Maya Restaurant : Go for the Tequila

While waiting for my bag at the conveyor belt of Cebu International Airport, I looked up and there was a picture of this cool looking restaurant with a Mexican theme. Since I have never tried any other Mexican restaurant except for Mexicali, my friends and I decided to have our first meal in Cebu at Maya. 

This was  picture that intrigued me which is Maya's exterior
 (photo from restaurants' website)

After settling at Crown Regency, we took a taxi at Crossroad in Banilad which was about 20 minutes away. The front entrance was really nice and classy looking.

interior ground floor (photo from restaurants' website)

Coming in, I thought I was under dressed in my jeans and blouse but the other customers were similarly dressed. Lots of families dining in. Small bar at the back, Plenty of soft lights and nice comfy seating but there was this weird partition in the middle of the room that had a long table.  I didn't see the second floor because there was an ongoing party.

We started off with their house Margarita. Nice, cold, right amount of alcohol but served in a half glass instead of the traditional Margarita glass.

Margarita P180

For appetizer, we had the Queso Fundido Con Chorizo. The chips were thin and crispy but a little bit oily. The dip was really good. But really, combine cheese, chorizo and jalapeno and what could go wrong? It was generous too. We already finished the chips but there was plenty left over from the dip. Too bad they charge extra for additional chips.

Queso Fundido Con Chorizo P325- oven roasted cheese with chorizo mexicano
and jalapenos

The tacos were served next. My friend said that in Mexico, tacos are served with tortillas and never with the hard shell (although I absolutely love the hard tacos at Pancake House, authentic or not). At Maya's, you have the option to have the corn or flour tortillas. These are served in three and you can either have one kind of filling or different one for each.

Tacos P335/3

We had the corn tortilla and 3 different kind of fillings; Tinga (Chipotle Chicken), Carnitas (Crispy Pork) and Lengua (Braised Beef).

The tortillas were a bit oily. The fillings itself were bland and a bit tasteless. Faint chipotle flavor in the chicken, pork was not crispy at all and lengua was sliced in cubes and did not have melt in your mouth taste. No salsa or any other thing added except some onions and green thing on top (sorry, wasn't able to identity this but I don't think it's guacamole). Very disappointed.

Next course was Fajitas over a sizzling plate (or Plancha). This was one was a bit better. The chicken was tender and was nicely seasoned. There were 3 small tortillas which was fine since you are supposed to just roll them up and eat them separately. The Mexican rice was good too. Serving was good for 2 person.

Fajitas Polo De Ajo P595 - Plancha Roasted Chicken with frijoles, mexican rice,
charred peppers, onions and warm tortillas

The only thing that bothered me was that there were plenty of chili (sili) in the dish. With the dark lighting and everything mixed together, one could easily have overlooked it and bitten into one. Good thing my friend spotted these and warned us.

sili galore

Enchiladas Carnitas P450 - Enchilada topped with sour cream with Mexico Rice and Refried Beans

I like the Enchilada of Mexicali so of course I also wanted to try Maya's version. Nice good serving that is enough for 2. I like the refried beans. The filling in the Enchilada was super tender and really tasty. The sauce was also good with good amount of sweet, tomatoey and salty flavor. But I like Mexicali's version better because they amp up their taste with a little bit more flavor.

Blue agave is the plant that is used to make Tequila

One of the good things about Maya is their extensive Tequila selections and they have what is called a Blue Agave Tasting Tour. It consist of trying 8 different Tequilas in 1/4 shots. Apparently like wine, Tequila, also has different kinds based on age; Blanco (aged less than 2 months), Reposado (aged more than 2 months but less than a year in a barrel) and Anejo (aged more than a year but less than 3 years in a barrel). 

getting ready :)

This part was actually cool. They gave us a list of Tequilas that they have and you have to choose 2 Blancos, 3 Reposado and 3 Anejo. All of us shared and was able to taste 8 different Tequilas and decide which ones we liked. The price was reasonable too. The clear winner was Blanco Patron which was smooth and did not leave much of an aftertaste.

done!

I did not care for the Sangria that came with it which you're supposed to drink in between each tasting to cleanse the palette.

gulp :(

Final Verdict

The look and feel of the restaurant was very classy. It's a nice place to take someone if you want to impress. Unfortunately, the food was a hit and miss. It was expensive even if there were 4 of us sharing the bill. My take is that come for the extensive Tequila collection but lower your expectation about the food.

MAYA
Crossroads, Banilad
Cebu City

Tel (032) 2389552
http://theabacagroup.com

Hours: Sunday - Thursday 5pm-11pm
Friday -Saturday 5pm - 2am