Taqueria Super Macho

營業中

休息中

Item: Taqueria Super Macho
Rating: 4
Author: eatwai

3.5

42 食評

味道

環境

服務

衛生

抵食

6535

中環

$201-400

墨西哥菜沙律

eatwai

等級4

188

[ Taqueria Super Macho | 上環 ]

Thanks to their Black Series I finally found the time and budget for me to try this highly anticipated Mexican restaurant. After going to 11 Westside last week, I was slightly disappointed in the Mexican food scene of HK (especially if that was the highest standard) so I was very excited to get to try all the things they are known for in a pre-designed menu with a great price.

The restaurant itself is quite large with a second floor downstairs where the kitchen is as well as more seats. The first floor is where the bar is. The bathroom also gives Mexico-vibes as it is outside the restaurant (has a roof) in a shed.

Because of the Black Series menu, all of their restaurants are fully booked and you only have the dining time of 90 minutes to allow for the next round of guests. I found this to be quite harsh as I booked for 6, but the food arrived at 6:30, thus I was quite rushed throughout my meal and they served the dishes quite fast. Which is normal for a taqueria but also meant each dish could not be enjoyed fresh and hot.

This menu included 3 starters and 2 tacos at $248 per person. The options for tacos are quite limited (their a la carte menu is also shorter than 11 westside) but they do offer vegetarian options if you ask.

—— ——

Horchata $58

I started my night with this non-alcoholic drink. I normally don’t drink beverages outside but the bartender recommended it and said it would be good with the spicy dishes and he was most certainly correct.

I’ve had horchata before and this is definitely a good one. By using full-cream milk, it is oh-so-creamy and milky, resulting in the dairy-like sweetness we get from lactose but not the saccharine sweetness of sucrose. They also use oat milk to give it extra maltose and the result is this caramel-like, wheat-like aroma and taste that’s perfect with the cinnamon. Traditional horchata uses rice but I think they replaced it with the oat to make it maltier.

Speaking of the cinnamon, it is not as strong as I thought (the milk is stronger) but offers a mild hint of exoticness and helps to balance the sweetness and fattiness of this drink.

The temperature of this drink is also really important, having it cold is exactly like having a glass of cold milk after eating something spicy and let’s just say this was exactly what I needed after a few bites of the very spicy tostada.

The portion for the price is very reasonable as it lasted the whole meal.

—— ——

Salsas & Guacamole served with warm tortilla chips

Of course, this Mexican feast started with chips and guacamole. Their tortilla chips are freshly made in their kitchen from corn flour and after frying, the aroma of maize is super strong, savoury, and delicious. It is also perfectly seasoned with salt; thus, you can eat it plain and enjoy the strong taste of corn.

Their guacamole is quite strange as there are big segments of avocado in this dip, which is good as you can taste the raw creamy and nuttiness of the avocado but also makes it quite cumbersome as a dip. The guacamole is also less seasoned and has fewer fixins (red onions, tomatoes) than 11 Westside, which means the avocado’s real taste is emphasized.

As for their salsas, there is a pico de gallo and an avocado tomatillo. The pico de gallo is very fresh and juicy, great with the creamy guacamole. I also enjoyed eating this in between bites by itself as it is a great palate cleanser and not spicy at all. The avocado tomatillo sounded strange to me as I thought it would be a spicy avocado puree but no, it resembled a lot of traditional salsa with it’s intense spice and viscosity. The only difference is that there is a mild creaminess and nuttiness from the avocado that went well with the fried chips.

The portion of everything is definitely meant for 2 people so I guess coming here alone is a lot more worth it. I was able to munch on the chips throughout my meal and even took some for the trip home (I was so full by the end but the smell of the corn tempted me and I ate the rest at home so it wouldn’t get stale). The guacamole though was not enough for all the chips and perhaps they only give half an avocado whereas 11 Westside gives a full avocado.

—— ——

Charcoal-grilled Mexican Street Corn

The next starter is their corn. This corn is supposed grilled on charcoal but I can’t really detect any of the smokiness that comes from it. The corn itself is so sweet and juicy, they also use Anejo cheese instead of cotija cheese, both an aged Mexican cheese but cotija can be described as saltier and drier. Nonetheless, the cheese was very creamy which is amazing against the juicy corn. Unlike 11 Westside, they don’t use mayonnaise and you can actually taste the cheese. This dish also has a slight spice to it from the chilli which made the corn less sweet and more balanced.

