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2015-04-08
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I was bored in a waiting room recently, so I decided to google "Mexican restaurant Hong Kong" and peruse the results. I do this every few months. I keep telling myself that maybe, someday, the stars will align in perfect cosmic harmony and I can get some fajitas that don't suck.Anyway, I discovered there was this new place in K-Town, where the subway now runs, and I'm always willing to blow fistfulls of HKD on a Mexican place... once. That is what I did and this is my ROI report. We showed up ab
Anyway, I discovered there was this new place in K-Town, where the subway now runs, and I'm always willing to blow fistfulls of HKD on a Mexican place... once. That is what I did and this is my ROI report. We showed up about 7:30, and were told 45 min wait, and they suggested we drink at a bar down the street, which we did. About 20 min into our beers, we get a call. The same window seats as another reviewer.
The first thing we ordered was chips w/ 5 salsas for $120. The first thing I should note (not a complaint-- a note) is that where I grew up in Texas (San Antonio and Austin) lots of Tex-Mex places offer a salsa bar with 5 or more salsas for free. All places give you at least one or two never ending salsa bowls for free (plus free chips). Again, I'm not criticizing. But I do think a lot of HK spots try to hit the trendy crowds that show up once, instead of the people who would come back again and again. Y'know, like people who miss the cuisine of their homeland.
The salsas are:Tomatillo w/ cilantro and serrano: Salsa verde is the king of salsas, in my opinion. I managed once to find a can of tomatillos in HK. Haven't seen the non-canned variety. This was good; if I had made it, I'd be proud of myself. But it's not upper-echelon good. B
"Roasted" w/ onions and cumin: Roasted what? I was convinced this was a mushroom salsa. I remain convinced until proven otherwise. OK... C
Fresca. I really liked and highly recommend the salsa fresca. I always get complements on my salsa fresca, and this stuff is clearly superior. If you're just getting one, get this. Excellent, A
de Arbol w/ pumpkin seeds: The seeds seemed unnecessary. I made a salsa that was similar to this a few days ago, but I used de arbol and ancho chilis and more vinegar. I thought Chino's salsa lacked both a depth of flavor and a kick-- which was surprising as de arbols are rather spicy chilis (higher than jalapeno on the Scoville scale). I'd pass. C+
Shiso w/ tomato and vinegar: Chino is not a fusion place, but it is all about adding in little Japanese touches to the Mexican stuff. I'm not against that (though if you're selling out authenticity, I don't know why you'd stick just to Japanese elements. It's presumably a cultural capital thing-- Japanese is trendy!) I recall thinking that this salsa was definitely a new experience, but also that it wasn't my cup of tea. [No rating: it's worth getting to try.]
You won't find Tecate on the menu here. I got Minerva ITA, which is rated 81 (good) on Rate Beer, based on 27 reviews. I certainly liked it.
Chilaquiles: My wife asked me if this was a Texas breakfast thing. I'm pretty sure not. Maybe she was thinking migas? Nobody eats nachos for breakfast in TX. And really, these chilaquiles should be thought of on the model of nachos. They've got beans and melted cheese and avocado on top. The egg is an OK addition. As nachos go, these are pretty good. I wouldn't get them if you got the chips and salsa though-- we were kinda on a tortilla chip overload.
Battered and fried fish tacos are my second favorite kind of tacos, after steak fajitas. And maybe al pastor. Anyway, I thought this taco was great. I would come back for this and this alone. What can I say? Not too much batter; tender fish, cooked perfectly; judiciously sauced and be-cabbaged. This is what I look for when I go to Mexican places-- something that makes me go "Yes! That is what I've been missing." Excellent, A
I will say that the chicken taco was good, but just not special or memorable in any way. I guess when you grow up and your school lunchroom does fantastic chicken tacos, it's hard to just settle later in life. B-
The menu says "avocado" taco. I was surprised to learn this meant "deep-fried avocado taco". But whereas I firmly believe that deep-frying improves any culinary vegetable, I don't hold that the same is true for fruit. Indeed, the process seems to have cooked the flavor and creaminess right out of the avocado. Googling "deep fried avocado" seems to turn up lots of evidence that this is a common practice. Perhaps I'm weird. C-
Marinated pork taco: I think somebody in the other reviews called this 'al pastor'... I definitely wouldn't go there. It says 'pineapple' on the menu but that's about the end of the resemblance. Al pastor tacos are these crazy good Lebanese-Mexican fusion things that are cooked on rotating spit like schwarma (sp?). Really some of the best tacos you can find. These marinated pork ones at Chino are... alright, I guess? Kinda remind me more of char siu. I recommend passing. Alright, C.From the menu it looks like the food was about $440. I think we paid around $740, so the rest was probably expensive cocktails and stuff. YOLO, as the kids say. Were I to come back, I'd be much more directed: salsa fresca, fish tacos x 3, wham, bam, thank you sir or madam. The rest was alright, but not better than Brickhouse, which is closer to me. Indeed, call me a philistine, but I'll probably go back to Coyote in WC before coming here again.
题外话/补充资料：
The menu advertizes "Mexican coke." Please don't be an idiot. The reason Americans pay a premium for Mexican coke is that American coke is made with high-fructose corn syrup instead of sugar. Pro-tip: Mexican coke = Hong Kong coke. That stuff they bottle in Sha Tin? It's got sugar in it. Same recipe as the one they use in Mexico.
(以上食记乃用户个人意见 , 并不代表OpenRice之观点。)
张贴
