gringo's tacos - ho chi minh city, vietnam

Rating:  7 / 10

There is a deep corner of my soul reserved for Mexican food, and that is something I almost never find in Asia. Johnny's Taco's in Bali do a good tex-mex job, but most places you try are criminally underwhelming.

Who has the best Mexican Food in Asia? Answers on a postcard.

Back to current day Vietnam, I read on good authority that Gringo's should satisfy the deep yearnings for jalapeno love. I caught a Grab and ended up timing it perfectly so that the lunch rush (if there was one) had ended and I had the place to myself.

Guac and chips first. Slightly above average, the guac was screeeeeaming for a squeeze of lime (as most places are), but otherwise it was at least freshly prepared and the chips were fine.

Next up a Baja Fish Taco, Carnitas and Carne Asada. Classic trio, on most taqueria menu's but rarely done so all three shine.

Both the Carnita and Asada were good, but "nothing to write home about". Not bad in any way, but lacking any real excitement. However, the Baja fish taco was the star. As soon as I bit into it I regretted giving stomach real estate to the other two. I should have just gone with three fish. Crunchy batter but not overly thick, fresh fish and a crisp slaw with a pico de gallo on top. Job done.

These recommendations are just personal opinions based on my palate, things change, chefs get fired or replaced, places open-close, relocate, so take it all with a pinch of MSG  and discover your own gems too. But please do try a few of these, they have been researched exhaustively.