Tac N Roll – LOST GEM 2020
The fusion of Dominican, Korean, Jamaican, Thai, and Indian cuisine within the broader concept of tacos, rolls, and salads at Tac N Roll, which opened in January of 2016, might strike some as odd. However, once you get to know the story of Eric Wong, manager and chef, the idea behind this East Village culinary world tour becomes clearer.
The son of a chef from Hong Kong who immigrated to the United States in 1983, Eric has definitely been exposed to the culinary industry from a young age. It was during his own travels, however – both on his own and as part of the Marine Corps – that exposed him to people “from all walks of life,” each with many recipes from their respective home cuisine. In the Marine Corps, “you get to share many things,” Eric said. “In our case that was recipes.” This fascination for travel and different cultural experiences is succinctly represented in the giant world map on the wall of Tac N Roll.
Collecting staple dishes from twenty regions of the world, Eric eventually zeroed down on those from the Dominican Republic, Korea, Jamaica, Thailand, and India. As for the choice to put them in the form of tacos and rolls, Eric has a simple explanation: “I try to grasp the authenticity of food in a convenient way of eating.” He said that a taco “could be a quick snack or you could make a meal out of it.” To add even more variety and versatility to the plates, the customer can choose a “style” (taco, paratha, roll, and salad), a protein (beef, chicken, shrimp, and tofu), and a “flavor” from one of the five countries mentioned above. Hence the customer gets the chance to craft his or her own experience at Tac N Roll according to preference, and the eighty distinct possible combinations mean customers can try something new every time. For the undecided, Eric also places a blackboard with suggested combinations.
Manhattan Sideways embarked on this culinary journey as Eric brought us four different dishes: an Indian tikka tikka with chicken and crispy bread, a Dominican chimi chimi with beef and flour taco, a Jamaican rude bwoy with shrimp on a roll, and a Korean pulgogi with tofu and flour taco. The Jamaican rude bwoy was particularly interesting, with a kick caused by scotch bonnet – a variety of chili pepper found in the Caribbean – sweetly balanced with a sauce made out of fresh mangoes and pineapple. It is worth mentioning that the crispy texture of the tikka tikka seemed to fit perfectly with its authentic Indian flavor, and it is no surprise that this combination made it into Eric’s recommendation blackboard.
At the conclusion of our very satisfying meal, Eric mentioned that he is looking forward to gradually incorporating other staple dishes from additional countries. Given our first taste of his culinary experiments, we look forward to what he has in store for the future.