One of the coolest bars in Leeds, Neon Cactus, partners with one of the hottest shops in the north, the Chilli Shop, to host a taco-tastic supper club.
Neon Cactus, the Mexican inspired bar on Call Lane, hosted a special supper club on Thursday night, in collaboration with heat merchants, The Chilli Shop. This unusual supper club event saw diners enjoy five newly developed tacos which were each matched with a hot-sauce.
Tickets for this unique event cost £25 and included a cocktail on entry, the five-course taco tour and their hot sauce pairings, as well as a Horchata ice lolly extinguisher to finish (and it really did extinguish the heat!) During the evening, a selection of inventive cocktails, craft ales and other traditional tipples was also on offer to keep diners hydrated.
The Chilli Shop (located in Leeds’ Merrion shopping centre) was founded in 2004, becoming the first Chilli Shop in the north. Representatives from the spice emporium took centre stage at the Neon Cactus supper club event, showcasing some of the hottest and most unusual pepper products in the world. As each taco was served, The Chilli Shop described its sauce, explaining why it had been chosen to complement that taco, as well as explaining how the sauce was made.
Harley Ali, head chef at Neon Cactus, came up with the new tacos and explained that the supper club was designed to show how hot sauce can be paired perfectly with tacos, one of Mexico’s favourite dishes. The event, which had been developed in homage to Youtube sensation First We Feasts ‘Hot Ones’, saw hot sauces increase in spiciness across the evening. When the fifth and final taco (which also happened to be vegan) was served, diners were tested to see if they could handle the heat or not!
We were lucky enough to test our taste buds at the event and in so doing were able to experience an evening quite different from anything we have been to before. On arrival, we were treated to a classic margarita and were then shown to our candlelit table, ready to try the tacos.
The first taco, an unusual combination of beef tongue and feather blade with a cheddar fritter and salted cabbage, was paired with the mildest hot sauce of the night, the ‘Howler Monkey Amarillo’, which was still pretty spicy. The taco itself was tasty, and the meat was moist and well cooked, but we would have preferred the cheese to have been melted, since we couldn’t get the creamy cheese flavours from the crispy fritter. The hot sauce pairing worked well and complemented the taco perfectly.
Taco two was a combination of cumin confit pig cheek with tempura cactus. This taco was as interesting as it was tasty. The pig cheek was soft and melted in the mouth, and the cactus added an unusual freshness to the dish, although the tempura batter did not retain its crunch, which was a little disappointing. The hot sauce served alongside was ‘Marie Sharp’s Green Habanero’, which tantalised our taste buds. The sauce, made using the hottest pepper known to man, was fabulously fresh, and took us to the foothills of the Mayan Mountains, where it is produced.
By taco three, our tongues were tingling, but we refused to be defeated. Taco three, which was our favourite of the night, was a refreshing mix of lobster, prawn and charred mango salsa with tobiko (or Japanese flying fish eggs). The flavours in the taco were perfectly balanced and were only improved by the addition of the ‘Germand’s Chilli Roasted Oil’. The oil was super-hot, but it did not overpower the dish, instead adding a garlicky hit that we loved.
The penultimate taco of the evening was a Mexican treat of tea smoked venison with mezcal glazed carrot. The taco itself was again very tasty, with rich, meaty notes and sweet, sticky carrot. However, the hot sauce it was paired with, ‘Blueberry Hell’, was pushing us beyond our spice comfort zone and made the taco a little tricky to enjoy. However, for lovers of heat, the multi-award-winning sauce, which is made with blueberries, blackberries and a combination of peppers, offers an interesting blend of sweet and heat.
The final taco of the evening was a vegan treat, a combination of jackfruit, mapu tofu and shallots. The mild flavours of the taco absorbed the ‘Hot Headz Killer Hot’ sauce which was drizzled on top. The sauce, which blew our heads off, was made with THE HOTTEST CHILLI IN THE WORLD, which explains why it was an absolute monster. Thankfully, straight after attempting the taco we were given a Horchata ice lolly extinguisher, which was specially made to cool off even the hottest of tongues.
Overall, we thoroughly enjoyed the evening. The tacos were tasty and the fillings well prepared. The sauces, which we haven’t had the guts to try before, were well paired with the tacos, and pushed our taste buds to new levels. We were captivated by the stories behind the sauces and came away with a number of ideas for how we could enjoy them at home. We hope that the Neon Cactus – Chilli Shop partnership continues, because we would love to go back once we have trained our taste buds to handle the heat!
All photographs by Jeanine Guerida.
