It’s War! Again. Taco Wars 2 at Hawker House
29th May 2014, Hawker House, London Fields
The smell of grilling meat bruised the air. I was getting close. Last year I had been way too slow. This year I was determined. The tickets were released and I was ready. Got my ticket.
Old el Paso kits provided me with my first taco. For a long while I was convinced there was only one kind; the yellow orange stiff crispy tortilla shell holding chilli beef with the additions helpfully provided in the kit. I loved those tacos. At the time they seemed so unusual, and wonderfully exotic. It only dawned on me that a taco could be something else entirely after a visit to the Mexican food chain Wahaca. What the heck? These tacos were palm sized, the tortilla was soft, round and there was no chilli minced beef anywhere. No chilli mince or kidney beans. What was going on? Different in a good way I easily adapted and came to be quite fond of this new taco.
Taco Wars, created by Tweat Up, was touted as the ultimate battle of the taco, with eight street food vendors going tortilla to tortilla for the title of the best taco in London. Last year Luardos had won, could they hold on to the title? None of this mattered. I was going to be eating all eight tacos. I was ecstatic.
Upon entering the venue my eyes started to stream, it was so smoky. I would be stinking to the high heavens of grilled meat and irresistible to carnivores by the time it was finished. Hawker House was all tarted up in Mexican finery, a Mariachi band swaggered around charging the atmosphere with drama and tunes.
The Tacos (in order of eating)
Santo Remedio - Chargrilled Octopus marinated in Pasilla de Oaxaca chillies with black beans, yerba santa and serrano aioli served in an avocado leaf.
This taco was so vibrant in its taste and appearance. A majority of the ingredients I had never heard of which made it all the more exciting. The tang of lime, mild heat from chilli, creamy texture of the black beans with the grilled octopus was appealing. The avocado leaf had a medicinal flavour a little like coriander. From the outset this was the winner for me.
Rita’s - Pigs Head, Belly and Trotter, burnt spring onion crema and blood orange pico.
In my mind I had envisioned this being topped with an inexplicably tiny trotter. It was not. I nick named this The Piggy One. I was proudly told that the tortilla was enriched with chicken fat. The taco was packed with fatty meat, the grease undesirably oozed out as I tucked in. Unfortunately the flavour of the blood orange salsa was distorted by the fatty richness of the meat and tortilla. I did not enjoy it at all a slick of grease was left in my mouth.
Breddos –The Holy Cow-Chipotle and Bone Marrow Roasted Short Rib, barbecue Guinness brisket, cheese croqueta and smoked cherry marmalade in a homemade beef dripping tortilla.
Its name put a grin on my face and it was skewered with a pipette containing naga jolokia chilli vinegar which was quite cute. Breddo’s are already well known for having perfected the art of fine taco so my expectations were high. The cheesy chilli croqueta was crispy, molten and gooey centred. The meat was perfectly textured but the flavour was slightly overshadowed by the croqueta, I could not taste any Guinness influence.
Kimchinary - Beer Braised Pork Belly, pickled mustard seeds, Korean pear salsa, oyster kimchi, gochujang and pig crunch on a smoked pork fat and sesame tortilla.
The Korean influence made this unique. The flavours over all were smoky and sweet. The pork was tender, the pear salsa sweet and the kimchi spicy and distinctive leaving a pleasant cabbagey after taste.
BBQ Lab - Hickory Smoked Peanut Butter Jelly Pork Belly, popcorn pudding, pineapple salsa, Dr. Pepper gel and Pickleback sour cream in a 100% pork loin tortilla.
If watching these guys handy work was a film it would be appropriately named ‘A Tale of Beards and Blow torches’. It was a real spectacle. The tortilla was pork loin! It was a very strange eating experience. I could not taste the peanut butter jelly flavour in the meat. The cheesy popcorn pudding was lovely. It looked a bit shambolic but tasted fine.
B.O.B.'s Lobster - Sashimi Grade Ahi Tuna, wasabi guacamole, chipotle crema, Asian slaw and sesame seeds in a crispy wonton shell.
It was really light, refreshing and clean. The wasabi guacamole and chipotle crema added a bit of character. I loved that the shell was a crispy wonton it reminded me of the tacos of old.
Luardos - Grilled Skirt Steak, salsa roja, Supersweet onions, coriander and lime in a homemade corn tortilla.
Luardo’s was last year’s winner. Its components were very simple. The meat was high quality and well seasoned. The salsa was hot and vinegary and the avocado was satisfyingly creamy. Sometimes simple is best.
Benito's Hat - Succulent Pork Belly, crispy chicharrón, shaved fennel, lime, roasted apple and habanero salsa in a homemade corn tortilla.
By my standards this felt like the hottest of the eight tacos, my mouth was tingling. The pork belly was well salted and moist. The apple salsa added a wholesome fruity element and the pork crackling crumbs provided a moreish crunch.
The War is Over
The official winner was Breddo’s The Holy Cow. My favourite was Santo Remedio’s chargrilled octopus taco. The battle was done and dusted and I was homeward bound. By chance I met my big sister on the train, mid conversation she sniffed my blazer ‘Audrey, you smell delicious’. The meaty smoke had been absorbed by my outerwear. I could not be too annoyed as there are many worse things one could smell of.