The Hungry Bunny

Barrio by Mex Out has been on my to-eat list ever since I had the salads at its sister concept, the semi-takeout joint Mex Out . Whereas the latter was salad-centric, the former offers the whole gamut of Tex-Mex cuisine in a larger-spaced restaurant-bar.  The Hubs loves their signature torta, which he orders on the regular through deliveroo, so one night after class, we popped by 313 Somerset to dine-in proper. A caveat: I'm no expert on Mexican/Latin American or even Tex-Mex cuisine, so while the food at Barrio was pretty good, I can't speak to its authenticity. A must-try, the Signature Torta ($16) burger comprises a massive hunk of a crisp-fried chicken patty, schmeared with chipotle mayo and creamy guacamole, and jazzed up with pico de gallo and pickled red cabbage. This was scrumptious. The Devil's Prawns ($26) appeared deceptively stodgy but it was delicious. The prawns were blanketed in a sumptuous medley of chipotle sauce, sour cream and melty cheese, s...

After that awesome dinner at Super Loco sometime back , we resolved to pop by for brunch one weekend. Izzy had raved about their brunch offerings, and I was curious how the Mexicans do breakfast. Turns out, Mexican brunch is simply regular Mexican food, just jazzed up with eggs. Robust and invigorating, Mexican breakfast foods are a punchy, rousing way to kickstart your day. We relished every dish ordered. My only gripe: in spite of my instructions to hold off the parsley/cilantro/coriander leaves/spring onions in everything, they kept putting cilantro in every.freaking.thing...urghh, that was quite a pain to pick off every.single.chopped.up.leaf. The Mexican take on an English full brekkie, The Grande Breakfast ($24) comprised scrambled eggs kicked up a notch with salted smoked chile, braised black beans, grilled chorizo, fried streaky bacon, esquites corn nibblets, guacamole, spicy ancho mayo, and a couple of toasted sourdough. A beautiful gestalt of flavours, the platter was a...

We've been having a spate of really abysmal meals, so we were really thankful to finally catch a break, with a fantastic dinner at Lucha Loco . Sister restaurant to the fabulous Super Loco , the Duxton Hill tenant was boisterous, convivial, and breezy. The menu, a hodgepodge of typical Mexican street foods of tacos, tostaditas and quesadillas, was unfussy, punchy, and brimming with heart and soul. Service was spontaneous and chipper. Notwithstanding the predominantly expat crowd, I loved it. The only problem, the weaksauce air-conditioning, which, in the current sweltering humidity, resulted in us perspiring through our work shirts halfway through our dinner. A must-try, the Tostaditas de Res ($16) was a quartet of bite-sized crisp miniature tacos stacked high with juicy cubes of grilled Australian sirloin. A little chipotle mayo lent heat while leek and fresh radish circlets balanced the spice. Also amazing was the Tostaditas de Cangrejo ($16), which were laden with a sc...

Mexican cuisine doesn't feature regularly in my diet because, cilantro (urghh pukes), BUT I've recently developed a taste for all things taco, tortilla, and guacamole. (This current hankering is, in no small part, due to those awesomesauce fish tacos at El Mero Mero .) So we were recently in the Dempsey Hill enclave and in need of sustenance, late late late at night, when we noticed Margarita's . Most of the restaurants in its immediate vicinity were either shuttered by then, or had already taken last orders. Notwithstanding the default option, I was quite happy to have dinner at Margarita's . I wanted tacos and as this is one of Singapore's oldest Mexican restaurants, it has to be up to snuff to have survived decades in the brutal local F&B landscape, right? Service was mostly gracious but the kitchen was, at best, inept. My instructions to hold off all cilantro or to put whatever is cilantro-laced to the side, was all but forgotten. I sent back the fajitas...

