Good Mexican Food

[dantilley]

The pay is 7,000 Baht per month plus tips plus 20 Baht per trip.

Not a bad deal actually, as delivery jobs go!

[on-on]

Over the past 5 months or so since I last read the Mexican Food thread I went out and tried a bunch of places. I found a lot of edible stuff, almost none very good. I'm from Houston, Texas, the home of Tex-Mex and fajitas, and I've been eating it pretty much since birth, so my opinions tend to favor what we would call "real Tex-Mex, not that Cal-Mex crap with no jalapenos and covered in sour cream" in Texas. Anyhow, I didn't find a best this or that for a lot of categories so I didn't bother to name them (the tacos are all mediocre or bad, same with fajitas and burritos), but here's what I thought was good:

Chicken Quesadillas at Great American Rib Company (Sukhumvit Soi 36):

Hands down, the the chicken quesadillas at Great American Rib Company are the single most faithful reconstruction of Tex-Mex I have had outside of Texas. Everything is just right. Granted, it's not a meal in and of itself, but it's so good that it beats out any of the entrees.

Corn Quesadillas at Noriega's (Patpong Soi 4):

They could use more jalapeno or cilantro, but the corn quesadillas (while I've never heard of corn quesadillas back home) taste like real Tex-Mex food and the pico-ish mixture works. A little more zip and tang and they'd be perfect.

Either Nacho Plate at Coyote (Convent):

Yeah, it's Cal-Mex, but if you tell them to hold off on the black olives (what the hel_l are black olives doing on Nachos?) and double up on the jalapenos, these nachos taste pretty much just like home.

Beans, Rice and Homemade Hot Sauce at Taco Loco (Silom 64 Building, next to Beirut Lebanese Restaurant):

This is a brand new place and it's owned by two guys from LA. They haven't quite nailed down all the recipes yet, but the food is cheap and the beans, rice and Tino's homemade hot sauce are authentic enough to deserve mention.

Biggest disappointment? Not one single place can make real salsa. I've found real chips, but the salsa is always wrong. Sometimes it tastes good, but it's always wrong. It should be a liquid, not a dry mash or chopped up stuff.

I tried Mexican food at Patty's Fiesta, Bourbon St, Woodstock and several other places and it really didn't stand up. Nice people all around and I'd give Bourbon St. thumbs up for a lot of other things (like Chicken Fried Steak) and Woodstock thumbs up for burgers, hospitality and music, but the Mexican food I tried elsewhere has been bad. I still need to hit Tia Maria, Senor Pico's and Sunrise (which I only just saw yesterday).

[Sunbelt Asia]

The pay is 7,000 Baht per month plus tips plus 20 Baht per trip.

Not a bad deal actually, as delivery jobs go!

Odds are good they will make 12K-15K per month.

Biggest disappointment? Not one single place can make real salsa. I've found real chips, but the salsa is always wrong. Sometimes it tastes good, but it's always wrong. It should be a liquid, not a dry mash or chopped up stuff.

Looking forward to you visiting our shop.

Couple of our salsas you should try.

Try our John Hot Salsa. John Super hot if you like it real spicy.

Try our Sunrise Salsa which is also what you are looking for with a liquid salsa.

www.sunrisetacos.com

[dantilley]

Over the past 5 months or so since I last read the Mexican Food thread I went out and tried a bunch of places. I found a lot of edible stuff, almost none very good. I'm from Houston, Texas, the home of Tex-Mex and fajitas, and I've been eating it pretty much since birth, so my opinions tend to favor what we would call "real Tex-Mex, not that Cal-Mex crap with no jalapenos and covered in sour cream" in Texas. Anyhow, I didn't find a best this or that for a lot of categories so I didn't bother to name them (the tacos are all mediocre or bad, same with fajitas and burritos), but here's what I thought was good:

Seems to correlate with my experience trying to find authentic versions two of the things my home country, England, can do very well - fish & chips and British style "Indian" curry. There have been a few places I've found here which can do very good versions of both, but none which matches up - there's always just that missing something you can't put your finger on, I'm sure you know what I mean. Closest Indian food to the delights we get back home has been in Georgetown, Penang, actually, but no-where outside of the UK have I found fish & chips in the authentic style.

