Ever had Japanese Tacos? well, Domo Taco has been a regular on the NYC food truck scene for most of 2012. They don’t serve Korean/Mexican tacos; their food is more Japanese and Thai with Mexican accents added.
Our lunches so far at Domo Taco have ranged from so-so to good, but there are still some things we haven’t tried yet. We put together our own sampler platter of a kare beef taco, a lemongrass chicken taco ($3 each) and Japanese nacho tots ($4)
We started with the tacos because they can become breakable if allowed to sit for too long. Domo Taco also uses only one tortilla per taco, which can exacerbate the problem of tortilla breakage, even if eaten right away.
If you’re not sure what kare beef is, just say it out loud and what do you hear – curry beef. This was a taco with thin slices of beef in a brown curry sauce, topped with a cucumber and pineapple salsa and queso fresco.
The beef was nice and tender, with the sweetness of the cucumber & pineapple salsa playing off the slightly spicy curry sauce nicely.
The queso fresco was basically a cream sauce, kind of like sour cream if it wasn’t sour and was a little thinner.
The taco was stuffed with meat, making two tortillas even more important. By the time I got to the last 2 bites, I had to use the fork that was provided for the nacho tots. Yes, it was falling apart and impossible to pick up at that point.
Despite the late breakage, the kare beef taco was one of the better dishes I’ve had at Domo Taco, with everything going together quite well.
The lemongrass chicken taco was next. It’s tough to see under the toppings, but the chicken pieces were plump and juicy, and had a little bit of charring on the edges of some pieces. A few pieces of the chicken fell out of the taco, and the chicken by itself was delicious.
There wasn’t a strong lemongrass flavor, but the chicken was tasty. Unfortunately, the toppings of pico de gallo, jack cheese and queso fresco didn’t do anything to enhance the chicken. Don’t get me wrong, this was still a decent taco, but it could have been great with other toppings that went better with the chicken.
I know it’s easy to throw darts and tougher to put yourself out there as a target, so what would I do different?
I’m not a chef, but I would get rid of the queso fresco and jack cheese and maybe add cilantro, some julienne carrots and cucumbers, and a little chile paste or sweet chili sauce. That would make it a Thai taco, not a “fusion” taco, which is what this chicken deserved.
The nacho tots were listed as a side dish, but were substantial enough to be lunch for some people. The bottom of the container was filled with tater tots as a foundation. Loaded on top were pico de gallo, nacho cheese, okinomi sauce (a sweet brown sauce), Japanese mayo, and nori (seaweed). The whole thing was topped with bonito (tuna) flakes.
This dish had a lot of things going on – sweetness, cheesiness, a little spiciness, and even some fishiness from the bonito flakes. Tater tots were a good base to absorb all the different flavors and textures, but if you don’t like fish, either ask for them to hold the bonito flakes or get something else. Personally, I like that taste.
You can find Domo Tacos on Twitter here or on our Mobile Munchies Twitter feed. Their facebook is here as well, if that’s your thing.
