TOO HOT TO HANDLE!

       There is a noticeable distinction between what is known as "Tex-Mex" food and authentic Mexican cuisine.First popularised in border states like Texas and other Southwestern parts of the United States, Tex-Mex utilises local ingredients, including using more cheese and sour cream than traditional Mexican food, and in some cases, imported spices such as cumin.
       Tex-Mex also has its own unique dishes, such as the chimichanga; an otherwise relatively healthy burrito, deepfried to augment the texture before topping it with a layer of cheese, sour cream, guacamole and salsa.
       Authentic Mexican cuisine is quite similar to Thai food;it's light, tangy and spicy thanks to the use of ingredients that can be easily found in both countries, such as fresh herbs, lime juice, chillies, peppers and other fruits.
       After nine years of living in Thailand, tired of eating an American variation of the food from his homeland, Mexican Jorge Bernal took the logical step of preparing his own dinner a few steps further and opened the original Tacos & Salsa in Sukhumvit Soi 18.
       The first T&S was a hole-in-the-wall establishment with only four tables, but as business began to pick up, Jorge decided to rent a five-storey shophouse on Sukhumvit Road, in between Emporium and Soi 22.
       Currently, only the ground floor is open while the other levels are being renovated to become another dining area, a lounge, and very possibly an area for salsa dance classes.
       Parking here is surprisingly abundant.The Washington Square car park is connected to the back entrance of T&S, so you don't have to worry about having to park all the way at Emporium then walking a laborious 300-metres in the heat.
       The pink building that houses T&S is possibly one of the hardest things to miss as a pedestrian walking along Sukhumvit.It's five stories of pinkness, way more pink than five Elton Johns.
       The inside is thankfully not pink, but a mixture of psychedelic orange and blue that pretty much spells out "party time" like a teenaged Sean Penn. The entire ambience is matched by appropriately dressed staff, clad in black mariachi-like costumes against the backdrop of a Mexican soundtrack.
       The food here is back-to-basics goodness. Just about
       every dish contains some form of tortilla,a flour or corn flat bread which is a staple of the Mexican diet, much like the way we eat rice with everything here.For example, instead of our khao tom (rice porridge),the Tortilla soup (B80) at T&S is a spicy chicken broth with shreds of chicken breast and whole pieces of crispy tortilla chips soaking it all in.
       A traditional Mexican favourite is the Alambre (B220); two individual soft wheat tortillas filled with fried peppers, onions, cheese,stewed beef and several other ingredients. It's a light sandwich that pairs beautifully with the complimentary salsa.
       Speaking of salsa, T&S does not take its spice levels mildly.Oh no, the salsa here is like the death metal of spice.
       T&S serves three different complimentary salsas to be used as condiments and as dips for tortilla chips. One is a fresh tomato salsa made with tomatoes, onions, salt,chillies and lime juice, which is relatively mild, unless you bite into one of the chillies.
       Then there is a red chilli sauce, made with pureed red tomatoes and red chilies, which is quite hot.
       However, if you're the kind of person that likes a good whipping in the bedroom (i.e. a masochist) then go green with the sweat-inducing, fiery green salsa, made with green tomatoes, lime juice and copious amounts of chillies... but don't have too much of this; chillies are a natural laxative and we all know what that leads to.
       T&S is an awesome place for breakfast and for afternoons when your hangover just won't go away. The Breakfast
       burrito (B130), a serving of eggs scrambled in onions,
       tomatoes, bell peppers and cheese, served
       with two rashers of bacon
       and two flour tortillas, is the kind of meal fit to fuel one eighth of Michael Phelps.
       If you're recovering from a disastrous night out, go for Chila quiles (B90) a plate of tortilla chips smothered in a mild sauce made from green chilies, tomato and garlic, for the ultimate hangover remedy.
       With crazy colours, servers in cultural uniforms, spicy, exciting cuisine and some marvellous cures for "Friday gone wrong"syndrome, there isn't much more to ask for from T&S. Well,except for maybe a cool, wet towel for all the chilli-induced sweat... but then again there's always those refreshing Mexican beverages we're not allowed to write about.