Anyway, I agree about the Coyote nachos, had a large plate of them on Friday night and really enjoyed them. And I think if you liked Taco Loco you'll really go for Sunrise - it's a similar concept but Sunrise does everything a bit better in almost all areas.

[jEFFREYk44]

Try our John Hot Salsa. John Super hot if you like it real spicy.

Try our Sunrise Salsa which is also what you are looking for with a liquid salsa.

www.sunrisetacos.com

I had the ST "hot" salsa the other day and took some home, whatever salsa you choose, when a minimal amount is put inside a burrito it is not enough, but this stuff tasted like spicy BBQ sauce, gross on a burrito, would be better on ribs, only my opinion

[Sunbelt Asia]

. And I think if you liked Taco Loco you'll really go for Sunrise - it's a similar concept but Sunrise does everything a bit better in almost all areas.

Thanks but from comments I've been hearing, we need to be much better.

www.sunrisetacos.com

[glaitong]

A good question with no answer.

[Sunbelt Asia]

A good question with no answer.

What is the question?

www.sunrisetacos.com

[percy2]

1. We require the delivery guy to work. Most don’t want to. I’ve gone thru 3 already. The other two lasted 5 minutes.

I sympathise here. We've been trying to employ a messenger for about 3 months now.

I didn't realize it was such a dificult position to fill.

Cheers

[Sunbelt Asia]

I sympathise here. We've been trying to employ a messenger for about 3 months now.

I didn't realize it was such a dificult position to fill.

Cheers

Thanks. I agree, hard to understand why its such a difficult position to fill ? Even at Sunbelt where we pay the messengers around 14K per month, we've had problems finding new ones. We have five messengers but always seems like one leaves every 90 days.

www.sunrisetacos.com

[junkofdavid2]

. And I think if you liked Taco Loco you'll really go for Sunrise - it's a similar concept but Sunrise does everything a bit better in almost all areas.

Thanks but from comments I've been hearing, we need to be much better.

www.sunrisetacos.com

You ARE much better already. Sorry I didn't realize earlier.

[JR Texas]

Over the past 5 months or so since I last read the Mexican Food thread I went out and tried a bunch of places. I found a lot of edible stuff, almost none very good. I'm from Houston, Texas, the home of Tex-Mex and fajitas, and I've been eating it pretty much since birth, so my opinions tend to favor what we would call "real Tex-Mex, not that Cal-Mex crap with no jalapenos and covered in sour cream" in Texas. Anyhow, I didn't find a best this or that for a lot of categories so I didn't bother to name them (the tacos are all mediocre or bad, same with fajitas and burritos), but here's what I thought was good:

Chicken Quesadillas at Great American Rib Company (Sukhumvit Soi 36):

Hands down, the the chicken quesadillas at Great American Rib Company are the single most faithful reconstruction of Tex-Mex I have had outside of Texas. Everything is just right. Granted, it's not a meal in and of itself, but it's so good that it beats out any of the entrees.

Corn Quesadillas at Noriega's (Patpong Soi 4):

They could use more jalapeno or cilantro, but the corn quesadillas (while I've never heard of corn quesadillas back home) taste like real Tex-Mex food and the pico-ish mixture works. A little more zip and tang and they'd be perfect.

Either Nacho Plate at Coyote (Convent):

Yeah, it's Cal-Mex, but if you tell them to hold off on the black olives (what the hel_l are black olives doing on Nachos?) and double up on the jalapenos, these nachos taste pretty much just like home.

