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Singapore, March 12, 2010 FIRST things first... I have to confess that I have never been to Mexico. Therefore, the closest thing I’ve had to an authentic Mexican culinary experience was a taco in a Minnesota mall’s food court and copious amounts of frozen margaritas at brunch. Naturally that doesn’t count and I will have to take the word of a former Mexican ambassador to Singapore that there is no outlet in Singapore that serves authentic Mexican cuisine. He claims it’s all Tex-Mex (Texan-Mexican). That probably explains why I wasn’t impressed when I tried Viva Mexica two years ago. But two years is a long time in the food business and a recent trip to the Cuppage Terrace restaurant with my husband proved that the quality has improved tremendously. Obviously the management has been listening to their critics. We started our meal with the complimentary nachos accompanied by the salsa verde and a tomato chilli salsa. The salsa verde was served in a traditional mortar and pestle called molcajete, used to grind spices and make sauces or as a hot serving bowl. For appetisers, I had the Acapulco Cocktail (cocktail of shrimp and fish, marinated in a mix of sauces, lime, coriander and onion, $14) served in a martini glass. It was pretty and very refreshing, especially in this current heatwave. My other half tried the Tlalpeno Soup (chicken soup with cheese and chickpeas, $9), which looked like a hearty broth but was light and tasty. Instead of going for the main meals, we decided to have the non-vegetarian Viva Sampler ($26) and the Viva Veggie Sampler ($24). Both dishes, as the names indicate, have sample portions of the main meals. The Viva Sampler had chicken tamale (chicken strips with corn wrapped in a banana leaf), crab stuffed chilli, a fish cerviche (fish “cooked” in lime juice) and beef slices with a smoky chilli sauce, which were all delicious. We especially loved the fish cerviche with its citrus flavours while the crab stuffed chilli packed a punch. The vegetarian sampler plate had a small bowl of baked mushroom with cheese, baked eggplant and olives and cheese stuffed chilli. It was just as good as its non-veg cousin, with more subtle flavours. All this was thirsty work... besides, you can’t eat at a Mexican restaurant and not have at least one margarita. Instead of the traditional lime, I opted for the frozen Tamarind margarita ($13 per glass). The taste is unique, but not something I would order again. Of course I ordered the vanilla flan (custard with caramel, $7), the traditional Mexican dessert. And, as I was feeling like a stuffed chilli myself by this time, I decided to share it with the hubby. But when I tried it, I wished I had skipped the appetiser to make more room for this cold, soft and sweet dish. Definitely not a dish for sharing. Viva Mexico
23 Cuppage Road, Cuppage Terrace
Tel: 6235-0440
See pictures of food served at Viva Mexico
