Like probably everyone else at the moment, I’m focusing my restaurant reservations on places with large terraces. It helps that the weather currently seems to be complying with the corona-safety measures that are in place. And it’s not like eating outside in the sunshine is exactly a hardship, is it?
So last Friday night’s dinner was at Amsterdam’s latest Mexican venture, Local Dealer Food Inc. As regular readers will know, I’m eternally on the hunt for decent tacos. And no sooner have I found them than they have a habit of disappearing again (I’m talking about you, Flora). So the promise of tacos and cocktails in my home neighbourhood of Oost proved too much to resist.
Once terrace-seated, I sipped on a smoky mezcalito and a classic margarita while deciding what to eat and watching the colourful daily life that characterises the Dapperplein. The smells of the market stalls were gradually wafting away as the evening wore on and the rubbish trucks came through. There was a queue for free fruit and vegetables from a building on our left, while the local men of the Dapperbuurt congregated for cans of beer in the square to our right. In the midst of all this sat an affluent hipster crowd drinking their cocktails and eating their fancy tacos. The juxtaposition was… poignant, shall we say. But getting comfortable with being uncomfortable is possibly this month’s motto.
Taco time at Local Dealer Food Inc.
Awkward social realisations aside, we moved onto the eating bit – starting with the ceviche classico and a bowl of chilaquiles. Both were delicious, but neither were what I’d expected. The ceviche (I think it was mackerel) was firm and fresh and the dressing full of flavour, but it tasted more oil-based than a classic leche de tigre. Meanwhile, the chilaquiles were constructed like loaded nachos – layered up with red chicken stew, cheese sauce, salsa and jalapenos. Like I said – extremely tasty but not what I understand as chilaquiles.
From there, we headed for the tacos – all of which were served in freshly pressed corn tortillas. My favourites were the Cordero de Oaxaca: blue corn tortillas filled with pulled barbacoa lamb and pickled vegetables – yield meets bite, sweet meets sour, undercut with a satisfying umami base. I also loved the special: chicken hearts with rich molé sauce. Everything had a healthy hit of chilli, which I adored (as always).
Dinner came to around €100 for two – including two cocktails apiece, three tacos each plus the starters. And yeah, these guys might just be my new local taco dealer.