Beans, Rice and Homemade Hot Sauce at Taco Loco (Silom 64 Building, next to Beirut Lebanese Restaurant):

This is a brand new place and it's owned by two guys from LA. They haven't quite nailed down all the recipes yet, but the food is cheap and the beans, rice and Tino's homemade hot sauce are authentic enough to deserve mention.

Biggest disappointment? Not one single place can make real salsa. I've found real chips, but the salsa is always wrong. Sometimes it tastes good, but it's always wrong. It should be a liquid, not a dry mash or chopped up stuff.

I tried Mexican food at Patty's Fiesta, Bourbon St, Woodstock and several other places and it really didn't stand up. Nice people all around and I'd give Bourbon St. thumbs up for a lot of other things (like Chicken Fried Steak) and Woodstock thumbs up for burgers, hospitality and music, but the Mexican food I tried elsewhere has been bad. I still need to hit Tia Maria, Senor Pico's and Sunrise (which I only just saw yesterday).

JR Texas to On On: I am also from Texas and know great Mexican food (been all over Mexico). I have stated it many times before.......I have never had good Mexican food in Thailand. I understand there is a new place called "Sunrise" or something like that. I have never eaten there, so my comments do not include what they are doing. From my experience, I think the problem with Mexican food in Thailand is twofold: 1) lack of authentic ingredients (fresh and authentic) and 2) lack of knowledge on how to cook Mexican food.

It is very difficult to learn how to cook genuine Mexican food from recipes taken off the internet.....it takes skill.....special techniques. And without genuine ingredients, it will never taste right. There is also another problem that owners are fully aware of......the cost of cheese. The high cost of cheese makes it difficult to make a profit on some Mexican food items.

Hot sauce: This one is a mystery to me..........I have never had decent hot sauce (stuff you eat with corn chips) at any so-called Mexican food restaurant in Thailand (same for salsas....red and green sauces you put on top of enchiladas and other food items). It is so easy to make.........I have even talked with some restaurant managers and offered to go into the kitchen and show them how to make it (they refused). Odd.....but nothing I can do about it.

Beans and rice: never had any decent beans and rice in Thailand.

Maybe it is a Texas thing........we love a certain type of Mexican food. Other people may love the Mexican food that is offered in Thailand (probably people from Europe or New York City that would not know Mexican food if it came up and........well, you know).

I hope the new place, Sunrise, is offering up some good Mexican food. Heard Taco Bell is coming.....that should not worry Sunrise as TB is a disease........ :D

[jrgomez]

Beans and rice: never had any decent beans and rice in Thailand.

Maybe it is a Texas thing........we love a certain type of Mexican food. Other people may love the Mexican food that is offered in Thailand (probably people from Europe or New York City that would not know Mexican food if it came up and........well, you know).

I'm from East LA, Calif. I live in ChiangMai now and Mexican food is my daily menu. This is what I call Taco.

I'm looking for location to open Mexican Restaurant.

Gomez Jr

[jEFFREYk44]

You do know East L.A. tacos, the true taco, open a place in Ratburana near my house.......I will make you rich, lol.........but you are in CM so if you do, best of luck, great to see all the new interest in Mexican cuisine, ok, basic mexican food

[Neeranam]

There was a great one down Silom behing the Bangkok Bank, run by a great lady called Margarita.

[JR Texas]

There was a great one down Silom behing the Bangkok Bank, run by a great lady called Margarita.

JR Texas to Gomez JR: I am impressed......did you make it? Looks like juevos rancheros with homemade corn tortillas and some type of shredded meat.......beans look authentic......rice looks a bit strange....tacos looks very good (I like soft, corn tacos). Can you get any authentic ingredients to make genuine salsas? Access to masa? Send me an email and we can talk. I am seriously thinking about starting a Tex-Mex restaurant in either Thailand or Cambodia.

[on-on]

(I like soft, corn tacos)

Pursuant to our earlier exchange: good luck on that one. I've never had proper corn tortilla anything outside of America and even fairly rarely outside of the Southwest.

