Mexican Food In Bkk

[Ulysses G.]

A recomendation from Sabaijai is impressive indeed. He knows Mexican food.

I enjoyed Sunrise Tacos when I was in Bangkok and it first opened , but I have a feeling that they gotten much better with time.

[girlx]

is it just me or is sunrise tacos wayyy more expensive at paragon? i ordered from chefs xp the other night and i swear it was half the price. good stuff though.

[surface]

I ordered from them using chefsxp too, as it was the only thing open at the time, and was pleasantly surprised as my first couple of visits there left much to be desired. Unless their take out is somehow better than eating there, the food appears to have improved quite a bit. I wonder if the service has improved as well.

[dotcom]

A friend ordered delivery from Sunrise Tacos last week and I tried one of their burritos. The one they ordered for me had ground beef, salsa, cheese, avocado and various other ingredients (I asked them to hold the beans). It was excellent, everything tasted fresh – including the avocado, which can be terrible at Mexican restos in Thailand – and best of all it was very spicy. The burrito was huge, in the American style, easily the size of 6 Mexican burritos (burritos in Mexico – found only in Baja California and Sonora for the most part, except in gringo haunts – are typically quite small and come in threes). Delicious.

Might have to give them one last chance then.

Maybe Greg has been reading the feedback & decided to keep his finger on the pulse.

Was at BS last night. They've added guacamole.

[flightcrew1]

The boyfriend and I ate at Sunrise Taco's at Paragon before seeing a movie Saturday night. I had a Chicken Burito and he had 3 taco's and we shared a plate of nachos. Both of us enjoyed the meal and thought it was pretty good. It wasn't like the burito that I get on layovers in Los Angeles but it was pretty good!

I have not eaten and the original Sunrise Tacos and I would also be curious how much more expensive the Paragon Branch is if it is true. Though this makes sense as I imagine the rent is a lot more.

[jfchandler]

As a lifelong lover/consumer of Mexican food, I have been given the authority to make the final selections in this Bangkok contest (excluding other Thailand cities), as follows... as of Sept. 2008.

--Best Value for Mexican food - Sunrise Tacos, Sukhumvit Rd. Soi 12

--Best food at sit-down Mexican restaurant - Charlie Browns, Suk Soi 11

--Best fresh, kick-ass margarita - Mamacita's, Suk Soi 15 side-soi (don't even talk, until you've tried them).

--Best/broadest selection of flavored margaritas - Coyote, Soi Convent or Suk Soi 33.

--Best Mexican food buffet -- haven't sampled as yet, so leave it to others to say, Bourbon Street on Tuesdays, Coyote on Fridays, or....????

--Hottest Salsa -- Sunrise Taco's John's Super-Super Hot....

--Best Choice for Mexican Regardless of the Hour -- Sunrise Tacos 24 hours delivery.

Anyone want to argue with me... it's chile rellenos at 20 paces...

PS - Kudos to Sunrise and Greg for recently offering a very tasty weekend special of Chile Rellenos, which I've yet to see on any other Mexican menu in BKK.

In short, there isn't any ONE clear winner in this contest. There are, rather, individual aspects of each of the various Mexican offerings in BKK that place them above their peers. There is no one single overall winner here, as yet. But I hope they all keep trying!!!

[jfchandler]

Regarding the best margarita to be found in Bangkok.......

[sabaijai]

I paid a visit to Sunrise Tacos main restaurant on Sukhumvit near Soi 12 last week. Pleasantly lit with indirect halogen lighting, super clean, very attentive service despite the fact that it was packed, every table full.

For starters they must have the most customisable tacos and burritos anywhere in Bangkok if not Thailand. Long list of possible fillings and add-ins. I was impressed that they offered real Mexican-style tacos with soft corn tortillas. Most Mexican places in Thailand either use wheat-flour tortillas or the crispy American-style 'shells', something you never see in Mexico or even in authentic Tex-Mex.

