It is time we accepted it. Yongkang Lu is an irresistibly increasing force. Just when it seems to have no room left to expand and has all culinary bases covered, someone opens a new concept, and in one of the biggest spaces on this mini-strip. That someone is the team behind the Camel, DOC and – closer to this new home – Sliders and the Blarney Stone. The concept: a Mexican wrestling-themed cantina. The venue: a two-story lot on the southern corner by Xiangyang.
Similar in décor to their popular Italian spot on Dongping Lu, the interior features stripped-down simplicity with splashes of personality – in this case, exposed brick walls painted over with large portraits of masked grapplers, plus photos and masks adorning throughout. Red tiles, wooden stairs and doors and no-fuss furniture complete the look.
The menu follows a similar ethos. Chef Eduardo Gomez (who cut his teeth at Nobu in his native Mexico City) formerly cooked at Mi Tierra and then Mexo at the Bund, where he turned on the haute flair. It worked for us, but never seemed to quite take off in either place, and maybe wouldn’t with the Yongkang crowd either. What surely will, and what Gomez seems to be doing here, are traditional favorites with the occasional twist.
We went looking for that twist, and the like-minded should go beyond the great-as-a-snack-with-your-margarita staples of chips and salsa trio (RMB30) or nachos (RMB45) – you know what you’re getting, no explanation necessary. Order choriqueso (RMB55) instead, a pan of chorizo meat and roasted mozzarella with a few jalapenos thrown in for good measure. The meat has engaging spice and lacks oiliness. Served with four homemade flour tortillas, it is a great sharer. Squid rings vs las salsas (RMB50) are also a great bite, the batter satisfyingly crispy and well salt ’n’ peppered, with three dips to liven them up.
As for tacos, they are an enticingly priced, soak-up-a-Yongkang-session RMB30 across the board – and there’s even talk of a taco window opening straight onto the street. It was once again ground pork chorizo, this time marinated in red adobo sauce, which piqued our interest, with thin-sliced pieces of the grilled spicy sausage on top of the tortilla adding depth and crunch. As for specialties, sizzling fajitas could do with a more generous portion to justify their RMB80 price tag, but the chimichanga (RMB70) hits the spot. Essentially a fried burrito stuffed with chicken (or beef), mild poblano chilies and pico de gallo, the pan time gives the outside a nice shell feel, the inside has satisfying gooey goodness, thanks to cheese and refried beans.
El Luchador will happily welcome you in for drinks alone though, and invariably that means margaritas. A wide selection hits the spot at RMB50 each or RMB200/jug, but head in between 11.30am and 3pm any day and get free-flow margaritas and Corona for the dangerously good value of RMB125. We see messy weekends with a Mexican twist on the horizon.
Photos by Elliot DeBruyn
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