All in the familia

Tachido draws its inspiration from Mexican street food

I have a soft spot for restaurants where the whole family pitches in to create a style of food they really care about and want to share. I also have a tremendous amount of respect for anyone who attempts to work with their family, day in and day out. One place that’s doing just that is Tachido, a new resto on Parc avenue that boasts authentic Mexican cuisine and the best Mexican sandwiches in the city.

Tachido, which translates to “it’s cool,” has space for about 20 people and is long and narrow with the kitchen at the back and a bar to one side of the room. The decorations verge on kitsch with wood cases filled with toys only a true 80s child could appreciate—Jabba the Hut, the Food Fighters, Bart Simpson from Happy Meals past—it’s a truly elaborate collection. The other side features a large black and white mural that brightens the space, which is filled with linoleum flooring and plastic chairs.

Drawing inspiration from Mexican street food, the menu is short and simple, but everything is made from scratch. There are sandwiches (with a gluten free bread option), quesadillas, soups and desserts. Going in for lunch, we decided to start with the soups on offer, a black bean soup ($3.50) and the soup of the day, tomato and potato ($3.50).

The black bean was everyone’s favourite, not too thick or starchy with undertones of chilli and coriander to give it a nice complexity with bits of queso fresco (a mild Mexican cheese that is soft and prone to crumbling) for added smoothness. The tomato and potato soup was slightly oily and although interesting with crumbled bits of potato and queso fresco, it was bland and need­ed something more.

Next we tried three sandwiches: the Hawaiian ($7.50), the chipotle chicken ($7.75) and the pulled pork ($7.50). And two quesadillas: ham and cheese ($6.50) and chipotle chicken ($7). All the dishes come in plastic baskets with red and white checkered paper. The sandwiches, which are substantial and could even be shared, came on freshly made bread with mayo, cheese, black beans, tomatoes, avocados and fried onions.

The Hawaiian tasted much like a Hawaiian pizza, but their ham, which was cooked in-house, was smoky, tender and very nice. The chicken was braised, pulled and mixed with a chipotle sauce. The creamy avocado balanced out the spiciness and though the coriander was a bit overpowering, the chicken was melt in your mouth, all in all a good bet.

The real winner, however, was the pulled pork. Rich and unctuous, this sandwich is definitely for the famished eater and would work like a charm as a hangover cure. I’ll be back for that one!

The quesadillas are simple and straightforward with no bells or whistles. The ham and cheese, served on a flour tortilla, could’ve been much better had there been more ham. The meat was sparingly scattered throughout, making it more like a cheese tortilla. It also needed the extra kick of the two delicious homemade hot sauces on the table, chipotle and jalapeño. The chicken quesadilla fared much better. Served on a corn tortilla, with braised chicken, cheese and soft onion, it was simple and tasted very authentic. A little hot sauce was all it needed to make this a very nice lunch.

There are two desserts on offer, a pineapple jam cake ($3.75) made by mom, and Mexican scones with almonds ($4.50) made by dad. On both occasions I visited, they were sold out already, always a good sign.

I enjoyed the simplicity of the food at Tachido, as well as the kind service and homey atmosphere. Although not everything we had was great, it’s a new place getting their footing and I think there’s a lot of potential. They also offer sangria, margaritas, smoothies and a fruit juice of the day—I definitely recommend the watermelon. ■

 

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