I had a taco with carne asada, a very nice grilled meat filling, along with guacamole. The guacamole was excellent, as it was in the Sunrise burrito delivery I ordered a few weeks ago. If nothing else, two out of two times Sunrise has served the best guac I've ever eaten in Thailand, and better than a lot of places in the USA, simple Mexican-style guac without the tomatoes and onions Americans like to ruin their guacamole with

The taco was reasonably priced, I thought, at 49 baht, esp considering how seldom one sees corn tortillas (esp soft) in Thailand. I sampled each of the three or four salsas from the salsa bar, all Tex-Mex style, and excellent.

I also ordered the chiles rellenos plate as well. Good chiles rellenos have a fluffy, light breading and these came with a rather hard, somewhat oily version. The chiles didn't taste fresh either, though I can't swear that they weren't. Finally the sauce on the chiles rellenos was so-so, not a patch on the fresh tomato-chile sauces you typically get on chiles rellenos in Mexico. They were a bit pricey at 249 baht (included rice and beans). I would not recommend this dish if you're used to good chiles rellenos. On the plus side the cheese was good and reasonably close to queso asadero.

Nice selection of beers and margarita varities. I ordered naam manao (lime juice) and was surprised they didn't have it, as it goes so well with Mexican food.

I notice that in the same complex they have a smaller 24-hour storefront with tacos and burritos to go. Open-air parking is available in the middle of the complex, and the lot wasn't full the night I was there even though the restaurant was, which suggests you have a good shot at finding a place if you're driving.

I look forward to another visit soon, but for now I'd give an unreserved recommendation for the tacos and the burritos at the main restaurant. I haven't tried the Paragon branch so can't comment on the prices there.

[dantilley]

I went to Sunrise a few months ago and was a bit disappointed by that visit, finding the Burrito too stodgy and the wrap quite tough and chewy. That was during the phase Sunrise went through of hiring pretty staff all wearing Cowboy hats, and it also coincided with a kind of mini trollish smear campaign against the business on these pages, so I didn't write about my negative experience there, not wanting to have my comments lost in the dross that was being written at the time.

Anyway, despite that, I started to slowly come back again, and have found that recently the Soi 12 locations are now right back on track, serving excellent, hearty food with generous portions. So, after a brief period of absence, I now go approximately once a week - it would be more, but I neither live nor work near a branch of Sunrise.

Tacos with guacamole are fantastic, tacos brimming over with tasty fillings and the excellent guac generously scooped on top. I tried the soft corn tacos and found them a bit fiddly to eat, falling apart and I ended up eating most of it with a fork. So I would say I prefer the hard shells even if, as Sabaijai commented, they're not typical of real Mexican food.

I stumbled in there at about 1am last night, taking advantage of the great 24 hour opening, and had pork tacos which were excellent and also ordered a side of chips for the first time which were much better than I expected and better than I've had at any other Mexican restaurant in Thailand. Ever thought of bagging them up and selling them in stores around town?

[jfchandler]

I agree Dantiley and Sabaijai.... pretty much dead on in your comments.

I believe Greg goes to quite some lengths to obtained his imported avocados and make the guacamole fresh.... My only gripe is every time I order it...the portion is TOO SMALL.... But for the price...I can understand that....

There was a time some month back when the Soi 12 location seemed to lose its way. But I believe its recovered quite nicely of late, and has served consistently good food and had decent service on all my recent and now regular visits...

About Sunrise's own fresh-made salsas, I've taken to ordering a 500 ml container of the salsa of my choice, to take home, every time I stop by for a meal. It beats anything available in the stores hands down, and at a price of 129 baht, it's a great deal. That and, you can pick your desired level of spiciness from among the different varieties.

To anyone who was put off of Sunrise during that lamented dark period, I'd encourage them to stop by and give them another try.... I think you'll be in for a pleasant surprise.

[Ulysses G.]

Thai avos are not the best in the world, but much better than nothing. I would suggest mixing them with imports during the 6 months that they are in season for bigger portions.

[girlx]

my gripe with guacamole here is it is always so bland! aren't you supposed to add garlic and spices? he best one is probably at charley brown's, but still pretty tasteless.

[dotcom]

The best guacamole is at my house. My Thai GF absolutely nails it. It is made with garlic onion tomato salt pepper & lime juice. My mothers receipe.

Welcome any time. PM me first.

[sabaijai]

I agree Dantiley and Sabaijai.... pretty much dead on in your comments.

