Good Mexican Food

[junkofdavid2]

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!

I envy you guys for having your own kitchen to fix your own tacos...

As for me, Sunrise does the trick!

[SiamSquare123]

all you u need is a hot pot.

[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...

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...

What is lacking in the style is made up completely and more with the home made salsa, cheeses, sour cream and atmosphere. Miguels is exposed, hot and uncomfortable. Hideaway is very pretty with flowers and fountains and air conditioned. miguels is right on the main drag, and I sweat like a pig when I am there. Dont get me wrong the way they shred their beef and chicken and the over all taste is great. To go its the way to go... for some place comfortable and quiet .. the hideaway is hidden away quiet and peaceful. EXACTLY the atmosphere I want when dining.

[SiamSquare123]

i found monterray jack in villa plenchit today.

[SiamSquare123]

can someone please post photos of sunrise tacos?

i went to villa and got

sour cream

red hot taco sauce

taco seasoning mix

ground pork

taco shells

lettuce, tomato, onion (it is easier to just get it from the salad bar then individually)

monterray jack cheese

the total came to about 400 baht. i ate 1/3 of the ingredients tonight and i was stuffed... so its about 3 large, unhealthy dinners for 400 baht which is not bad once in awhile.

thai partner wasnt interested.

[SiamSquare123]

i saw gucamole seasoning mix. has anyone tried this? are you supposed to mix it with sour cream? i didnt think to look at the directions.

[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...

What is lacking in the style is made up completely and more with the home made salsa, cheeses, sour cream and atmosphere. Miguels is exposed, hot and uncomfortable. Hideaway is very pretty with flowers and fountains and air conditioned. miguels is right on the main drag, and I sweat like a pig when I am there. Dont get me wrong the way they shred their beef and chicken and the over all taste is great. To go its the way to go... for some place comfortable and quiet .. the hideaway is hidden away quiet and peaceful. EXACTLY the atmosphere I want when dining.

I agree that the Hideaway is much more comfortable during the hot and the rainy seasons and I like their food. In fact, I am a BIG fan in particular of their Art Cafe breakfasts - best in Thailand in my opinion. I just don't think that the Mexican food is nearly as authentic as Miguels and I am willing to be slightly uncomfortable at certain times of the year in order to enjoy it.

[SiamSquare123]

the dinner i described above was about a 1000 calories. jeez...

[junkofdavid2]

can someone please post photos of sunrise tacos?

i went to villa and got

sour cream

red hot taco sauce

taco seasoning mix

ground pork

taco shells

lettuce, tomato, onion (it is easier to just get it from the salad bar then individually)

monterray jack cheese

the total came to about 400 baht. i ate 1/3 of the ingredients tonight and i was stuffed... so its about 3 large, unhealthy dinners for 400 baht which is not bad once in awhile.

thai partner wasnt interested.

400 baht divided by 3 is about 134 baht per meal.

I'd personally prefer paying Sunrise 117 baht for 3 ground beef/pork tacos to make it for me, or paying Sunrise 134 baht for 3 steak/barbacoa tacos.

That's just my personal preference, of course.

Another poster suggested that if you make your own using Villa ingredients, you can have about 10 tacos for the price of 3 tacos from "the shop off sukhumvit".

Care to explain how this can be done? I'd be interested to know. I love mexican food but I also like to save!

[Clipped]

55 baht corn tortillas, fry them yourself to make the shells

40 baht of ground beef....1/3 kilo

40 baht tomatoes, onions, lime onion, parsley, peppers for salsa.

25 baht seasoning pack....if you try to make the seasoning yourself, you wont save money.

i homemade taco will equal the portions of two puny sukhumvit tacos....so 3 sukhumvit tacos really only equals 1.5 home made tacos....so you would really be getting 20 sukhumvit tacos.

cheese i dont include in my calcuation, because you will have a very large amount left over....for other meals...

i said 'about' the same cost, not'exactly' the same cost...

go to a thai market for ingredients other than the taco shells

[Clipped]

oh and use 'wolfs' chili sauce from foodland...its cheaper and like the stuff youd find back home.

you need to mix avocados in with the guac mix.

