I used to not think too highly of tacos. Having grown up on canteen tacos, made with crunchy…read moreshells, spaghetti sauce and Quickmelt, I never felt that there was any reason for me to pick tacos over anything else, except for like...rice and salt or something.
However, when I had my first soft steak taco, I saw the light. Gone were the palate-piercing shards of fried tortillas. The mush and gristle of "taco meat" was replaced by the . Most importantly what seemed like disparate parts merged into a whole.
And yet even that would not please the palate of a Mexican visitor to the Philippines. The tortilla would be the wrong kind, the taco itself too big.
Unless he found itself at Tacos Chingones. This unassuming little truck (seriously my friend ate at Som's 2 days before we had Tacos here and he didn't notice) serves the most authentic tacos in Manila. Gone are the large flour tortillas, replaced with a pair of small corn tortillas. 2 are required to contain the juice of the meat.
Speaking of the meat, you won't find spaghetti sauce anywhere here.Instead, all meat is freshly cooked on the griddle. The Choices include:
Chicharones (Chicharon), Pastor (Pulled Pork), Barbacoa (Chopped Beef), Chorizo, Pollo de Chipotle(Chicken in Spicy Sauce), Carne Molida con Papas (ground beef and potatoes) and TNT (Tongue and Tripe).
Of these, the standout is the TNT, which explains why it's priced slightly higher than other toppings. The melting tenderness of the lengua is set against the slight chew of the tripe.
If you're a bit squeamish at the thought of eating offal tacos, the Chcharones and Barbacoa would be my choice. These toppings give small morsels of flavor that go better with the small tortillas than the other choices in my opinion. Also, the crunch of the chicharon and the meatiness of the beef set off against the soft but crispy tortillas.
The tacos go for 170 for 3, except for the TNT, which costs 80 per taco. While surprisingly filling, there shouldn't be any problem trying all the fillings for yourself. While eventually you'll find your favorite, the tacos are affordable and light enough to get a different taco fix every time you need it.