Everyone’s first encounter to a ‘Mexican’ dish was probably at the movies, snacking on nachos - crisp tortilla chips dipped into golden melted cheddar cheese. But nachos, as with other items such as fajitas, chili con carne and burritos, are not original Mexican food. Their birthplace was Texas, ironically one of the most racist states in the US… love the food but hate the people? Ok this isn’t a political history forum. Anyway Mexicans form the #1 immigrant population in the US, and one other top ten foreign-born demographic comes from right across the Pacific Ocean, you guessed it - Korea. With these two populations cohabiting in a melting pot of diversity and (milk) culture (=cheese, lots of), this interracial marriage shouldn’t come as a surprise… Ko-Mex (not the IT fair).
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Vatos started in Itaewon in Seoul, and after a series of expansions across the city, opened their first international branch here in Singapore. So far, visitors have been happy with the fare, me included. The tacos were so loaded with meat that it was a bit messy to hold and bite into, but that’s a good “problem”. The Korean pork belly had been chopped into smaller chunks but still retained some chewiness from the fat, and quite flavourful from the gochujang and doenjang marinate. My friend’s barbacoa pork was pretty good too - the pork shoulder pulled to shreds after being braised then grilled. It had more punch from the hot sauce and cilantro, perhaps why it’s the more popular taco here.
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We had a go at the makgeolita as well, at first thought to be a bit pricey at $25+, but it came in a huuuuuuge jug that was enough to share amongst the three of us. I like how the sharp ‘burn’ from tequila is toned down by the sweetness of the mild Korean rice wine. Perhaps they can try coming up with a frozen makgeolita slushie? Mmmmmh...