Not many people know about Baja Fresh, this simple Mexican eatery hidden at a corner of Rendezvous Gallery along Bras Basah Road. I first tried Baja Fresh from a small stall in a food court in Dubai… I shared a wrap and a salad with my mother. It was pretty good, so I wanted to give them another go, so that I could share them with you guys!
I love how the eatery is very clean and airy, creating the perfect relaxed environment for dining. The glass windows also allow lots of natural light in, making photo taking a breeze!
Every order comes with a side of tortilla chips for you to nibble on, while you wait for the main course to arrive. They even have a salsa corner for you to help yourself. They offer 3 different kinds of salsa, ranging in spiciness levels. Do note that their idea of spiciness is different from Asian spiciness. Lime wedges are also offered at that cold salsa counter.
The salsa was displayed in large bowls on a bed of ice, so your salsa will be cold. I took one of each kind, non-spicy, medium, and spicy. I can’t remember what they labelled it exactly, but that’s just what I’ll call it.
The non-spicy salsa was basically just fresh diced tomatoes, seasoned with herbs, and mixed with chopped onions. ‘Refreshing’ would be the best word to describe this.
The medium salsa was more watery, and more finely ground, and had a slight kick to it. Not strong enough to make your eyes water, and make you choke, but just a nice wake up call for your tastebuds.
The spicy salsa was the most finely ground (the salsa gets more paste-like as the spice level increases), and resembled a less chunky version of Chili. It wasn’t that spicy to me, but if eaten too fast, has potential to make you cough and sputter. I’m speaking from experience, embarrassingly.
Their tortilla chips were nothing spectacular. Just your typical tortilla chips, light and crispy, perfect for dipping!
Then, the stars of the show decided to make their appearance. Check out Mr. Chimichanga, and Ms. Tostada.
As you can see, the portions here are very generous. (YAY) And the Chimichanga even came with heaping helpings of tortilla chips and side salad. Mexicans are well-fed people indeed.
Let’s meet our first date. Mr Chimichanga. Weighing in at half a pound, this well built hunk is for the ladies. He looks tough, but he’s actually quite the softie. You can rely on him to satisfy your hunger pangs.
For the readers who are new to mexican food, a chimichanga is savoury burrito filled with meat and vegetables which is then deep fried, and drenched with more sauce and cheese. Definitely not friendly for your waistline.
This was my first time trying a chimichanga, and it was a unique experience, I must say. I was expecting it to be crispy, but it was soft, and easy to cut through. Maybe they don’t deep fry it here? I loved how it was chock full of vegetables, the slight redeeming factor in an otherwise artery-clogging dish. They were also generous with juicy prawns (my choice of meat). Grilled prawns may sound strange, but it certainly tasted good! You have the option of chicken, fish, and even beef for the meat filling. Vegetarian options are available as well, so vegetarians are welcome!
There was guacamole and sour cream served with this monster as well. I loved their guacamole! It was very fresh, and their sour cream was light as well. Both went deliciously with the chimichanga. A match made in heaven.
I would recommend this dish to you, although its pretty unhealthy, just so you can try a chimichanga for once! Moist, and bursting with ingredients, this is a good bet.
Do share this with a friend though, along with another dish. The gargantun portions means that you’ll probably get sick of it halfway through, that’s why its best to share. After all, sharing is caring.
Now, on to our second beauty of the day, Ms. Tostada. By the way, the names on the menu don’t have Mr and Ms, I just added that for fun. This dish is the Tostada Salad. It’s a salad served on a deep-fried tortilla shell.
Wait a second before you give me that look, I know that the deep fried shell negates the health factor of a salad… but hey, who said I was here to diet. You either go all the way, or not at all. This is indulgence at its maximum.
Loaded with fresh vegetables, grilled chicken, guacamole, sour cream, and cheese, this baby is a crowd-pleaser. The combination of textures and flavours is a party in your mouth. I use that phrase pretty often, I better find a new catchphrase haha.
Hahaha, actually this is kinda true. The base of all their dishes is a tortilla, and the same kind of fillings. Just depends on whether you have the tortilla as a wrap, or fried in taco form, or fried and drenched in sauce like a chimichanga.
Ah yes, one more thing, Baja Fresh has good service. In fact, I would even go so far to say that they have impeccable service. The staff patiently explained the menu to me, since I don’t have much experience ordering mexican food. I must warn you first, their food must be loaded with MSG or sodium (or at least the things I ordered were), cause I had a reaction afterwards. But you could always go for the healthier choices like ensalada, and wraps, instead of the rich foods that I tried. If you are there to try indulge in a full out mexican feast though, then do try the dishes I ordered! Maybe they should start selling breakfast to cater to the office workers, I mean, breakfast burritos loaded with eggs, ham, sausages, peppers.. the works! Who can say no to that?
Rating: 7/10
Foogo! 