I believe Greg goes to quite some lengths to obtained his imported avocados and make the guacamole fresh.... My only gripe is every time I order it...the portion is TOO SMALL.... But for the price...I can understand that....

There was a time some month back when the Soi 12 location seemed to lose its way. But I believe its recovered quite nicely of late, and has served consistently good food and had decent service on all my recent and now regular visits...

About Sunrise's own fresh-made salsas, I've taken to ordering a 500 ml container of the salsa of my choice, to take home, every time I stop by for a meal. It beats anything available in the stores hands down, and at a price of 129 baht, it's a great deal. That and, you can pick your desired level of spiciness from among the different varieties.

To anyone who was put off of Sunrise during that lamented dark period, I'd encourage them to stop by and give them another try.... I think you'll be in for a pleasant surprise.

Next time I'll take home some of that salsa, can't find anything in the supermarkets that comes close. Just remembered that they had five different salsas to choose from, I only tried three.

girlx, you should give Sunrise's guacamole a try. Just like the stuff at taco stands in Mexico. Real guacamole is nothing more than fresh avocado mashed with salt, garlic and just a small splash of lime juice to keep the mash green. The taste of the avocado should come through, and if the avocados are well selected, they're not bland. The garlic gives it some bite.

[surface]

What exactly is the red stuff in the guac at Sunrise if not tomato?

[jdrake72]

there is also a small mexican restarant in Soi Rambutri, near Khaosand Road,

it is small and ordinary, but as everybody already said, there is no so much choice in Bangkok.

Tacos and burritos are eatable, while guacamole sucks.

For a strange reason I cannot explain there are no decent avocados in Thailand.

I am used to Central American avocados which are delicious.

[Ulysses G.]

We get a lot of decent avocados up North - not as good as Haas, but good enough.

[DP25]

there is also a small mexican restarant in Soi Rambutri, near Khaosand Road,

it is small and ordinary, but as everybody already said, there is no so much choice in Bangkok.

Tacos and burritos are eatable, while guacamole sucks.

For a strange reason I cannot explain there are no decent avocados in Thailand.

I am used to Central American avocados which are delicious.

I disagree. The guacamole is pretty good, though not as good as a Mexican place in LA, and really cheap as well. I order a side of it every time I eat there.

The only problem I have with the place is the same one I have with Sunrise, the sour cream sucks. I ate at an awesome Mexican taqueria in Hua Hin, Baja Taco, that had amazing sour cream. Super thick and delicious. If I could buy this stuff in Bangkok I would, as it is I buy sour cream at Villa to eat with my meals from Sunrise and Mexican Tartars because theirs is just not good enough.

[sabaijai]

Avo fans the world over generally prefer the Hass (not Haas) avocado for its higher fat content, relative to other varieties. They originated in Guatemala, but the name we know comes from some guy in California who grew them there later, from Mexican rootstock. I've heard that the best Hass are grown in Sinaloa, Mexico.

Thais up north tell me that most avos sold in Chiang Mai come from the Shan State, Myanmar. Makes sense since they're plentiful all year round in the Shan State, I've eaten some delicious ones the size of a football in Pindaya and Kalaw. They're the 'West Indian' species of avocado, larger, smoother-skinned and lighter green than the small, wrinkly and dark green Hass. I think they're delicious when properly selected and they yield a lot more flesh than the Hass.

The third 'race' of avocado is a smooth-skinned, smaller one commonly seen in Mexico and not so much anywhere else.

I'm guessing that the ones used at Sunrise are imported Hass, unless someone in Thailand is growing the Hass variety. And I wonder why the Thais don't grow Hass up around Doi Ang Khang?

[jfchandler]

As to the origins of the avocados used at Sunrise, I knew I remembered reading it here in the past....

From Greg:

Guacamole: We sell use more avocados than all other restaurants according to our supplier. Its good stuff with no shortcuts. Even though avocados are expensive as we import from Australia, we increased the portion around three months ago and everyone is happy. Try it next time or come to the Suk 12 location, its cheaper there. :-)

[girlx]

girlx, you should give Sunrise's guacamole a try.

had it... it's ok but still pretty bland to me. sour cream sucks here too.

