I discovered a new Mexican restaurant through a
site that catalogs new places in Singapore. Their tag line "Mexican Street Food" intrigued me and I figured who better than a Mexican to validate that claim, plus the only picture I could find of the place seemed pretty good.
 |
| Note the molcajete |
So on a rainy evening after work I walked over to the place, which turns out isn't that far from where I work. Tomatillos is part of "The Foundry" which is a collection of food stalls; the stalls only sell food and they share a common sitting area. The lack of drinks was a bit disappointing since I was hoping they'd have
horchata.
The menu is simple but contains all the staples; quesadillas, burritos, fajitas. I was going to get a burrito but at the last moment another item caught my eye,
chimichanga. For fillings they offered chicken, beef, and pork. I wondered whether the pork meant
carnitas so I gambled on the hope it would and ordered my pork chimichanga. The menu said that the chimichanga would come with guacamole, lettuce, and beans. I was happy to have found a Mexican place that finally had beans, so I sat down just a tad bit hyped about my food.
 |
| My Food Arrived |
I looked at my plate with mixed reactions. I could see jalapeños, but the pork didn't look like carnitas. I figured I was expecting too much and decided to dig in and minimize my bias. After the first few bites I was a bit disappointed, and not only because I was expecting to get something different.
 |
| A Real Chimichanga |
A chimichanga is supposed to be a burrito that is deep fried, just in case a regular burrito isn't fattening enough. However, what I got was a couple of deep fried tortillas with pork, beans, and guacamole on top; it felt more like a tostada although not even quite that. The beans were also a big let down, they tasted like they came from the can and they weren't mashed enough. The pork was over seasoned and overpowered everything else. The guacamole was definitely the spotlight of the dish.
I wouldn't say that the food was bad, by itself it was actually pretty good. However, given the fact that I was expecting good refried beans and a deep fried burrito I was a bit let down. If I do go back I will probably get the burrito.
Looking back I realize that the logo should have clued me to the fact that this wasn't going to be real Mexican restaurant. If you see the logo above you can notice that the chiles are wearing Chucks, a real Mexican chile would have been wearing
chanclas.
