Taqueria Poblano es muy delicioso

growing up in Los Angeles, i was privy to some of the best Mexican food north of the border. i would eat some form of Mexican food at least, and i kid you not, maybe once a week? if not more. living in New Zealand, however, this means i had to figure out something else to eat. i was dying for a rare corn tortilla. i would've gladly eaten Taco Bell, i was desperate.

When i first arrived, i tried the local restaurant, "Sombreros" and was utterly disappointed. i wanted to cry. it was a loose version of Mexican food, they basically just poured salsa over differently wrapped items, but mainly, it was a poor excuse for food!! the rare steaks ended up char grilled. The burrito i ordered was inedible. i shudder thinking about it.

Taqueria Poblano,however, is a relatively new restaurant in Queenstown and a blessing to those living in town who feel the need for Mexican feed. they have a varied menu providing the standard fare including tacos, burritos, taquitos, fish tacos, enchiladas and fresh squeezed margaritas y muchos mas.

yesterday i dined at the Taqueria and chatted with chef, Fran Nolan. while Fran has done well maintaining the integrity of the recipes, it's been a fun challenge for him to work with the limited ingredients available to the New Zealand market. certain items, absolutely necessary to Mexican flavor are shipped in directly from Mexico such as their habenero and poblano chilies in addition to different Tequilas and various beers. their corn tortillas are made locally in Auckland and are the only corn tortillas available on the islands.

i was treated to a mini-chicken burrito and a fresh margarita on the rocks with salt to sample their fare. i wanted to taste their molé as it is one of my favorite dishes, so i asked for it to be poured on the burrito.



the burrito was grilled on the outside and stuffed with cumin poached shredded chicken, a bit of chopped lettuce, freshly made pico de gaia, and homemade re fried beans. the chicken was delightfully tender and emanated a warmth on the tongue. it had just enough seasoning without being overpowering. there was lots of cilantro (known as coriander here) and lemon juice in the pico with chunks of tomato and a nice spice to it. the lettuce added a nice texture difference and the beans tied it together perfectly.

the tortilla chips were served warm freshly cooked and was served with a great salsa, guacamole and their homemade hot sauce. their chipotle hot sauce had a nice smokiness to it with a hint of sweetness. It was nice and thick and oozed out of the bottle. It's addicting and you can easily finish the whole bottle.

everything was delicious and authentic. if i had to pick one thing to complain about it would unfortunately have to be the molé. for those of you who have had good molé will thus understand my love affair and my small gripe. smokey and savory made with Mexican chocolate, a good molé will haunt you till you eat it again. and again. the molé at Poblanos was an interesting version but a great sauce nonetheless. made with tomatillos, molé spices, ground pumpkin seeds and green poblano peppers, it was yummy and had a smokey nutty flavor which was on it's own merit, good, just different. you can't really compare it to the chocolate molé because doing so might leave you disappointed.

here's some recipes Fran provided:
pico de gaia
6 tomatoes, diced with the seeds removed
one diced red onion
1/2 cup can chopped jalepeno peppers
2 t fresh chopped cilantro/coriander
juice one lime or lemon
salt and pepper to taste
mix and serve with tortilla chips

guacamole
2 mashed avocados
1 tomato diced with seeds removed
1/2 red onion
juice of one lime
mix and serve with tortilla chips

i would recommend Taqueria Poblanos without a doubt. located between Cow Lane and Beach Street just under the casino, their decor is rustic enclosed in a very modern package. heavy wood chairs and tables are complimented by the bright orange and charcoal. when they first opened last year, i went there 4 days in a row, so happy was i that it existed. they are open M-F from 11:30 am - 10 pm. if you make it down, tell em shana sent you. :)