Can you get any authentic ingredients to make genuine salsas?

Again, pursuant to our earlier exchange, I can make my own salsa and I've discussed this in detail with various folks serving Tex-Mex across Asia. The most common answer I've gotten after trying to deduce things is that the bulk market tomatoes you buy just aren't juicy enough, no matter how hard you try. That really would explain why everyone's salsa is a dry mash here at worst and a moist mash at best. It does surprise me that no one makes authentic pico though since it's a fairly dry and forgiving recipe. Again, Great American Rib Company comes the closest by far. Their pico usually seems fairly fresh with the various ingredients intact, though like with most Tex-Mex in Asia it could use more cilantro.

[Clipped]

i think its harder to perfect mexican food in asia because there is no benchmark close by to compare their creations too.

[JR Texas]

i think its harder to perfect mexican food in asia because there is no benchmark close by to compare their creations too.

JR Texas to Clipped: Maybe you are right, in some way. Texas is surely close to Mexico.......and Texans do think they know what good Mexican food is like.

That is probably a factor along with lack of ingredients and lack of knowledge on how to make authentic Mexican food (Taco Bell is not Mexican food.....but I like it better than anything I have had in Thailand).

Curious......is there a market in Asia for the raw ingredients that you need to make good Mexican food? I have access, via a Thai friend, to lots of farmland that could be used to grow the basic ingredients. But the market might be very small.

Most of the "Mexican restaurants" in Asia probably try to make the food using local products and spices.......a smaller number try to make it more authentic by importing expensive ingredients........and probably a few even grow some of the spices in the back yard.

And, of course, there is the problem of the cost of cheese in Asia. Monterrey Jack is a fairly good one for Mexican food and it is way too expensive in Asia.

Response?

[Clipped]

most ingredients are available here with the exception of a few strains of dried peppers used to make rub marinades and salsas...and one spice for true mexican rice....and tomatillos which arent really important for most dishes...the cumin here is to stout for mexican food, you have to process it further for it to be useable.

head up to chiang mai if you have a chance and check out Miguel's , airfare is cheap nowadays...i flew there a couple of weeks ago just to go eat!

if thats too far out, just go buy a couple mexican seasoning packets at villa/foodland and make your own....it will be closer to the real thing than any mexican restaraunt in bangkok.....and i do mean any.

you can make 10 tacos for around the same price of 3 puny little excuses for tacos from that shop off sukhumvit.

i wouldnt grow ingredients for resale here in thailand...market isnt large enough...and the ph of the soil isnt correct.

btw im from houston...and we dont think we know what good mexican food is...WE KNOW!!!

----------------------

about the cheese, montery jack is a californian cheese which is used to substitute for queso de oxaca, asadero or chihuahua cheeses...if you cant find monterey jack a mild cheddar can be used.

fajitas although not truly mexican, are the easiest to make because all the ingredients are here...but still no one but me can get it right LOL.

Edited June 30, 2007 by Clipped

[Fred Sanford]

I surely recommend the Villa market to get ingredients if you have a kitchen and can access a store. In Villa, as clipped pointed out, they offer seasoning packets for Tacos, Burritos and even Spanish rice. As for sauces (el charro), they sell a mild, green and hot red sauce for 55 baht a jar. They have several types of salsa, the cheapest being a 69 baht jar of 16 oz Danitas. You can buy 4 types of taco shells there, the best being 91 baht for really nice el charro shells in a 10 pack. They have the cheddars you need (can only dream of Mont. Jack). They have Flour and corn tortillas (el charro). They also have the premade el charro burritos and chimis. All the el charro products are reasonably priced and decent (as clipped would say, better than you can find in any restaurant in Thailand). Oh and I almost forgot, Villa has really nice sour cream in a white cup (not that foremost garbage) for 29 baht. All in all, Villa has far and away the best variety of ingredients for your Mexican food in the country and it's all good.

