Wednesday, May 08, 2013

How El Chupacabra converted me into a Mexican food lover

With the number of Mexican restaurants I review on looloo, one would never guess that I used to NOT LIKE Mexican food. If I were to make a list of cuisines to avoid, Mexican would probably at the top because (1) I don't like beans, and (2) I don't like cilantro (some say it tastes like "surot." Hahaha! I read on Wikipedia that the flavor is compared to that of the stink bug). These ingredients are usually found in Mexican cuisine, and that is why I used to steer clear of it.

But for some reason (Maybe I've matured. Maybe my taste buds have undergone a transformation. Maybe my food needs have changed), I've grown to LOVE Mexican food. I've even gone as far as to crave for it.

I attribute the start of this change to the Ristras burrito.

My first visit to Ristras (yes, it doesn't have an apostrophe, so it's not a possessive noun; "ristra" means "a rope or chord where you string your chiles, onions and garlic in, for storage!") was 3 years ago. Prior to this visit, I avoided Mexican food like the plague. I didn't want to be a killjoy to my companions then, as they were excitedly telling me about this hole-in-the-wall in San Juan, so I begrudlingly tagged along with them, but with one condition: no beans in my food, please.

What I liked about Ristra's is that you choose the ingredients you put into your food.

We ordered a burrito to share. I forget what exactly was in it (I think steak carne asada and chorizo brown rice), but I know what wasn't in it: BEANS! :D We also ordered it "wet," which is their terminology for "put some cheese on there and melt it with a blow torch!"

The big, bad burrito by Ristras: what convinced me to give Mexican food a chance

Fast forward 3 years later, with more burrito trials at Ristras (their Bonifacio Global City branch) and Army Navy, my transition into Mexican food was further strengthened by another hole-in-the-wall Mexican place: El Chupacabra.
The sign says it all: people come here for the cheap beer, bbq and street tacos!
 
It's "Mexicali by day, El Chupacabra by night." El Chupacabra is located at Mexicali's main branch (and head office) along Felipe street in Bel-Air, Makati City, and it opens from 2 p.m. to 2 a.m. If you are not a Bel-Air resident, this place is very easy to miss. The location is terrible, sandwiched between small apartment buildings, along a very narrow road. Street parking is a hassle, as nearby establishments such as Handle Bar (along Polaris Street) and the newly relocated Heckle and Jeckle (right across from El Chupacabra) also has its share of patrons.

The place is so "cheerful"-looking, with the colorful chairs and tables, art on the walls, yellow lights, and of course, the merry patrons. :D

We were able to chat up the General Manager, Carlos, during our first visit there, and we asked him about the place. He brags that this is the first "Chupacabra Bar" in the Philippines. It's named as such as a novelty: so the people who know its meaning will have an affinity to it, and so it will generate curiosity to others. For those who don't know, the "chupacabra" is a mythical creature in Mexican culture; it is a creature that sucks the blood out of goats. Kinda strange to name your bar after something scary (and a bit gross), but I guess they're trying to gain "astig" points to differentiate themselves from the wholesome, family-friendly image of Mexicali. Hehe.

El Chupacabra and Mexicali are one, but they are not entirely the same. This Mexicali branch is one of their oldest ones, and they have maintained a steady pool of loyal customers from the international community nearby. They "launched" El Chupacabra late 2012. The  well-loved San Francisco-Mexican food of Mexicali is still available at night, but the El Chupacabra menu contributes other items such as dimsims (jumbo fried dumplings), San Francisco-style lean pork sisig, classic sisig, spicy wings, super pork barbecue, rum, and dirt-cheap beer! 


Jumbo fried dumplings!


Their super pork BBQ is super because it has no fat!

So why have I grown to love Mexican food because of El Chupacabra? 2 words: STREET TACOS.