[Fred Sanford]

55 baht corn tortillas, fry them yourself to make the shells

40 baht of ground beef....1/3 kilo

40 baht tomatoes, onions, lime onion, parsley, peppers for salsa.

25 baht seasoning pack....if you try to make the seasoning yourself, you wont save money.

i homemade taco will equal the portions of two puny sukhumvit tacos....so 3 sukhumvit tacos really only equals 1.5 home made tacos....so you would really be getting 20 sukhumvit tacos.

cheese i dont include in my calcuation, because you will have a very large amount left over....for other meals...

i said 'about' the same cost, not'exactly' the same cost...

go to a thai market for ingredients other than the taco shells

Yes it certainly is cheaper. Not only that but it is also fresher and cleaner; you have the peace of mind knowing that all your ingredients have been examined, purchased and handled by you. This part of the equation is priceless. I need to start frying up some tortillas for taco shells. carry on and have a nice day

[Clipped]

frying them are kinda tricky...the easiest way to do it, is to use a piece of wood , fold the tortillas and secure them with paperclips or those ice cube tongs...youl be abe to use your imagination and develop a good sysem after the first attempt.

for the picante sauce, canned tomatoes work great thai peppers work excellently to sharpen things up.!!!

Edited July 2, 2007 by Clipped

[Fred Sanford]

thanks clipper, great info

[JR Texas]

thanks clipper, great info

JR Texas: Are any of you buying Masa and making tortillas? If so, where? how much? having to import it? Same for all of the Mexican spices........importing them?

The Mexican food spices/sauces that I have seen and tried on the shelves of places like Foodland are not authentic....do not smell or taste right.

[Clipped]

i make thin northern mexican sonoran flour tortillas from time to time.

havent come across any masa harina yet, but this stuff has to be available somewhere in thailand...i made a cross breed with flour and corn meal once and it was very interesting! flour worked great as a binding agent.

which spices are you buying from foodland? i think the selection there is much lower with lower volume and possibly past expiration dates, try villa , theres alot more there? but you can only get 'wolfs' chili sauce at foodland as far as ive seen.

try using chili mix to substitute for the taco seasoning....and add other ingredients to get it closer to the real deal.

what ive been looking for is a good source for pinto beans...any leads?

[Fred Sanford]

clipped recommended some chili powder in a previous post. I need to look for that. I think he's talking about making shells from el charro tortillas

[Fred Sanford]

Villa has at least 4 kinds of taco mix: frenches, mccormick's, el paso, casa fiesta. foodland has the last 3 of those

[JR Texas]

clipped recommended some chili powder in a previous post. I need to look for that. I think he's talking about making shells from el charro tortillas

JR Texas: Hi again.......I am talking about making round, soft corn tortillas from scratch like they do in Mexico. I have never done it from scratch, but if you have Masa it is pretty easy. Most tacos in Mexico are actually soft tacos.....some are fried (the hard shell taco we are most familiar with). With masa you can made corn tortillas and corn chips and even tamales.

The spices I am missing are authentic types of chili.......fresh, dried, paste. You should use Mexican oregano, but the oregano here is fine. Also we have garlic here and cumin. And you can make lard (never done it but in some places you can apparently buy it). These are some of the basic ingredients of genuine Mexican food.

Also, one person said something about tomatoes being too dry for hot sauce.......yes, they suck in Thailand. But you can drop them in hot water until the skin peels off. Then use that with some tomato sauce to make it more juicy.

Try this:

8 crappy Thai tomatoes (drop in hot water until skin can be peeled off)

1 -2 jalapeno pepper (start with one then add two later if not hot enough)

dash salt

small amount lime juice (or lemon)

celantro

cumin

oregano

garlic (one)

onion (1/2 white onion)

carrot (small amount mainly for color)

small amount of tomato sauce

dash vinegar

1 long, green Thai pepper (roast it over a fire until black and aromatic, chop it up after removing seeds)

*Put it all in a blender and mix (I like it a bit chunky)....let it stand in refrigerator a few hours....try it. I do not know what else to do given the available ingredients. Without the jalapeno it taste like crap.