I highly recommend squeezing lime on top to awaken the spice, sweetness and aroma of this dish.

I also found that this corn is so good with the tortilla chips. The creamy sweet and juicy corn with the crunchy and salty chips is a match made in heaven. Also, they are both derived from corn as of course they belong together.

—— ——

Grilled Tostada

I asked for the vegetarian option which uses eggplant instead of chicken. The eggplant itself is tender and meaty with a very strong spice rub on it. There is also guacamole, creme, carrots and chilli in this dish which all worked together so well. The big chunks of eggplant are so flavourful and this dish might be my favourite of the night due to the variety of tastes and textures: creamy and nutty avocado; silky and spicy eggplant; mild and milky crema; crunchy and sweet carrots; and spicy and sharp chilli, all on top of a crunchy fried tortilla smeared with refried beans to give you the most diverse and delicious mouthful.

Moreover, the portion size is defiantly meant for two people (I saw the same portions of my food being sent to tables of 2) so again, eating by myself was the most financially correct choice. The portion is also not small at all, it is a mountain of big chunks of eggplant on generous scoops of guacamole on a big piece of fried tortilla. This dish stayed with me for the whole night.

—— ——

Market Ceviche

The market fish they are using is hamachi, yellowtail/amberjack which is very commonly seen in HK now and it is also the chosen ceviche in 11 Westside. However, the sauce and technique are drastically different and very intriguing.

Firstly, the fish is cured with Maggi. Something foreign to Mexico but used here to appeal to the Asian demographic and to use an interesting and unique ingredient. The result is a savoury and salty taste that some people may find too intense and heavy but is actually not bad as the fish itself is quite oily and fatty.

They also feature the winter produce of pumpkins in the form of pumpkin puree and toasted pumpkin seeds. The pumpkin didn’t really shine in this dish but I guess its role as a background supporter is more important as it provides a mild, creamy and sweet ending to each bite. The crunchy pumpkin seeds though were very good and offset the tender fish.

—— ——

Tacos

For my tacos, I chose the fish and shrimp one. Both are ‘Baja-style’ which essentially means deep fried. Before I talk about the toppings, let’s talk about their tortilla. They made it fresh from the corn dough before service but they do cook it as well so each tortilla is made in-house but not made to order. Which is already very good considering the number of bookings and patrons they have. However, the taste of corn is less prominent in the soft tortilla than it is in the fried tortilla chips which are quite puzzling. The thickness of the tortilla is perfect for my taste as it is not too thick that the ratio is disrupted but enough to hold and carry the toppings. However, they do provide 2 pieces of tortilla per taco which is to ensure all the toppings are supported but you can just eat the bottom one as is to taste the raw tortilla or you can use it as a vessel for the toppings that fall out or for other dishes. I specifically enjoyed eating my leftover tortilla with the corn from before and even the extra eggplant from the tostada.

I also had the fish and shrimp taco from 11 Westside so I am able to make side by side comparison.

Crispy Fish Taco
cabbage slaw, salsa Roja, crema

The fish is fried well, not greasy or oily. The batter is also well seasoned which is important as the fish itself didn’t have much flavour. The batter is also not too thick but could definitely be thinner. The fish though is very flaky and moist but I think a bigger portion is needed for the tortilla. The salsa wasn’t very spicy and I needed up adding the pico de gallo and avocado tomatillo for some refreshment and spice. The creme went well with the fish but wished there were more.

Baja-style shrimp
chipotle mayo, pineapple salsa, avocado

This shrimp was quite disappointing as the meat itself is tiny and the batter is not only extremely thick (in ratio to the shrimp and tortilla) but also fell off the shrimp the moment I cut into it. Fortunately, the batter is well seasoned but eating it with the tortilla was way too doughy. The chipotle mayo is creamy with a very mild spice, good with the shrimp. I prefer the mango salsa at 11 Westside but this was good and went with the shrimp too. Avocado is nice and creamy and altogether it is not a bad taco.

Taco-wise, it is definitely better than 11 Westside but still not great. I think I should have gotten the grilled avocado taco instead as their avocados are truly great.

—— ——

推介 🙆🏻‍♀️

💬 Overall, a very delicious and filling Mexican meal at the best possible price. I don’t know if I want to return for a la carte as it is quite expensive so I might just wait for the next Black Series. I do think TSM is better than 11 Westside but the latter has more options and is better for large group gatherings due to the space.
I can’t wait to explore more Mexican restaurants in HK.

🗓 Revisit? ✅ ⭕️/ ❎