Fuego Mesa

Yet another spot that we had learnt about its existence from social media would be that of Fuego Mesa — this establishment seems to add on to the ongoing trend of dining establishments specialising in Mexican cuisine in Singapore. Fuego Mesa has taken over the former premises of the now-defunct Cafe Ren which is situated at Blk 681 Race Course Road — the HDB block is located within walking distance away from Farrer Park MRT Station along the North-East Line. The space which Fuego Mesa had taken up at the foot of the HDB block is rather spacious — these folks had definitely did quite a fair bit of work to the space; the space now features a vibrant look with the large use of colourful elements with yellow walls and flooring and furnishings of a wooden accent. One also can find vinyl wraps consisting of mosaic tiles taking up the space of some of its walls as well as its counter, while the walls is filled with vinyl wraps consisting of quirk murals as well as various posters and vinyl records hung around its walls. To keep things further on-point to the theme, the ceiling lighting also uses sombrero hats as the lamp shades — quite a Mexican touch there. Dining furniture at Fuego Mesa consists of a mix of benches and proper dining chairs — the tables being configured in a manner that would be suited for those visiting the establishment in pairs, or in groups of four (4) pax. Considering how Fuego Mesa serves up Mexican fare, the food menu is segmented into sections dedicated to Starters, Tacos, Quesadillas, Rice Bowls / Burrito / Chimichanga, Desserts and Breakfast Menu — meanwhile, the line-up of beverages offered at Fuego Mesa consists of sections dedicated to espresso-based specialty coffee, Agua Fresca (i.e. fruit juices), and Mocktails.

Going for one of the item that is listed in the Quesadillas section of the menu, we found ourselves going for the Beef Carnitas Quesadillas — this item is being described to come with elements such as Slow-Braised Beef Short Ribs And Chuck, Cheese Mix, Red Onion Salsa, Chipotle Mayo, Pico De Gallo, Pickled Onions. Coming in a portion of two pieces that is being sliced in half, the Beef Carnitas Quesadillas is an item that is probably best to be had when the dish first arrives the table. The Slow-Braised Beef Short Ribs And Chuck were actually sized pretty chunky so one does get quite a meaty bite as one sinks their teeth into it. While the Slow-Braised Beef Short Ribs And Chuck is not too overwhelmingly gamey, we did wish that both elements could be a little less dry; the lack of moisture especially after letting the dish sit in for a while does make it a little difficult to chew. Despite featuring a cheese mix, there isn’t an overwhelming note of cheese; rather, one can most definitely get the refreshing notes of the zippy Pico de Gallo — a salsa made from chopped tomato and onion that also provided a bit of a soft bite and a bit of a crunch at the same time. The Chipotle Mayo drizzled atop the Beef Carnitas Quesadillas does come a little bit spicy to tickle the tastebuds for those whom are tolerable to moderate levels of spiciness; adds a creaminess to gel all of the elements together.

Fuego Mesa was running a promotion during our visit where they were serving up $1 single-piece tacos with the order of any drink on the menu — considering so, we found ourselves opting for both the Beer-Battered Fish Taco and the Chipotle Chicken Taco. Both tacos are items that can be found in the Tacos section of the menu, though the minimum order of each taco dish if ordered ala-carte would be two (2) pieces per variant. Between the Beer-Battered Fish Taco and the Chipotle Chicken Taco, our preferences was for the former which is being described in the menu to come with elements such as Dory Fish, Purple Cabbage, Chipotle Mayo, Mango Salsa. Whilst the Mango Salsa does seem to be missing with the version of the Beer-Battered Fish Taco that was being served to us, we did like how the fish came with a light and airy beer-infused batter that was crisp and not greasy; all that coming with dory fish that still retained sufficient moisture whilst also being flaky at the same time. On the other hand, the Chipotle Chicken Taco comes with elements such as Chipotle Chicken, Habanero Salsa, Pico De Gallo, Parmesan Cheese, Pickled Onions — the inclusion of Habanero Salsa does make the Chipotle Chicken Taco considerably spicier than the other items that we had went for during the same visit; whilst we did like how the Chipotle Chicken carried a hint of smokey spiciness on its own, the chicken chunks also felt a wee bit on the drier side of things as well.

We also managed to give the Mexican Sausage Hero Bun a go as well during our visit to Fuego Mesa. The Mexican Sausage Hero Bun is an item that is listed in the Breakfast Menu section of the menu at Fuego Mesa, and is described to come with elements such as Hero Bun, Grilled Chorizo Sausage, Salsa Verde, Chopped Jalapeños, Pico De Gallo and Mesclun Salad — we were being told by the staff that the Grilled Chorizo Sausage wasn’t available for the day and they had replaced it with minced pork instead and asked if we were still ok to go with the item, which we agreed to. Despite coming with minced pork, the folks at Fuego Mesa did execute the minced pork in a way where the flavours still replicated that of a chopped-up chorizo sausage; carried a slight hint of tomato for a bit of a tanginess, but still evidently flavoured with the infusion of spices and a little bit of pepper for flavour. The Hero Bun can be described simply as bread that is quite similar to that of a hotdog bun; fluffy and soft being slightly toasted, whilst sliced down in the middle rather than horizontally with the placement of the minced pork being more like a sandwich rather than stuffed through an opening from the top. The inclusion of Salsa Verde, Chopped Jalapeños and Pico De Gallo adds a zippiness and tanginess that refreshes the tastebuds from the carbs and the meat.

Skimming through the beverages that they have to offer, the Strawberry Fresca Con Crema is described on the menu as a “blend of ripe strawberries and crushed ice” — there is an option to have the item either ice-blended or shaken; we went with the shaken option instead. The Strawberry Fresca Con Crema turned out to be surprisingly creamy whilst carrying a hint of sweetness from the strawberries which was definitely on-point; this reminds us of something that is similar to the strawberry and milk candies that features swirls of red and white — very comforting and reminded us of a familiar taste of childhood in the format of a drink. Meanwhile, we also went with the White Coffee (Hot) — we must say that the White Coffee (Hot) is surprisingly well-pulled for an establishment that does not even focus on their espresso-based specialty coffee beverages. The execution of the microfoam is definitely on point; the cuppa being all smooth and creamy while the cuppa comes with a light body and a nutty and earthy flavour profile that works as a leisurely cuppa.

Fuego Mesa is definitely quite an interesting addition to the Race Course Road neighbourhood to say the least; the mention of a Mexican dining establishment located at the foot of a HDB shophouse unit is one that is relatively unheard of, though this neighbourhood is still considered pretty centralised and does seem like a sound choice to be located within given how it is even a short and sheltered walk from the nearest MRT station. We do feel that the execution of the meats at Fuego Mesa can be further improved — the main qualm being the slightly dry meats that came with the chicken and beef dishes, though they seem to do beer battered dory just about fine with the Beer-Battered Fish Taco being our favourite for the evening on the day we had made our visit. Most items here are priced below $20; a price point that one would expect at most other casual Mexican dining establishments that had appeared in the Singapore F&B scene in recent years — a spot that is worth checking out for those looking to try something a little different from the usual at the foot of a HDB block.