[sabaijai]

girlx, you should give Sunrise's guacamole a try.

had it... it's ok but still pretty bland to me. sour cream sucks here too.

Sour cream on any Mexican food sucks, never see it in Mexico Strictly an American practice.

But all sour cream tastes pretty much the same, doesn't it? Perhaps it's lowfat or something.

[Ulysses G.]

I don't care if it is "authentic", or not, Mexican Americans love sour cream on burritos and so do I.

[Uros]

And all sour cream does NOT taste pretty much the same.

[zaphodbeeblebrox]

I like sour cream on shredded lettuce. But it's really just a salad/garnish on a good Mexican plate dinner. Lettuce and sour cream doesn't belong in burritos or on top of tacos (at least the real ones, not those crispy gringo things).

[sabaijai]

I don't care if it is "authentic", or not, Mexican Americans love sour cream on burritos and so do I.

Maybe up north in San Francisco but from LA east to Houston, Texas you don't find many chicanos asking for sour cream at Mexican restaurants in my experience. In Texas you rarely see it except in chain Mexican restos To most Mexicans watching Americans scoop sour cream on everything (esp beans) is like watching the Thais heap ketchup all over pizza and fried chicken here in Thailand.

UG we know you don't care about authentic just as long as it's amurrican inauthentic Bet you don't like it when a Thai cook murders a cheeseburger the way some Americans murder Mexican dishes though!

I don't mind innovations in national cuisines, all national cuisines are themselves cooking fusions anyway, when you get down to it. Just hold the blurring, blandifying effects of American sourcream on Mexican food .... :D

[sabaijai]

I like sour cream on shredded lettuce. But it's really just a salad/garnish on a good Mexican plate dinner. Lettuce and sour cream doesn't belong in burritos or on top of tacos (at least the real ones, not those crispy gringo things).

[Ulysses G.]

I don't mind innovations in national cuisines, all national cuisines are themselves cooking fusions anyway, when you get down to it. Just hold the blurring, blandifying effects of American sourcream on Mexican food ....

There are a lot of people who think that the Mission Street Burrito is the best in the world and most of their customers are Mexicans and Mexican Americans. If you ask for a Super-Burrito you usually get guacamole, cheese (queso), and sour cream without asking.

San Francisco burrito

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

A San Francisco burrito.In San Francisco, California, the Mexican-American burrito has become a city specialty, as the New York-based writer Calvin Trillin describes in his essay "Grandfather Knows Best": "In San Francisco, the burrito has been refined and embellished in much the same way that pizza has been refined and embellished in New York and Chicago."[1] Since its likely beginnings in the 1960s, the style has spread widely through the San Francisco Bay Area, and variations on it have spread throughout the United States.

This type of burrito was born in the city's Mission District, and it is often called a Mission or Mission-style burrito as a result. Taquerias in the Mission, contrary to their taco-derived name, specialize in large, aluminum-foil wrapped burritos. The aluminum foil holds a large flour tortilla which is wrapped and folded around a variety of ingredients. The San Francisco burrito is distinguished partly by the amount of rice and other side dishes included in the package and partly by sheer size.[1] A food critic working for the San Francisco Chronicle counted hundreds of taquerias in the San Francisco Bay Area, and noted that the question of which taqueria makes the best burrito can "encourage fierce loyalty and ferocious debate".[2]

Census data illustrates areas of San Francisco with high numbers of Latino residents shown in red; the northern vertical portion is the Inner Mission; the lower diagonal portion includes the Excelsior and Crocker-Amazon districts. The northern portion, the historic home of the San Francisco burrito, and with the heaviest concentration of Latino residents, has been most subject to the stresses of gentrification.Starting in the mid- to late-1990s, the Mission District faced increasing rents and property values and an influx of higher-income residents and visitors, particularly during the dot-com boom. During this time, some elements of the San Francisco burrito experience became politicized. One activist disdained the practice of charging extra for chips and salsa, for instance, as an anti-Mexican symptom of gentrification.[6] Some taquerias also offer additional types of flour tortillas (for instance, whole wheat or spinach), but this same activist declared, "I will shoot my son and daughter if they ever order a green burrito."[6]

