WE asked for Adventure and it came. Relentlessly. Dish after dish. Until the table was as gridlocked as Mexico City at rush hour. Tacos, tostadas, emapanadas, quesadillas overload. All our own fault for lazily ordering the Mexican Feast, described as ‘An Adventure’, at Wahaca, most hyped of the incoming Corn Exchange chain gang.
Told ‘the selection of street food small plates will come as and when they are ready’, we’d expected a stately procession rather than the fast food rampage from some souped-up Speedy Gonzalez at the stove. So out in under an hour
Our original plan had been to dip a leisurely tortilla chip or two in the guacamole pot (£3.95, lime-ladenly excellent) and perhaps explore the intriguing sounding cactus and corn tacos before ordering further stuff, but the fine margaritas were mellowing our minds – classic, passionfruit, hibiscus – so Feast at £32.50 for two to share it was plus a trio of cactus tacos (£3.95), which were perhaps the best thing we ate – the shards of tender cactus tangled with courgette, tomato and herbs.
I presume the cactus is shipped in ready prepared. I couldn’t resist later consulting the website of Rick Bayless, whose award-winning Mexican restaurants in Chicago I’ve eaten in. His tip: “First slice or scrape off the spiny nodes from both sides of the cactus paddle.” A tip that might come in handy.
Cactus sounds pretty authentic to me and the presence of epazote (a herb that enhances black beans) and huillacoche (truffley delicacy that grows on corn husks), but questions of authenticity blur when ‘street food’ is peddled far from the streets and markets of its origins.
The two most disappointing dishes both smacked of compromise: salmon sashimi on tostadas with chipotle mayo, the fish dank and smothered, and charred tenderstem (sic) broccoli with green goddess sauce, a retro herby mayonnaise with soured cream. Like one of the corn cobs, this tough veg side was abandoned and we also forwent the churros and chocolate to close.
In between, the pea and mint empanadas were samosa-like crisp treats, the chipotle chicken quesadillas (think toasties) had the right smokiness and at last a chilli kick, ditto the fijoles (black beans) with chorizo. Best of all, with dense meaty substance, the tacos carrying pork pibil, slow-cooked in “a special Yucatan marinade with fiery, pink pickled onions”
The pickles weren’t fiery, indeed for those of us weened on Tex-Mex in the States (and even at the lovely Luck, Lust, Liquor and Burn in the NQ) there was a distinct lack of chilli fire throughout. Perhaps that would be inauthentic. Wahaca owner and former Masterchef winner Thomasina Miers is much-travelled in and knowledgeable about Mexico but her take take on its regional cuisines is decidedly populist.
I brought home the colourful Ola Wahaca mini-mag, whose A-Z of street food ranges from Agua Fresca, a hibiscus-flavoured Mexican Ribena through to, via Yucatan to Zocala – Mexico City’s central square and inspirational street food hub.
I’m taking much of this on trust. I’ve never eaten street food in Mexico. The closest I’ve come is owning a Mexican wrestling t-shirt and then a rather cute chihuahua plus Diana Kennedy's magisterial 'The Essential Cuisines of Mexico'.
I like the Wahaca fit-out a lot and service appears to have settled down a week or so in but calling what we ate ‘An Adventure’ is a misnomer, compadres.
Wahaca, Corn Exchange, Manchester M4 3TR. 0161 413 7493.
