Chololo

You may have had tacos but have you ever tried Birria tacos? In today’s blog we are gonna explore a (relatively) cheap and cheerful taco chain that serves the OG Birria tacos. Curious? Keep reading to find out more!

There’s something about Mexican food that always hits the spot - I’m not sure if it’s the combination of spices, flavours and vivid colours or if it’s the fact that every time I have Mexican I walk away feeling super happy and fufilled. Mexican cuisine infuses a melting pot of tradition and umami flavours to excite our tastebuds, no wonder it’s listed as a UNESCO cultrual treasure. In today’s blog we will try the OG birrira tacos at Chololo, let’s get eating!

Birria Pack

A quick Wikipedia search tells me that Birria is a meat stew or soup made from goat, beef, lamb, mutton, or chicken. The meat is marinated in an adobo made of vinegar, dried chilies, garlic, and a mix of other herbs and spices (including cumin, bay leaves, and thyme) before being cooked in a broth (consomé). Chololo’s beef tacos are stuffed with melted cheese, beef mince, and onions then topped with chives/greens so they are already quite flavourful but the real star of the show is the birria, it was deliciously intense in umami flavour, and dipping the tacos in was the cherry on top of the cake (or tacos in this case).

The only surprising element of the Birria was that it is quite watery and I would’ve preferred a little more texture or thickness to the broth i.e. some beef mince or vegetables mixed in as it would be a little more texturally interesting and less messy to eat. [Top tip - if you are on a first date maybe ask for a second bowl/cup to pour out the birria otherwise it will get everywhere but even if it’s messy at least you’ll be a hot mess am I right]

Crystal eggplant

I LOVE eggplant and grew up eating them cooked in every way possible - grilled, stewed, fried, stuffed, roasted (you name it, I’ve tried it) so when I saw crystal eggplant on Chololo’s menu I had to try it. This turned out to be my favourite dish, the eggplant is coated in a delicious crumb before being deep fried - the amazing achievement here is that the eggplant remained soft and pillowy on the inside whilst the crust retains an extreme crunchiness that rivals my other bae (KFC wicked wings). I know this sounds counter-intuitive but if you visit Cholo these crystal eggplants are a MUST ORDER!

Nachos

Nachos are the easiest sharing option when it comes to Mexican - these are so well beloved amongst many because they’re delicious, crispy, and comes with lots of different toppings. Chololo offers two variations to the traditional nachos - chicken karaage and chicken katsu. We tried the chicken katsu and to be brutally honest, although the katsu was fried to a perfect golden colour and deliciously juicy - the flavour got a little lost and confused in the nachos. Think about it - these nachos are already jam-packed with salsa, guacamole, sour cream, diced onions and coriander so the addition of any protein would complement the fresh ingredients therefore whether it’s beef or chicken katsu is a little irrelevant [in my view the star of the show with nachos is the guac and salsa/other fresh veggies rather than the protein]. This is my very biased [albeit strong] opinion so feel free to give this a try if you are going with a larger group on your next visit.

Overall rating: 8.5/10

Address (multiple locations):

Newtown [store visited for this blog]: 105 King St, Newtown NSW 2042 (OPEN TUESDAY TO SUNDAY 11:30AM-10.00PM)

Fairfield: Fairfield Chase Shopping Centre (food court). 34 Council Lane, Fairfield NSW 2165 (OPEN TUESDAY TO SUNDAY 5:30PM-9.30PM)

Blacktown: 2B 17-21 First Avenue, Blacktown NSW 2148 (inside GL Plaza) (OPEN TUESDAY TO SUNDAY 11:30AM-9.30PM)

Website: https://www.chololo.com.au/

Instagram: @chololo.sydney

Birria Pack

Crystal eggplant

Nachos

Tokki

Redpepper

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