Maya: A re-education

This isn’t your average Mexican restaurant. Enter Maya Taqueria and Tequila Lounge, at the Crossroads Arcade in Banilad, with an open mind, because dining at Maya becomes a re-learning of sorts. There are no Mexican dishes that we Pinoys have gotten used to. Missing are the items which some “foodies” say are the real thing, like tacos with grated cheese and ground meat of unknown origin (Is it beef or pork? Can you tell?), and enchiladas and burritos that taste the same as everyone else’s “authentic Mexican food.” You won’t even find a single sombrero in the place; Maya isn’t about ambience dictating authenticity.

Maya is about food, and the fun that goes along with discovering new flavors; when was the last time you had a guacamole that actually tasted like avocado, tinged with citrus? With little chunks you can chew? Or a refreshing salsa that’s sweet, sour and hot, filling your mouth with a coolness that slowly gives way to a zingy heat that lingers? It’s all about the flavor in Maya.

Even the tacos are different. You get a choice of roast pork that tastes like your lola’s adobo, shredded chicken with a smoky tomato-chipotle sauce, fillets of grilled fish, or Angus flank steak, with coriander and salsa in a soft corn tortilla. It doesn’t have any grated cheese, cheese does not a taco make, anyway. Don’t forget to squeeze a few drops of kalamansi on your taco, too. The taste will engulf your mouth with an explosion of flavors that will change the way you look at a taco.

You will also learn: Pinoy and Mexican cuisine are a lot alike. In fact, some dishes are identical. For one, empanadas, a stuffed pastry Pinoys love, are also a Mexican dish. Albondigas (read: meatballs) are mainstays of both Mexican and Pinoy cuisine, and yes, you can get them both at Maya.

Rice, which Pinoys love, is also a staple in Mexico, evidenced by the dishes that make use it, such as frijoles y arroz (beans and rice) and burritos. While Pinoys don’t really eat burritos often, other dishes at Maya such as the Chechac and Pescado Veracruz may convince you of the similiarity of Pinoy and Mexican food.

The Chechac is a rice dish with braised fish, coconut, bananas, tomatoes, lime and achiote, or achuete in our language. In looks, it resembles rice submerged in afritada; in taste, it will remind you of arroz a la cubana, which is very familiar to the Pinoy palate. Similarly, the Pescado Veracruz, a fish dish, undergoes a very Pinoy way of cooking, wrapped in banana leaves. It’s the same way most Pinoys would cook a fish on the beach. And what about the very Pinoy leche flan for dessert?

More importantly, prices are Maya are very reasonable. You can dine there without having to tighten your belt till the next payday. Factor in the quality of the food, the beautiful interiors, and the excellent service and you’ll find that you’re getting mucho bang for your peso.

As far as authenticity goes, everyone has their ideas about authentic Mexican food. In my opinion, Maya sets the benchmark for Mexican food in Cebu, and probably even in Manila. As for the ninety or so kinds of tequila available at Maya, well, that’s best saved for another article.