Mexi Archives - Between Bites - Bites of Food, Travel and Lifestyle

June 1, 2009 by Janey

Every now and then one stumbles upon a restaurant that is a great value, very casual, very unpretentious and very Mexican. That is what happened to Bubba and me last Friday. For our Friday night dinner date, he brought me to a Mexican restaurant called Jalapeño in Ortigas Home Depot.

Jalapeño serves authentic Mexican cuisine in a uniquely decorated setting. The quaint yellow walled duplex, dimly lit, sets the mood for a vibrant and exciting restaurant. The bar is set right outside by the wooden door. The liquid soap in the wash area is contained in a Jose Cuervo tequila bottle. Details though few add to the Mexican flair. The wooden chairs however are solidly stiff that make hours long of sitting on it tough.

Pictures are not up to the standard quality I want them to be because of the low lights and my faulty point and shoot.

On the Table

Grilled Tomato and Cheese Quesadilla PHP 125

5-inch tortilla, tomato, cheese, sour cream and onion. Our order was simple, 1 Pepper Steak Fajitas and 1 Jalapeño Cheese Enchilada. The grilled tomato and cheese quesadilla was served on our table and I checked twice with the server if this was enchilada because it sure looked like a quesadilla to me. The answer was yes. I looked skeptical but was given the same answer. Plain enchilada use the same ingredients as quesadilla, difference is enchilada is layers of tortilla and cheese baked. I shrugged and thought to myself that this might be their version of enchilada.

We started to dig on the dish. Bubba and I gave each other approving looks because the dish was yummy! It tasted like it was made from scratch, fresh and hot! The flavor was simple but very tasty. Put a small amount of salsa on top for an added zing. Goodness that melts on your mouth.

We were being served the pepper steak burrito right after. I shook my head and said that we ordered Pepper Steak Fajitas.

10 minutes into our meal, the order taker approaches our table with the Pepper Steak Burrito again saying that I ordered it. He claims that he repeated the order and said Pepper Steak BURRITO. I insisted that I said Fajitas because I remember repeating the order twice. With all the noise from the radio blasting outside and the ruckus of the drinking group on the second level (plus the fact that I didn’t want to ruin our dinner), I gave him the benefit of the doubt that we misunderstood each other. I said okay to the burrito since I didn’t want it to be paid under his tab. But I made a point for him to know that I did repeat the order twice for his understanding. We also told him to add the fajitas to our order because it was really what we wanted to eat.

Pepper Steak Burrito PHP 175

8-inch tortilla, beef tenderloin, Mexican rice, refried beans, onions, cheese, salsa, sour cream. I didn’t touch this because it didn’t really look appetizing at all. Bubba only finished half of it saying that it lacked in taste.

Paella Balls from Hermanos

We love the paella balls from Hermanos so Bubba ordered the dish from the next-door neighbor.

Pepper Steak Fajitas PHP 285

Beef Tenderloin strips, onions, cheese, bell pepper, sour cream, Mexican salsa, Mexican rice, guacamole and 3 pcs tortilla. The beef is moist, tender and flavorful, accompanied by Mexican rice and green bell peppers/onions served on a sizzling dish. It is almost as good as Zapata’s minus the flavorful peppery spice that Zapata’s has on its beef. Nevertheless, this dish was also a real winner with generous helping of sour cream, Mexican salsa, Mexican rice and guacamole on the side.

Bubba and I always enjoy ordering Fajitas because it allows us to touch our food and it’s so much fun to create your own burrito. You can always add more of the ingredients or sauces you want.

Another server approaches us with another dish. This time the dish he was holding looked like enchilada. He then explains that we were served the wrong dish and my suspicion that our first dish was quesadilla was right on the money. He said that the quesadilla will be on the house and apologizes briefly for the confusion.

I guess I did say the orders right after all. The staff was really the one baffled with the dishes. We shouldn’t be paying for the Pepper Steak burrito that we never wanted in the first place. Sigh, oh well. I’m so glad that the fajitas and quesadilla were lip-smacking good that it really saved the evening!

Jalapeño Cheese Enchilada PHP 175

2 layers of cheese, jalapeno and sauces.

Lemon Iced Tea PHP 60

Had the right citrus flavor without being too sour. A very invigorating drink right after all the intense Mexican flavors playing on the palate.

Jalapeño Classic Margarita PHP 130

Margarita can sometimes be sour and bitter at the same time but this one isn’t. It wasn’t too strong and good enough to loosen you up without the hard-hitting headache.

This is a great place to go to have an authentic Mexican dinner. Delicious food, relaxed atmosphere at a reasonable price. If you don’t have the time to drive all the way to Pampanga, I think this is the next best thing to the best Mexican feast in town.

