Masterchef's Julie Lin Brings Mexican-Malaysian Fusion Flavours to Edinburgh with Tacos Lah at Bonnie & Wild
MasterChef quarter-finalist Julie Lin has brought her signature fusion of Malaysian and Mexican flavours to Bonnie & Wild with the launch of Tacos Lah.
Discover the newest addition to Bonnie & Wild in St. James Quarter. Tacos Lah, a Mexican-Malaysian fusion of spice, homemade flavour, and high-end presentation. Hood was invited to a presentation given by the owner, the much-lauded former Masterchef quarter-finalist and BBC One chef Julie Lin (who now owns Gaga in Glasgow, another South-East Asian inspired triumph). Welcoming us all with bubbles and libations, we watched her talk through the concept behind Tacos Lah: combining her Malaysian heritage with Mexican flavours, as evidenced in the name itself, with Lin explaining that “lah” is a figure of speech frequently used in Malaysia, similarly to how “aye” is here.
Lin, who was born and raised in Glasgow, said her inspiration stemmed from the flavour connections between Mexican and Malaysian cuisines, both of which balance the “salt, fat, acid, heat” index perfectly, filled with warming chillies, fresh herbs, and accenting sauces for perfectly cooked meats. She said that her life as someone with mixed heritage has been filled with fusion flavours and Tacos Lah feels like a natural progression for her restaurant repertoire.
The flavour pairings are well thought out, and Lin has gone out of her way to source premium authentic ingredients, such as blue corn tortillas, to ensure the food tastes as made with love as it would in your grandmother’s kitchen.
The menu consists of a variety of taco flavours like a savoury chicken satay, beef birria dripping with rich consommé, sambal pork with bright pineapple salsa, and my personal favourite, a veggie haggis with sambal hot sauce. The side dish of the moment: salt-and-chilli potato smilies coated in a mouth-watering combination of tajin and lime. If you don’t order them, you won’t forgive yourself. I won’t even mention the selection of decadent dipping sauces available to satiate any palate.
After attending the celebratory presentation, I went and ordered more of those smilies, I just couldn’t resist. I also wanted to try one of their rice bowls, which I can now highly recommend, as the portion size was perfect for a hearty dinner. In addition to the tacos and rice bowls, they also offer burritos and a take on a prawn bao similar to that proffered at Gaga, which I need to go back and try as soon as possible.
Tacos Lah is perfect for a girls day out, a business lunch, or a cheeky pre-Everyman snack. Just don’t forget to order those salt-and-chilli smilies!