I cannot rave enough about street tacos. They are the bomb. Soft and chewy toasted soft flour tortilla with a generous filling of meat, onions and cilantro. I think the reason why I can now tolerate the cilantro is because its flavor is beautifully masked by the generous serving of sour cream I put into my taco. Hahaha! I know that street tacos aren't exactly a new food discovery (it is also offered in the Mexicali menu), but El Chupacabra serves it in such a grungy, unpretentious way that you feel as if you're thrown right into an authentic Mexican cantina. Just try to ignore the tricyles parked nearby and the balut vendors patrolling outside. Hehe.

They serve their street tacos on colorful plates!

For the soft tacos, the pricing is a bit cheaper at El Chupacabra compared to Mexicali (maybe around 5-10 bucks cheaper) and El Chupacabra allows you to order just one soft taco. In other Mexicali branches, soft tacos are ordered by twos. You can still mix and match, but you will have to pay the price of the more expensive soft taco. For example, you order 1 chicken and 1 carne asado, you have to pay Php 208 for it, since 2 carne asados cost Php 208, while 2 chicken soft tacos only cost Php 176. In El Chupacabra, this will only cost you Php 160 (plus tax) for both.

They are very generous with their meat filling!

There are several street taco fillings for you to try: steak, chicken, carne asada (roasted beef), carnitas (roasted pork), camaron a la diabla (super spicy!!!!), lengua and sisig. I recommend the lengua street tacos. So tender and juicy! It's my favorite street taco filling, so far. The sisig is pretty good, too. Order the SF all-lean version...no fat!

To-die-for SF style all-lean pork sisig! Perfect pulutan!

We visited this place for the first time back in January, and we would frequent it at least 2 or 3 times a week. At that time, we almost had the whole place to ourselves, save for a couple of other tables occupied by foreigners who lived nearby. Now, the word has spread, and the place is ALWAYS packed. The parking situation has gotten worse. If you are unable to find parking along the street, try to find parking near Handle Bar, or along Kalayaan Avenue, then just walk to El Chupacabra. Some of the street children or tambays have decided to cash in on this new-found popularity of Felipe Street, so they are now charging 40-50 pesos when they help you find parking. Geez.

It's kinda sad when a former hole-in-the-wall that you thought you discovered gets too crowded. It's like a secret of yours got divulged to the world and it's not special anymore. Haha! But it doesn't pay to be selfish, so I guess I'm glad that a lot of people are also enjoying El Chupacabra's food, like I have.

El Chupacabra is not the most ideal restaurant: it has no air-conditioning, most of the tables are situated on the street (cars pass within an inch of you), and their food is prepared in open air (the same air where the cars passing by emit their fumes); but their street tacos, BBQ and cheap beer have captured the hearts of many the foodie in search of simple and straight-forward food.

I wasn't originally a Mexican food lover, but what Ristras has started, El Chupacabra has sealed: Mexican foodie convert right here! Although I still can't stomach beans and cilantro, I have learned to appreciate the other flavors that make Mexican food so unique. There are still a lot of other Mexican / Mexican fusion joints that I have yet to try (highly recommended on looloo is Orale and Madeca), and I am looking forward to testing them out! If you have any other recommendations, please point them out to me! :)

To El Chupacabra! VĂ¡monos!
 

Please check out my reviews on this place on www.looloo.com, under Mexicali and El Chupacabra. :)
 
 * Ristras San Juan branch is located at Unit 106 J Abad Santos cor Lopez Jaena Little Baguio, San Juan, Metro Manila
 
** Ristras BGC branch is located at G/F Fairways Tower 5th Avenue Bonifacio Global City, Taguig City, Metro Manila

*** El Chupacabra is located at G/F JVR Building, 5782 Felipe Street, Bel-Air, Makati City, Metro Manila

2 comments:

  1. tried madeca at podium and its a blah. you should try hermanos tacos along gilmore also.

    ReplyDelete
  2. This place really sucks, no place to park, a very tight & narrow street, the staff Vert has an attitude. A mexican restaurant with no mexican black beans? You be the judge.

    ReplyDelete

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