It has been exactly 2 months since I came back from Mexico and I have been missing the food. Occasionally I have some tacos and churros for snacks but the newly opened Comida Mexicana located at East Coast Road was one that touched me the most in a recent dinner trip.
I took my hat off for Ms Vivian Wee. Many might recognised her as the director of Magarita’s, one of the first few Mexican Taquerias in Singapore. For her new love which opened last month, she is heavily involved in creating the menu with her 21 years of Research and Development in Cocina Mexicana. As far as you can see, most of the sauces were made from scratch.
Mezcal is still pretty hard to come by in Singapore, so you would be welcomed by the selection of Mexican alcohol-based cocktail here. The Cucumber & Mint Margarita ($18) and Tamarind Margarita ($18) were two recommended drinks here to boast. Since it was a weeknight, I chose the latter sans the alcohol. Tamarind is an easy choice and already very good on its own. It was a pretty solid though the price seems a bit of a put-off.
As in all other Mexican kitchens we were served a large communal serving of Nachos to kickstart the meal. We got all three, the Chile Con Queso ($16), Red Salsa ($6) and Green Tomatillo Salsa ($7) dips, which were all equally formidable and helps to break the routine. A pity that there was no Mole dip, and each dip has to be ordered separately.
The Enrollados ($18) resembled a Malay fried bread wrap snack, but instead of curry chicken or sardine it was filled with Monterey Jack cheese, jalapeños and tomatoes.
I really like the Mash Avocado Sopes ($20 for 3). I first tried Sopes earlier this year in the Mexican state of Quintana Roo. Essentially a Sope is a fried piece of Taco shell and filled with meat, fish or beans. Vivian took the Sope a step further and shaped it into a tart, filled with frijoles and lots of guacamole! Every bite felt like a kiss, to be rekindled.
While meat is a forte in Argentinian Steak houses and in Brazilian Churrascos, one cannot leave without trying the meat dishes at a Mexican kitchen. The Carnitas ($32) and Mexican Yucatan Chicken ($28) were two excellent plates we have tried. The former consisted of pulled pork cooked with salsa rojas and salsa verde while the latter, a Quintana Roo specialty are 5 chicken skewers coated in achiote, garlic, orange and lemon juice. Both dishes came with tortilla wraps, like everything Mexican. You wrap in any way that you like, no rules no frills.
Seafood lovers would also be delighted to try the Crab & Avocado Quesadillas ($28). A little plain without the salsa, but you can truly savour the sweetness from the crab meat, avocado, and melted cheese in its most natural form. Since the portion here are big and meant to be shared, I would suggest you to come here at least in a group of four.
Same applies to the dessert, the Salted Caramel Piña Colada Bread Pudding ($14) that we had. A huge piece of brioche was soaked in dark rum and baked like a Pouding Chômeur with pineapples, before it was served together with coconut ice cream, salted caramel sauce (generous) and desiccated coconut.
Those who prefer something more masculine could turn to the Kahbrita ($14) a Mexican take on the Italian affogato except the humble vanilla ice cream had been replaced by the same coconut ice cream, sweet Kahlua liquor and dark chocolate powder. The flavours were remotely foreign from the affogato I have known, to say the least, and a little on the sweet side. Both the desserts were ambitious projects. They were created complex and heavy intentionally so to be honest I would just prefer my cinnamon churros any time.
We ended our meal on a sweet note, the homemade hot Chocolate Mexicana ($8). Chocolate is indigneous to Mexico, like how we started with another Mexican homegrown staple, the corn. At Comida Mexicana you do not have to go to Mexico. Mexico comes to you.
The above article is written by @ramenking2017. You can find him on instagram where he shares his love for food and travel.
Comida Mexicana
404 East Coast Road, Singapore 428998
Tel: +65 6440 8030
Operating Hours: 11.30am-3pm, 6pm-10pm
Tuesday-Sunday
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