/ Reviews / Mexican
Land of the Lost Mexican
by Monica Liau
on Friday, June 04, 2010 12:00 AM
It's a tiny little place on YuYuan Rd, containing about 10 tables and one thick tree trunk left behind by the former occupant. In fact, it might be a place you'd miss if it weren't for the giant red and green neon sign outside advertising "Teotihuacan" in letters that blaze brightly into the dark night.
Yes, another little Mexican place has opened its doors, but this time it's in PuXi and it's affordable. Victor Alarcon, owner of this establishment, hails from Acapulco, Mexico, and is determined to bring the taste and feel of his culture to the streets of Shanghai.
Inside, the Mexican experience starts with the large and rather graphic murals which line the walls of his restaurant. They portray the birth of Mexico, beginning with the arrival of the Spanish conquistadors, continuing on to a bloody war, and ending with the Aztec king tortured and his people forced into slavery. It is certainly something to ponder while eating your corn tortillas.
Food resembles the restaurant itself: simple but sturdy, with a little bit of the unexpected. Tony Trigo, the "exclusive" chef to Teotihuacan has over 20 years of experience cooking traditional Mexican and standard Tex-Mex fare.
His chorizo and potato tostadas (RMB10 per portion) are set to be a table favorite, piled high with veggies and sour cream, plus a thin layer of refried beans and rich, spicy house-made chorizo. The soft tacos (RMB10 per piece) are deceptively sparse, particularly the tender beef tongue, served with just the tortilla. However, squeeze on a little lime plus a dab of house-made salsa, and the tacos make up for their excessive simplicity. Quesadillas with bistek (RMB14) are not for the faint of heart: they are huge and filled with cheese. One is more than enough.
Alarcon doesn't skimp on the alcoholic portion of his menu. He offers over 20 kinds of hard-to-find, proper tequila, including Tres Generaciones Anejo, a special version which is served nearly frozen. If straight tequila makes you shudder, Alarcon has also dreamed up a bunch of fresh cocktails that mix in ginger and fresh lime. Alternatively, beer boozers should take note of Teotihuacan's permanent happy hour, which gives you two beers for the price of one on certain brews, assuring you'll drink until the early hours.
The Bottom Line: Sticks to street style for some filling fare, complemented by enough beers and tequila to make every day seem like Cinco de Mayo.