In the end, this kind of heated rhetoric of burrito politics mainly serves to exemplify the fact that the San Francisco burrito has become an important part of both bohemian and Chicano culture in San Francisco, as evidenced by an article originally published in the former SF Weekly, featuring La Raza studies professor Jose Cuellar.[4]

[edit] Imitators and descendants

The San Francisco burrito is also one of the progenitors of the idea of the wrap. The wrap was invented by four business school students who realized that in each of San Francisco's ethnic neighborhoods, some dish involved wrapping a tortilla-like wrapping around some food, and that therefore the ingredients inside a large tortilla could be composed of a wide range of ingredients.[7][8][verification needed]

The Chipotle Mexican Grill, Qdoba Mexican Grill, and Taco del Mar are all large national chains which arguably offer versions of a San Francisco style burrito; Chipotle was started by a chef who directly acknowledges the inspiration of Mission taquerias.[9] In New York City there is a chain of taquerias that specializes in SF-style burritos called Burritoville, and in the southeast another called Barberitos.

Some New York establishments advertise "Cal-Mex" or "San Francisco style" burritos. Two small chains of Boston taquerias are modeled after a local Bay Area chain.[10] Burritos made in the San Francisco style can be found in other cities across the United States.

Some Chinese restaurants in San Francisco use flour tortillas in place of rice pancakes for Mu Shu Pork and similar Mu Shu dishes, with a corresponding improvement in structural integrity.

[edit] Production

Two key technologies that made the San Francisco burrito possible are the large flour tortilla and tortilla steamers, which together increase the flexibility, stretch, and size of the resulting tortilla. The tortilla steamer saturates the gluten-heavy tortilla with moisture and heat, which increase the capacity of the tortilla to stretch without breaking. This in turn allows for the size of the San Francisco burrito. Corn tortillas, the original indigenous pre-Colombian form of the tortilla, cannot achieve either the size or the flexibility of the flour tortilla, and thus cannot be used to make a San Francisco burrito. A few San Francisco taquerias grill the tortillas instead of steaming them, using heat and oil instead of steam; and a few grill the finished product before the final step of wrapping it in aluminum foil.

The aluminum foil wrapping, which is present whether the customer is eating in the restaurant or taking out, acts as a structural support to ensure that the tortilla does not rupture. One of the main difficulties of the San Francisco burrito is the issue of structural integrity, but skilled burrito makers consistently produce huge burritos which do not burst when handled or eaten. A successful large burrito depends on an understanding of the outer limit of potential burrito volume, correct steam hydration, proper wrapping/folding technique, and assuring that excess liquid has been removed from the burrito ingredients prior to inclusion.

Interior of La Cumbre, a popular San Francisco taqueria;[11] assembly takes place behind the glass.Most San Francisco burrito purveyors use a modified assembly line. Most or all possible burrito ingredients are laid out in a mise en place of metal serving containers, heated from below, and in front of a counter. The preparation area is shielded by glass or plastic from the customer. Workers move the tortilla along the counter, quickly scooping successive ingredients onto the tortilla. They then fold and tighten the tortilla around the large bundle of ingredients, and wrap a sheet of aluminum foil around the completed burrito. Some taquerias mix the ingredients together on a grill just prior to placement in the tortilla.

The basic ingredients of the San Francisco burrito include the large flour tortilla, Spanish rice, beans (frijoles, usually with a choice of refried, pinto or black), a choice of a single main filling, and the customer's choice of salsa, ranging from hot to mild. Most taquerias also offer a "Super" burrito which includes a choice of meat and all of the available non-meat burrito ingredients. This usually includes sliced fresh avocado or guacamole, cheese (queso), and sour cream (crema).

complete article at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Francisco_burrito

[zaphodbeeblebrox]

Now you have me yearning for Cancun Taqueria or El Faro Burrito. I went to Chipotle in SF when they opened. It was crap. I have been to Chipotle two more times in the last year and it was a little better, but not in El Faro's or Cancun's league. I'd like to try Qdoba, but I can't imagine its any better than Chipotle.

Never really thought about it, but the burritos in L.A. are different. Not better or worse, just different. You don't see rice or as many other fillers. Often its just a meat, sauce and beans.

[girlx]

mmm i love chipotle, i wish they would open a franchise here. but sunrise is close enough i guess.