Located on Amoy Street but with the entrance via the side of the shophouse building is Travis Masiero’s latest F&B venture - @nixtasg. A stone’s throw from his first, @lukesoysterbar & Chop House, this cosy establishment serves authentic Mexican cuisine that’s designed for sharing. Most impressively, the kitchen team led by Chefs @boonteow and @tan_yew_wei_rex, creates key items from scratch. Most notably the #chips in the “Chips & Salsa” ($8), which they make daily by grinding, pressing, searing and air-drying the heirloom white corn from @masienda. Our friend @tristan.parlour, whom we were dining with, loves avocados, so we also had the “#Guacamole Nixta” ($20). I really liked how roasted baby tomatoes were added to its creamy goodness. Based on the recommendation of the Manager, we went for the “Tlayuda de la Casa” ($20) from the section in the menu entitled “Heirloom Corn Masa”. As it featured roasted kernels of corn, epazote, queso fresco and a drizzle of herb oil, you bet beautiful flavours reigned on the very thin, crispy-chewy base. However, I must say it was outshone ever so slightly by the “#Quesadilla Oaxaca” ($22). Filled with red chorizo, crushed avocado and fried potato, it turned out to be the flavourbomb I didn’t know we needed. A must-try for sure. It was tough deciding which of the wood-fired grilled items to order but the “Duck #Barbacoa” ($48) became my eventual pick. BEST DECISION EVER! Wrapped with herbs and green chilli in leaves and roasted, the meat was insanely flavourful and tender. We got to build our own #tacos with it because this dish was accompanied by a stack of warm corn tortillas (housemade of course) and a plate of white onions, tomatillo salsa and fresh lime. I would say, for me, this was the highlight of the meal. Tristan was in the mood for fish. Thus, we selected the “Whole Fish a la Contramar” ($87) to share too. The European seabass came smothered in two wonderful sauces - a green one of parsley, cilantro, garlic, olive oil and epazote, and a rich, smoky red starring roasted guajillo (a type of Mexican pepper). Taste-wise, there was no faulting this dish. ⬇️Continued in Comments⬇️

CORN’T stop thinking about @pujolrestaurant’s “street snacks,” especially the baby corn slathered with chicatanas (flying ants) mayo. The second street food inspired dish was a delicious bite-sized corn sope finished with squash and pico de gallo. ⁣ ⁣ Next, we had Pujol’s take on a Oaxacan classic, Tlayuda aka Mexican-style “pizza” topped with black beans, cheese, tomato, and grasshoppers!⁣ ⁣ Swipe to the last photo to see the seabass ceviche with cacahuazintle (an old heirloom variety of Mexican white dent maize) juice, celery, and yuzu!

This is a TLAYUDA which is essentially a Oaxacan pizza made with a thin, crunchy, partially fried or toasted tortilla covered with a spread of refried beans, asiento (unrefined pork lard), lettuce, avocado, Oaxaca cheese, and salsa. We got the “meatlovers” version !!! 🍕 Swipe for size reference!