Sorry for the lack of blogging recently. I've been tied down with exams upon exams that for the past month, my diet has pretty much consisted of junk food:
my favourite colonel's secret original recipe chicken mmm skin!
tim ho wan's cha siu bao's
tsui wah's club sandwich
curry bee's curry...
And the occassional decadent dessert to keep those blood sugars high :)
Luckily, exams are over and I can finally resume eating meals worth blogging about - and Taco Chaca is definitely worthy! I was delighted when I stumbled across this taco shop on a recent walk home from Soho. I've always thought that Hong Kong needed a proper no-frills taqueria. Sure we have our Coyotes and iCaramba's but there's something so much more personal about getting to watch your food prepared in front of you with all the fresh ingredients laid out and the grills to the back. Not to mention the delicious smells of grilled meat and juices that permeate the joint :) Makes it almost feel like you're at a street vendors in Mexico or at the very least, in Cali.
I made a mental note of the place and came back the following day for lunch. I was a bit worried that the meat might not be the best quality or that the flavours just wouldn't be there - I've had pretty bad experiences eating Mexican in Asia and I seriously pine for Anna's Taqueria back in Boston. Luckily, nothing to be worried about as the food was all spot on.
We started with their pulled pork tacos and beef steak burrito:
pulled pork taco ($40)
The tacos came with salsa on the side though you really didn't need it given how juicy the tacos were alone! I loved the garnishes of cilantro, diced onions and tomatoes which were super fresh. I'm so glad the tacos were made out of soft corn tortillas too - not those hard-shell varieties found in US fast food joints. While I definitely enjoyed these tacos, I did find the pulled pork a little tough (perhaps it could do with more braising?) which is why I preferred this burrito:
beef steak burrito ($58)
Wow this really hit the spot. It didn't feel overly greasy and oily, but was still comfort food at its best! The flour tortilla was so nice and soft and the fillings really flavourful, particularly the beef steak which was perfectly juicy. There were also refried beans and delicious Mexican rice, mixed with a generous helping of sour cream. Who could resist? I really enjoyed this and powered through every bite.
We weren't too full afterwards, or maybe everything we tried just blew us away, so we decided to try another one of their tacos.
chicken taco ($40)
This one was better than the first taco and gave the burrito a run for its money! Aside from the meat, the ingredients were pretty much the same as the pulled pork taco. However, the grilled chicken was suprisingly tender and really stole the show. Just looking at the pictures, I can't wait to be back to grab a quick snack or a late night dinner.
I'm so glad there's finally a taqueria in Hong Kong serving up good quality Mexican food at affordable prices. Not to mention the hospitality we received from chef and owner Karen who has apparently lived in Cali for a while so has credibility ;)
Do make your way over if you're in the neighbourhood and show her some support! Her full menu isn't available yet as she just opened over the weekend but the tacos, burritos and quesadilla's are sure to be plenty to keep you satiated :)
two thumbs up!
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Taco Chaca
G/F, 1 Second Street
Sai Ying Pun
Oh, on the way to the restaurant I saw this cute thing waddling around in his dinosaur costume! Rawr!
