These fish tacos are made from local white fish marinated in achiote oil and garlic and cooked on the plancha. La Vida have quite a few tacos to choose from but our favourites are the pulled pork one, made from local pork that has been marinated and slow cooked for 24 hours, served on blue corn taco shells, with guacamole, pickled onions and garnished with pea shoots and the Western Mexico inspired fish one with guacamole, onions, coriander and dressed with smoked mayonnaise, and wrapped in a soft white corn tortilla. Maybe this, combined with the fact that tacos must be eaten without utensils, are what makes this food so customary Mexican. There are no basic rules when it comes to the variety of fillings that can be used, and this allows great versatility and variety. A taco is a corn or wheat tortilla folded around a filling. Many affirm that it’s the traditionaliest of all traditional Mexican food, the tacos, that have opened countless minds and palates to experience real Mexican cuisine. In Mexico and other parts of Latin America, toasted flat tortillas are customarily served as a companion to seafood, so this tuna version is more than fitting and appealing. The taste of blue corn tortillas tends to be superior to wheat ones and they have no gluten to worry about! They also provide a colour base that is different, verging on the eye-catching. These have a crunchy and toasted flat base made from bite-sized, blue corn tortillas, and are smouldered in tasty guacamole. Both are made from fresh cuts of sashimi-style local tuna, which is exquisitely salted. We tried two types of tostaditas, one with a hot chipotle sauce, and one sprinkled with sesame seeds and marinated in lime, which turned out to be our favourite. Something as a tuna tostadita, which is not complex at all is the perfect way to start our culinary journey. Mexican cooking truly covers two ends of the spectrum. Mexican flavours run the gamut, from the highly complicated to the purely simple. This time we will be indulging our taste buds with delicacies from Mexico & Latin America. And above all, every visit to La Vida is not just a burger affair, it’s a 360° food experience. The place has proved to be such a popular haunt, that they are shortly opening another one at Carob Tree in Spinola. It’s unostentatious and promises modestly-priced food and friendly vibes. This corner restaurant is just off the seafront at Ghar id-Dud and looks akin a humble yet homely affair. They named it La Vida, which literally translated from Spanish means life. They visited Malta on many occasions until three years ago they bought the corner place in Sliema and realised their project of passion. Cinco de Mayo is a very good justification to clear our schedule and commute to the busiest part of Sliema, to experience typical Mexican cooking, packed with flavour, colour and spice… La Vida is the brainchild of David and Elaine, a sweet couple from Australia and Ireland. We’ve already visited La Vida last January where we witnessed a sensational Spanish Fiesta brimming with food and wine. The fact that they have a peppery Mexican burger on the menu, might have something to do with that too! At the end of the day, we always end up at La Vida in Sliema for our Latin American fix. From food trucks turned restaurants with the obligatory hefty price tag, to holes in the wall combining canned ingredients, and the likes of Lovely Malta advertising them as freshly made! And there are even those Texan & Mexican mish mash menus that have little in common with traditional Mexican recipes. These couldn’t be more different than true Mexican cuisine. In the past years, we’ve seen a drastic increase in local eateries that propose taco-based menus, more than often including sky-high piles of nachos drowned in cheese and colossal fishbowl margaritas. That doesn’t mean we can’t though! Add to that Paloma with tequila, mariachi music and sombreros and we have a jubilant Sunday. Native Mexicans don’t overdose on tacos, guacamole, tostadas, enchiladas and tamales on this day. It is not a federal holiday, but there are military parades and other festive events. Indeed for many native Mexicans, May 5 is a day like any other. Many people outside Mexico even mistakenly believe that Cinco de Mayo is a celebration of Mexican independence, which was declared more than 50 years before the Battle of Puebla in 1862. While this is a relatively minor holiday in Mexico, it was the Americans who evolved it into a commemoration of Mexican culture and heritage, particularly in areas with large Mexican-American populations. Patrick’s day here? This holiday was originally meant to celebrate the Mexican army’s 1862 victory over France during the historical Franco-Mexican War. Cinco de Mayo weekend, the fifth of May, is here, so let’s indulge on tacos, burritos and margaritas! That’s the proper way to celebrate, right? Or do we have another case of St.
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