Jalapeño

Ortigas Home Depot (Right beside Hermano’s)

Doña Julia Vargas Avenue cor. Meralco Avenue,

Pasig City.

Jalapeño Album

Related Post

Zapata’s

Agave Mexican Cantina

Hermanos

Zapata’s, Pampanga

January 23, 2009 by Janey

People, friends and strangers alike, always tend to ask me this one difficult question, “What is your favorite food?” This is a question I am yet to answer myself since I do not have a single answer. It will definitely be a multiple answer like combine or complex sentences we learn in primary school. My answer would come in different shapes and sizes –even different cultural heritage. Their follow-up is always, “what type of cuisine,” I still find some difficulty answering this because I love food in general. I’m passionate about food –I’m passionate about eating. But when they keep nudging for an answer, my heart calls me to say, Mexican.

Mexican. Mexican. Mexican. I love Mexican because their food is as multihued as their culture –vibrant and colorful. They’d smile as they hear me say this. Finally there’s something to garble on. Sometimes I hesitate to answer because the next question I know I wouldn’t have a definite. “What is the best Mexican restaurant?” TOUGH. Whenever I need a Mexican fix, I get it from Mexicali, Tia Maria’s, et al. But I can’t utter a name that does not bring out the fervor I have for Mexican food… not until I encountered Zapata’s.

Emiliano Zapata as a president of village council, he campaigned for village lands confiscated by Hacendados. His slogan was “Tierray Libertad,” which probably meant free land advocating that lands should not be foreign-owned.

Good reviews about Zapata’s are abound and that’s one of the reasons why it was on top of mind when we were in Pampanga for a food trip. We tried Everybody’s Café (San Fernando) for lunch and traveled to Angeles Pampanga to have dinner at this Mexican restaurant. From San Fernando, it took us 1 hour to get to Zapata since we got a little bit lost. At around 8pm, we reach the place.

As you enter the heavy mahogany-type wooden door, you would see the fully stocked bar on the left and the main dining area on the right. The 50-seater capacity has two dining rooms separated by a green abaca (?) woven partition garlanded with little sombreros, garlic bulbs, guitar and chilies. The color scheme of green and red reveals its Mexican heritage from the chairs to the Caramba sauces, placemat, sombrero display, and chilies. The wall is also bedecked with lizards, sombreros, sun, corn, and onion bulbs. Looking south, black outline conscripts the boxed floor.

Details are evident in the design of this space. The swinging entrance door operates by weights. Another swinging door leads to the kitchen. Bricks outline the bottom of the walls. Framed photos of Emiliano Zapata decorate the walls and counter tops. The bar has a display of Mexican drinks, mostly variety of tequila and there’s a lone parrot with Corona. Washrooms are tagged as Señorita/Damas and Señor/Caballero. Corona Extra Nightlight gives a Saloon vibe. Plastic cacti livens the area while a Mexico flag by the ceiling and vintage cash register seal the deal.

Perusing the menu, we’re glad to see that price was affordable. We placed our food order and satisfied to see that following the ambience, the presentation and taste were also as appetizing.

On the Table

Tortilla Soup PHP 80

Delicious combination of chicken broth, vegetables, spices ladled over tortilla strips. It was the ideal soup to warm our appetites. The warm broth silenced my hunger pangs while its flat taste slow-tuned the burst of flavors we’re about to sample.

Quesadilla PHP 130

Lightly grilled flour tortillas filled with imported cheese, onions and jalapenos. For Bubba, it was the Quesadilla that started the pact. It had the right proportion of cheese, onion and jalapeno to enjoy every bite.

Chili Con Carne PHP 95

Originally a Texan dish, which has become a “Border favorite,” served with diced onions and shredded cheese. The tortilla was served on an enclosed shallow clay pot container. It had more beans than the beef but it was delish nevertheless. I think Chili con Carne is better with tortilla than cornbread.

Fajitas PHP 290

Grilled strips of marinated beef brought sizzling to your plate with Mexican refried rice and grilled peppers. Served with tortillas, salsa, and sour cream. Their sizzling plate was served on a larger than usual wood plank that saves my hand/arm from getting scalded. The beef was well marinated and grilled to perfection –it was really soft and juicy. The fun part was filling our tortilla sheets with beef, refried rice, grilled peppers, sour cream, salsa the way we individually liked it.

Strawberry Margarita PHP 150

Beer PHP

I told Bubba that he’d heighten his adoration for Mexican food with a cold bottle of beer. Beer complements the cuisine.

The medley of different flavors represents Mexico’s lively multicolored chow culture.

Zapata’s irrevocably gave me a definite answer to Q3. After several years in the business, Zapata’s still has a comfortable and pleasing ambience. The servers are professional, knowledgeable and courteous… and the food, clearly outstanding.