade, well they must be doing something right then.

This article is featured in Wine Dine & Unwind

I'm off to finish reading Free Food for Millionaires by Min Jin Lee. Got to admit I was attracted by the words "food", "Princeton" and "Korean dry cleaner parents". I feel like I've just chanced upon a new stereotype- Are the Chinese and their faux dim sum takeways so 1990s? Are the Koreans and their dry cleaning services are the new "immigrants made good in America" (think designer Doo Ri)? I spent my Friday evening with this page-turner ("Hermit" mode activated) though I better ration my reading for I'm already on Page 316 of this 560 page novel.

fLOGGERS dINNER tOMORROW nIGHT.
Can't Hardly Wait!