Casa Latina

J had tried this joint several times before and she really liked it. But it's pricing is on the steep end, so she never brought us there - until a deal for this restaurant popped up at one of those deals websites, and she grabbed the chance. Coincidentally, V asked us out for dinner, so we decided to head to Casa Latina for our little gathering.

We took a long time to decide on what to eat, partly because there's such a huge variety, partly because we barely understood the menu, and partly because we were a little excitedly catching up with one another and neglected the menu for a bit.

The reason I said we barely understood the menu? It's at no fault to them. We're really just very unfamiliar with Mexican food. Honestly I personally only knew what guacomole, nachos and fajitas are. =D But we got through with some recommendations from J who remembered a few things she liked, as well as some recommendations from the waiter, and finally some random choices based on the descriptions on the menu.

After our orders were placed, we were served corn chips and dips to start off the meal. Crunchy corn chips were a fabulous way to wait for our food to arrive. Then our appetizer of nacho chips and tamales arrived. The nachos were served with the usual beans, jalepeno peppers, melted cheese, tomatoes and a small dish of guacomole. Their guacomole was so good. Even after the nachos were gone, we ordered an additional dish of guacomole and requested additional chips to polish it off.

Corn chips with dips

Nachos

The Tamales were something that J wanted, because she really enjoyed them from her previous visit. They are essentially corn based dough steamed in banana leaves. The four tamales served had different fillings, and I've really forgotten which is what. Take home message - it was a nice, hot, aromatic and savoury start to the meal.

Tamales

Tamales opened up

Next up was Pozole Rojo, which is a pork stew. Although fragrant and rich, it was incredible salty. So while I managed the meat and veggies, I was unable to touch much of the stock, despite my usual tendency to lick up every single drop of delicious broth given to me.

Pozole Rojo (Hearty Mexican Stew)

The Camarones Caribeños was a prawn dish cooked with lettuce, potatoes, mangoes and oranges. It was served alongside some Mexican rice and a bit of salsa. The prawns were sweet, and very well complemented by the fruits and veggies. The rice was aromatic, and we totally loved this dish.

Camarones Caribeños

Las Carnitas was basically pork confit served with warm corn tortillas. The pork was very nicely flavored, and was juicy despite looking dry. And what's Mexican without tortillas right? The flatbread made for a great vehicle to deliver those tasty morsels of pork into my mouth.

Las Carnitas (Little Meats)

For our Fajitas, we opted for grilled strips of skirt steak since we already have prawns, chicken and pork. It was cooked with onions, tomatoes and bell peppers, and more guacomole and tortillas. So between the two tortilla dishes, we had enough tortillas to go round the table of 5. The beef was juicy, and again, made for a very delicious bundle with the tortillas.

Beef Fajitas

Our final dish had a hilarious name. Divorced chicken. Chicken thigh cooked in leaves and served with two types of mole, rice, beans and corn tortillas. The tortillas here were different from the other two dishes, if I didn't remember wrongly. This dish slips my memory, so I guess it was an average dish.

Pollo Divorciado (Divorced Chicken)

We were all quite full by the end of these, and decided to just share one dessert. A chocolate Tamal. The same corn-based dough steamed in banana leaf, but made sweet instead of savoury. Chocolate flavoured Tamal topped with vanilla ice cream. It wasn't overly rich, and was a nice way of ending the meal.

Casa Latina Chocolate Tamal (House Special) 

The prices was indeed steep. Not something I'll be keen to try without another voucher. It was nice, but just not impressive enough for me to want to spend that kind of money on the food. Maybe the problem lies with me. I just have a greater preference for other kinds of cuisines. The service staff were friendly and helpful, something which I really appreciate. Maybe one day if I get a Mexican food request (I occasionally gets requests for 'exotic food' from a certain friend of mine's birthday celebrations), I may just bring whoever it is back here.


Casa Latina
01-09 Village Hotel Albert Court,180 Albert Street
Singapore 189971
Email: info@casalatina.com.sg
Tel: 6884 6929
Fax: 6884 6930