FOOD REVIEW: MEZCLA — 'It's so creative, I could cry'
SINGAPORE — Protest all you want but labels are crucial, nay, critical in the world of food. How a restaurant brands itself determines intentions and subsequent expectations. Should I, for instance, drop by famished and ready to devour plates of food, or should I come after a light snack if everything is served tapas-style? Do I need to line my stomach with food if the restaurant has an impressive list of alcohol and spirits? Should I expect culinary excellence if the bar staff are dressed up to the nines and possess accolades longer than my educational credentials?
I perused these thoughts on my recent visit to MEZCLA, prompted by a friend on Instagram who went there on her birthday. Was I fashionably late to the MEZCLA party? Perhaps. But you know what they say about people who are fashionably late; they're usually the ones with better insights. With the gloss and glitter of a new shiny joint removed from the equation, I reckon I can be more discerning with my opinions.
'It's Taco Time!', MEZCLA tells diners as they enter the dim and ebullient mise en scene, packed with convivial guests looking for a good time on a Thursday evening. Online, MEZCLA labels itself as a restaurant, but when my best friend and dining partner asks, "Is that all we're having tonight? Tacos?" I know there's a semantic misunderstanding somewhere that demands resolution.
It's not MEZCLA's fault this doubt on satiety. Tacos are, by nature, small. Bite-sized. Compact. Handheld. It's the kind of thing you eat as appetisers or a prelude to something more substantive—an observation further proven when I realised that the price listed is for one taco. A pair, I reckon, would have catapulted MEZCLA from a restaurant to a mecca of affordability.
Still, I wonder if 'gastro-bar' is a more accurate nomenclature, especially when their libation list is as extensive as the tacos they serve.
What's accurate is the Japanese-Mexican flavours that MEZCLA prides itself on. There's the Salmon (S$12.50++) that comes cradled in a crispy Salmon skin taco, filled with Ikura, Cured Salmon, and Edamame Refritos. The Salmon Skin taco is quite ingenious with its salmon on salmon action.
The Unagi (S$9.50++) employs a similarly clever spin with a seaweed taco shell holding Unagi, Tomago, Cucumbers, and a sweet Chipotle Teriyaki. It's so creative, I could cry.
There are eight Taco options in the menu—you'd be remiss if you didn't order the photogenic Crab (S$11.50++) that comes served with a dramatic half-portion of a tempura soft shell crab topped with Tobiko, Mayo, and Pico de Gallo, cradled between the same seaweed taco from before. There's also a decadent Uni & Scallop at an eye-popping (S$32++) so make sure your love for Grade A Uni is absolute and unwavering.
At MEZCLA, the success of each taco boils down to the ingredients that it holds. There's a little bit of excellence in each element that makes up the whole, so there's little to critique in terms of flavours. Unless the flavour combinations are peculiar or common, like the Wagyu (S$11.50++), which, of course, is great—you can't ever go wrong with Wagyu Brisket, pickled onions, and Guajillo.
Or the Chorizo (S$8.50++) and its flavour pairings of grilled Chorizo and chicken with salsa and guacamole. It's hardly the most groundbreaking pairing, but sometimes you don't need groundbreaking—it just needs to work.
I also had the Tuna Nacho Platter (S$18++) based on the worry that dinner would leave us wanting more. Here, there's a mound of Akame Tartare, Furikake, Ikura, and guacamole surrounded by Purple Tortilla & Seaweed Chips. It's an easy bar food for sharing over cocktails and margaritas. Get the Flight of 3 (S$16++, 50ml of each flavour) for a boozy start to the evening.
There's only one dessert option on the menu, so if you're hankering for choices, you're out of luck. Still, the Churros Tacos (S$9++, three pieces) is a delightful spin on the traditional iteration, here served as tacos filled with sweet Vanilla Cream and Valrhona Chocolate, topped with gold flakes and cinnamon sugar. There's little to complain here—it's new, creative, addictive, and highly uncommon, which, for me, is the hallmark of a good dessert.
Opened by the same folks behind Rappu and Feather Blade, judging by the crowd on the night of my visit, MEZCLA is set to attract guests that love their libations in equal measure as the food it comes served with. Call it a restaurant or a brief pitstop to a longer night of revelry. Either way, MEZCLA makes good work of what they've been given—labels be damned.
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43 Craig Road Singapore, S089681
Tue to Sun: 6pm–10.30pm