[Buckwheat]

Here's something you can make with ingredients found virtually anywhere in Thailand.

Homemade Salsa (tastes like Chi Chi's)

2 green onions diced

2 ripe tomatoes diced

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. black pepper

dash of tabasco sauce

14 oz. can stewed tomatoes

Dice the stewed tomatoes and combine in sauce pan with onions, fresh

tomatoes, salt and pepper. Bring to just a boil. Boil hard 1 minute

and remove from heat. Put half of the mixture through a blender,

just to mince fine but not puree. Return to remaining half of mixture.

Add tabasco to taste.

Cool and refrigerate in tightly covered container.

Use within a few weeks or it freezes up to 6 months.

HOMEMADE TORTILLA CHIPS

1 pkg. corn or flour tortillas (corn are lower in fat than flour)

cumin seasoning

Light salt

Cut stack of tortillas into 8 wedges each. Spread wedges in a single layer on baking sheet. Sprinkle with cumin and lite salt. Bake at 375 degrees about 10 minutes, turning after 5 minutes. Make sure you watch them closely. You do not want them too brown. Store in an air tight container. When serving, freshen the chips in the microwave about 45 seconds to 1 minute. Let sit about 5 to 10 minutes before eating so they can harden and cool.

Makes 200 chips.

[tutsiwarrior]

just to inform you unfortunate hambrientos tutsi has been making a survey of the mexican eateries here in Phila. I found a likely one called Mexico Post (a chain of 3 in Phila) I said to the manager to log into TV to see what the business possibilities are in BKK...unless he's a dumbshit he'll get the message...

but does tutsi get the credit???...nooooo

[Fred Sanford]

Tutsi gets appreciation and credit from all here at Thai Visa. Got any cope over there my man?

[tutsiwarrior]

Tutsi gets appreciation and credit from all here at Thai Visa. Got any cope over there my man?

just loadin' up wid a chew now... now...where can I find vodka on 4th of July in dry quaker Pennsylvania???

[JR Texas]

Tutsi gets appreciation and credit from all here at Thai Visa. Got any cope over there my man?

just loadin' up wid a chew now... now...where can I find vodka on 4th of July in dry quaker Pennsylvania???

JR Texas: Getting off topic, but can't help it! PLEASE....tell somebody to come here and open up a place selling Philidephlia Cheese Steaks. I was there for a science convention........ate at some place near the "Liberty Bell" and that wooden boat in the water.....just a small dive......but it was so fantastic. I have never had another since then........23 years ago!!!!

Yes, tell your friend, again, to figure out a way to give us Mexican food. The big problem, I think, is authentic ingredients....they simply do not exist here and the only way to get them (not fresh) is to import them.....very expensive. Also a cheese problem.....too expensive and most are not appropriate for Mexican food.

Also, I am really serious about opening a restaurant.....been thinking about Cambodia or Vietnam, mainly because of the crazy visa/business rules that keep becoming more bothersome (tell your friend about this too). But, maybe......maybe I will try it in Thailand.

Have him/her contact me.........

[PeaceBlondie]

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...

Speaking of make-believe Mexican food, was I only in the Art Cafe on a bad day, four years ago, when I tried to introduce my new partner to the delights of Mexican food? The food was even worse than the service, so I've never gone back. I'm from San Antonio and the cooks at the Art Cafe aren't.

I can't cook and I'm no connosewer of fine quizine, but I like thin, crisp tacos and thin, soft corn tortillas, and beef enchiladas that you eat like lasagna, and burritos that weigh less than a kilo, and did I say thin, crisp tacos? Why do the restaurants in Thailand serve crisp tacos with the thick corn that belongs as the shell of a taco salad?

And yes, Miguel's does it right, although it ain't no Blanco Cafe in San Antonio.

[JR Texas]

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...

Speaking of make-believe Mexican food, was I only in the Art Cafe on a bad day, four years ago, when I tried to introduce my new partner to the delights of Mexican food? The food was even worse than the service, so I've never gone back. I'm from San Antonio and the cooks at the Art Cafe aren't.