Although Mex Out brands itself a Mexican restaurant, the casual takeaway restaurant is more Tex-Mex-ish fast-food. It may be far from authentic, but I like it. The potent kick of the salsa blends and flavoursome charred proteins make delicious toppings on their substantive-but-not-food-coma-inducing salad or rice bowls. MexOut attracts a healthy crowd at lunch-time but food gets churned out fast at the self-serviced takeaway counter if you wanna do a quick pop-in-and-out. But if you prefer to dine-in instead, turnover is high at the cramped eatery.  The plain shredded lettuce base in the Salad Bowl ($12.90) wasn't anything to wax lyrical about, but the char-grilled chicken, tasty in that robust lemon, paprika and black pepper marinade, was succulent. Add to that lashings of thick and smoky and spicy fire-roasted salsa, and mushy black beans, and this made quite the sumptuous salad. For those who need carbs to tide them over the afternoon, the Rice Bowl ($12.90), with a ba...

Chijmes, like Boat Quay and Clarke Quay, are enclaves which go through cyclical periods of hip popularity, passe ghost-town-ness, and revamping facelifts. I've seen Chijmes undergo just about five different overhauls, since it was converted from a convent school to a lifestyle hub, just so to keep the heritage complex vibrant and the crowds over-flowing. After the recent reconditioning, Chijmes is in vogue again, with a slew of unique restaurant and bar options launched over the past year. Where it was a depressing desert on a Friday night just 2 years ago, it's now a trendy, exciting destination to toast TGIF. The most happening restaurants are alfresco, facing the astro-turf lawn, where live gigs lend to Chijmes' convivial atmosphere. Note that it tends to get a little deafening at times, so sit a little further away if you actually want to hear what your party is saying. El Mero Mero is a Mexican restaurant is smack-dab front-and-center where the action is. Great ...

I've just noticed a proliferation of Mexican restaurants on our little island. Not that any spawn of the Latin American movement was of personal significance, really, as I've never really been a fan of Mexican fare (they add cilantro in every-freaking-thing!). But I'll readily admit that I haven't ever had truly honest-to-goodness authentic Mexican food...so maybe I haven't given Mexican cuisine a fair shake. Until we came across Super Loco , sister restaurant to Duxton Hill resident Lucha Loco. We were at Robertson Quay and in desperate need of sustenance. Super Loco caught our eye, mostly because we were mighty tickled by its moniker, as "loco" also means "crazy". Yes, there's a part of me, that infantile, forever-Peter Pan part of me who laughs at childish things such as this. I'm glad our immature selves led us to Super Loco , as dinner turned out a fantastic immersion in Mexican grub. The open-air bistro is casual and breezy, in...

For first-time visitors to Singapore, I always recommend that they head to Kampong Glam. It's probably the only place in Singapore that doesn't feel like Singapore. Its effervescent bohemian vibe is just so unlike the robotic, un-humanly neat and tidy country of ours. Is it just me, or does anyone else feel that Singapore is like a life-sized version of LEGOLAND? It's little wonder that Addie, who recently moved back here from Paris, loves this area. And that's also why we always find ourselves having our meet-ups in one of the many restaurants littered throughout here. One of Addie's all-time favourite restaurants is Piedra Negra , a Mexican cantina along the so-hip-it-hurts Haji Lane. Seating is very limited, so reservations are necessary. The best tables, on a non-rainy night, are the ones lined outside along Haji Lane. Be on the lookout for cars that drive by though, they can get scarily close. The menu's decidedly small as ...

You may have noticed that I hardly review Mexican restaurants. It could be due to the lack of Mexican restaurants in Singapore. Unlike Japanese, Italian, French, or Thai cuisines, which have won the hearts of Singaporeans, Mexican fare doesn't really seem to have taken off in Singapore. I have to confess as well, that I'm really not a fan of Mexican cuisine. Sure, I like their signature margaritas, sizzling platters of grilled meat and fish, accompanied by flour tortillas, black beans and spiced rice, but it's just that they love putting cilantro in everything! I really hate that herb, you see. Of the few Mexican restaurants in Singapore, Cafe Iguana is one of the more notable purveyors of Mexican cuisine. It's the name you immediately think of whenever someone mentions Mexican fare. Located along the Clarke Quay waterfront, Cafe Iguana has got a pretty view and a breezy, relaxed vibe. But, I really dislike the restaurant's open-air concept. Seriously, when wil...