***they also have your jalapenos, fresh or jarred at reasonable price

I would not be the least bit surprised if many mexi selling restaurants use these Villa sold ingredients because I notice they fly off the shelves. BTW, I use the Sukhumvit Soi 11 Villa, not sure if other Villas carry all these same products. Man I'm hungry, time to go make some tacos

[Fred Sanford]

I'm cooking up the Mexican Rice using the Lawry's seasoning packet, tomato sauce and Thai rice right now. I will report back after the taste test.

[Clipped]

whats up fred!?!?!

i like to cut up the el charro corn tortillas and fry them to make chips, you get more and the taste is better imo...

that section with the el charro stuff is hard to find, just so others know...it is on the shelves above the imported frozen food section, i think across from the cheese section.

(the thong lor branch)

bob, youre making me hungry man...im gonna make some nachos and enchiladas....

[Fred Sanford]

whats up fred!?!?!

i like to cut up the el charro corn tortillas and fry them to make chips, you get more and the taste is better imo...

that section with the el charro stuff is hard to find, just so others know...it is on the shelves above the imported frozen food section, i think across from the cheese section.

(the thong lor branch)

bob, youre making me hungry man...im gonna make some nachos and enchiladas....

excellent buddy, I will need to try that with those tortillas. In the Soi 11 Villa, that charro stuff is above the freezers too but that happens to be right inside the front door of the place so you cant miss it. that soi 11 Villa is a super nice store, brand spanking new and spacious. right next to ambassador. It's my favorite store in the country. I'm in there nearly everyday. rock on clippster

[Ulysses G.]

head up to chiang mai if you have a chance and check out Miguel's , airfare is cheap nowadays...i flew there a couple of weeks ago just to go eat!

Miguel's is the REAL deal!

[swain]

I agree airfare is cheap and I like Miguels but where you really want to go is to the Hideaway off of Hang Dong road... This is by far the best Mexican food I have had yet and they make their own cheese. Had quesadeas today to die for with home made sour cream and spicy salsa. This place does mexican food and full American menu, with breakfast lunch and dinner... they bake their own whole wheat and seven grain bread, French begets and bagels.. Had a spinach and a onion bagel today with cream cheese for 25 baht each. Also had cheese enchiladas as they make their own cheese I had to get everything with cheese in it. They have fresh home made peanut butter and all kinds of cheese for sale over the counter.. 250 grams of sharp cheddar cost me 65 baht.. only thing close to this else where is about 3 times that amount. Cant say enough about this place.. 8am to 8pm but closed Sundays. I go there and buy everything.. sour cream, whipped cream, cheddar cheese , cream cheese, French bread, seven grain bread, salsa (small container of fresh salsa goes for 25 baht.) They also do cheese cake and many other cakes cookies and brownies. great breakfast menu... would go tomorrow but their closed...

head up to chiang mai if you have a chance and check out Miguel's , airfare is cheap nowadays...i flew there a couple of weeks ago just to go eat!

Miguel's is the REAL deal!

[SiamSquare123]

What locations is Villa located? Thank you.

[Ulysses G.]

I agree airfare is cheap and I like Miguels but where you really want to go is to the Hideaway off of Hang Dong road...

The Hideaway is owned and managed by the same people who own Art Cafe at Thapae Gate which is way more convient.

I don't think many people would agree that their Mexican food is in Miguel's leauge though...

[Fred Sanford]

What locations is Villa located? Thank you.

they have a bunch of villas: soi 33 on suk, ploen chit center, Ari, suk soi 11 and others. check on the net, must be a list

Edited July 1, 2007 by Fred Sanford

[dantilley]

What locations is Villa located? Thank you.

they have a bunch of villas: soi 33 on suk, ploen chit center, suk soi 11 and others. check on the net, must be a list

Ari BTS station has one too. My local!