First look: Burgeritos and brilliant queso at Bordertown
'First looks' are an initial sneak peek at a new venue. Unlike reviews, which are strictly anonymous and paid for by Time Out, 'first looks' may be based on press trips or other non-anonymous visits. Look out for the full review coming soon.
We want to call Bordertown Tex-Mex, but that wouldn’t be doing it justice. Ken Walker – the same guy behind Bubba’s Smokehouse and Jalapeño – is recycling those two ideas into a new restaurant on Weihai Lu that follows the entire 2,000-mile dividing line between Mexico and 'murica.
At first glance, Bordertown has that frontier land kind of charm. Think bare-wood furnishings, and that kitschy Wild West look that wouldn't look out of place on the set of a Spaghetti Western. There are reportedly future plans to Mexicanise the space, once renovations upstairs allow for a fully Texan smokehouse on the second floor. Is it gimmicky? Absolutely. But without even looking at the menu you know what you're getting served.
Unsurprisingly the menu here sits on both banks of the Rio Grande. Mild green chilli is a big team player, and you’ll find it dotted around across the menu. Our border run begins with the basket of fresh chips and dips, accompanied by a tub of tangy Mexican-style queso dip which you can also opt to top with smoky chorizo – and you should.
Next, the Bordertown nachos come struggling under the weight of a crown of pico de gallo, refried beans, spicy ground beef and queso. This is a substantial snack for one and comes topped with twin peaks of guac and sour cream.
When it comes to tacos, Bordertown has them in spades, mostly of the US/Tejano variety and in real Texan sizes; two of any should do you justice. You'll want to try The Manchacas (#12 on the menu), filled with scrambled eggs, cheese, bacon and refried beans. Another popular choice (we're told Bordertown's biggest draw) is the Matador – a spicy concoction of ground beef, hash browns, fried egg, salsa roja, cheddar and pickled jalapeños.
If you tire easily of tacos, the Mini Chimmies are a nice detour off the eaten track – these soft flour tortillas stuffed with cheese and ground beef nestle in a bed of rice, beans and your choice of red or green chilli sauce, and deliver a mild pinch.
Then there's the Burgeritos (good God that's right, burger burritos) an ingenious combination of North America's two greatest foods, that comes with a side of fries.
Bordertown dances along national boundaries, and that's a great thing – who wants to put up border walls anyway? It's a memorable mix of everything on either side of customs, and next time you're in the Jingan Temple area, you may want to make it a port of call.
Bordertown 399 Weihai Lu, near Chengdu Bei Lu (5309 9070).