I can't cook and I'm no connosewer of fine quizine, but I like thin, crisp tacos and thin, soft corn tortillas, and beef enchiladas that you eat like lasagna, and burritos that weigh less than a kilo, and did I say thin, crisp tacos? Why do the restaurants in Thailand serve crisp tacos with the thick corn that belongs as the shell of a taco salad?

And yes, Miguel's does it right, although it ain't no Blanco Cafe in San Antonio.

JR Texas to PeaceBlondie: Memories.........right in front of the Alamo (actually near it) is a nice Mexican cafe, right on the river. I used to love eating there.....food was not quite as good as El Fenix or J.T. Garcias in DFW area, but still was good. You could sit there at night and the boats would drift by with Mexican music.......great place! I think a government official in Bangkok should visit San Antonio and take a look at what they managed to do with their river/canal......imagine doing something similar in Bangkok (terrible city......but it would make things better). I really need to try some of the places you and others have mentioned in Chiang Mai......getting hungry.

[tutsiwarrior]

listen...if the dude's no dumbshit he'll see a good buzsiness opportunity when it's in his face. A good businessman will sent a scout out to BKK to recon an' check the compedtition then look fer the ingredients...that may be the killer; tortillas an' masa mix bein' required ingredients...(import fat mexican mamas to pat them out around the comal or get a tortilla machine...grind yer own corn? where to get limestone fer the massa? got plenty of the other ingredients otherwise; globalizaztion an' all that...check dis space...)

[Clipped]

clipped recommended some chili powder in a previous post. I need to look for that. I think he's talking about making shells from el charro tortillas

chili mix not chili powder....too much chili powder and it may hurt/burn when it comes out.

JR - the fresh cumin here works alot better if you sundry it before you use it, its a bit too stout for me here....as for the cheese, maybe you could contact 'Caroline' and set up a del with them to make the cheese...they make cheese in thailand...also, the minor group makes there own cheese (pizza co)...makro sells cheese in bulk, but not sure what type.

Tutsi - i may be mistaken , but i think limestone is the same thing old thai people use to chew their betelnuts...you know, the older women with red colored mouths and spit that are chewing on something...they mix it with the betelnuts.

[JR Texas]

listen...if the dude's no dumbshit he'll see a good buzsiness opportunity when it's in his face. A good businessman will sent a scout out to BKK to recon an' check the compedtition then look fer the ingredients...that may be the killer; tortillas an' masa mix bein' required ingredients...(import fat mexican mamas to pat them out around the comal or get a tortilla machine...grind yer own corn? where to get limestone fer the massa? got plenty of the other ingredients otherwise; globalizaztion an' all that...check dis space...)

JR Texas to Tutsiwarrier: Lots of corn in Thailand. Lots of land to grow spices. It is possible......but the market may be very small to make it profitable. Remember, we are starved for it, but Thais are not. "If you build it, they will come." I wonder?

[tutsiwarrior]

clipped recommended some chili powder in a previous post. I need to look for that. I think he's talking about making shells from el charro tortillas

chili mix not chili powder....too much chili powder and it may hurt/burn when it comes out.

JR - the fresh cumin here works alot better if you sundry it before you use it, its a bit too stout for me here....as for the cheese, maybe you could contact 'Caroline' and set up a del with them to make the cheese...they make cheese in thailand...also, the minor group makes there own cheese (pizza co)...makro sells cheese in bulk, but not sure what type.

Tutsi - i may be mistaken , but i think limestone is the same thing old thai people use to chew their betelnuts...you know, the older women with red colored mouths and spit that are chewing on something...they mix it with the betelnuts.

lime or ash or some alkaline substance is what highland campesinos add to coca leaves to release the active ingredient...

(tutsi squats by the road in Chapare, Bolivia while the road crew loads up with coca leaves and ash before starting the day's labor...December, 1965...tutsi's job is to clear the clogged gutters under the road...the Bolivian jungle an' yew never seen such nasty critters as what dwell therein...tutsi's reward fer bein' a bad boy in SoCal...but I triumphed in the end as per usual )