photo by Mallini Kannan
For those of you living the KY16 life, you’ll know Tailend as the #fancy chippy on Market street. Here’s two things you may not know: 1) Tailend is owned by G&A Spink Fish Merchants, and that’s how they get their beautiful supply of fantastically fresh fish every day and 2) tucked away behind the chippy is a seafood restaurant that serves up more than your average fish & chips. Tailend have recently been playing with new ways to serve up fish in the bubble and with the help of Luvians, they held a one-night only taco feast on the 25th of May. Guess who has two thumbs and got to spend a night eating tacos and drinking beer? That’s right– get jealous. I had an amazing time. I also may not fit into my grad ball dress…but eh.
The deal for the night was 2 tacos and a beer for £10 with about 5 different types of tacos to choose from. Thanks to the guys at Luvians, each taco had it’s own specially selected beer pairing. What I especially loved was that everything was Scottish sourced, from the seafood to the beers themselves. Part of my spoon perks (as if you guys needed another reason to rush Spoon) was that I got to try three different tacos with their accompanying beer pairings. Shoutout to Jess, the lovely manager who gave me the royal treatment and had me unbuttoning my jeans by the end of the night. Oh get your head out of the gutter; you know what I mean.
Cajun style sea bass taco with the Wee Blonde from the St. Andrews Brewing Co.
photo by Mallini Kannan
Jess started me off with the customer favourite, a Cajun style sea-bass taco that was paired with a St. Andrews Wee Blonde. You know what I love? Crispy skin. And the sea-bass in this taco had the best skin I had ever tasted. None of that slimy nonsense. Personally I would have liked a slightly chunkier guac, but all in all I really enjoyed this pairing. The wee blonde itself was very, very drinkable and I had to force myself to stop so I’d be able to keep eating. Good, solid start. And that wasn’t the beer talking.
Tuna satay taco with AKA IPA from the Cromarty Brewing Co.
photo by Mallini Kannan
Jess had told me this was a combo they were excited about trying out and I could taste why. The seared tuna steak was slathered with a nice creamy satay sauce, but what made it was the wasabi guac underneath. It was perfect, they got the level of wasabi just right and you could taste it without it taking over the tuna. Topped with crispy onions, I have to say this was pulling very strong for my favourite of the night.
Now, I normally don’t like very hoppy beers, but I really liked this IPA. I can’t explain it…but it almost tasted tropical? If you get this combo, try the beer on it’s own, then take a sip after a bite of taco. I don’t know what it is, but suddenly that fruity undertone becomes pleasantly floral. Fairly trippy. But in a good way. Like a miracle berry good way.
Jack and Coke pork belly taco with the Red Eye Flight Mocha Porter from the Tempest Brewing Co.
photo by Mallini Kannan
So this was the star of the night. Hands down. Actual best. Which is funny because you wouldn’t think of getting pork at a seafood place but there you go. A lot of love had gone into that pulled pork I had the pleasure of devouring. The chef had brined the pork belly cut in a mixture of Jack and coke before braising it for not 1, not 2, but 12 hours. This was phenomenal. Mind you, it was very rich, so I’m not sure I would have been able to eat three of these but the balance was perfect. Also, look at those beautiful little apple slivers? A lot of love people. A lot of love.
The mocha porter, is an interesting beer. They steep it with cocoa beans and then brew it over espresso beans. It, legit, is like drinking a fizzy alcoholic mocha. While it wasn’t my favourite beer of the night, I have to admit it went perfectly with the rich, sweet pork belly.
Ok real talk, these are not your usual food truck tacos. They don’t come cradled in a Styrofoam lid with a foil blanket, but that doesn’t change anything. They’re still amazing. I know this was a one-off, but I really hope Tailend makes a repeat of this event because even if I’m not going to be here next year, people deserve to try these tacos. Preferably with a side of their hot-from-the-fryer chips. So it’s up to you St. Andrews. Tweet, message or just plain drop in and tell them that you want tacos and you want them NOW.
In the meantime though, keep an eye on their website (which you can find here) for their upcoming gin pairing menu. If it’s anything like what the taco night was, you’re not going to want to miss it.