Tortilla Quemada: Asoke’s unexpected hole-in-the-wall Mexican

In the past decade, our beloved capital has gone from sparse Latin American fare to become a mecca for Mexican ranging from the real deal to wobbly Tex-Mex attempts.

Despite restaurants and bars being hit hard by pandemic lockdown measures, expat chef Colin Stevens, who last year opened Ekkamai smokehouse Ash Kickers, made a bold move to open a joint dedicated to his favorite cuisine. He calls it Tortilla Quemada, or “burnt tortilla.”

Although Stevens hails from Hawaii, many Mexican food fans will find his offerings unpretentious and autentico, something he credits years of travel learning from Mexico’s best cooks: the locals themselves. 

“It’s those grandmother’s street food carts, stalls and hole-in-the-wall places that I look up to,” Stevens said. 

That checks out with this passion project’s venue: a shophouse’s kitchen offering, for now, only…