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Latin influenced restaurants seem to be popping up all over KL, and El Sid’s in Damansara is the newest kid on the block. Bright, airy, and colourful, you’d be hard-pressed to find a cheerier restaurant in Kuala Lumpur. Wooden tables, cushioned seats, tiffany lights, and coloured ponchos lend a festive feel to this neighbourhood favourite that’s fast gaining popularity with those beyond the Damansara area.

Plonking ourselves on a picnic table outdoors, we quickly dived into the impressive list of cocktails, eager to quench our thirst. Dubbed a “pub with tapas,” El Sid’s has the warmth of a traditional taqueria with a lot more than just tacos to whet the appetite. “We wanted to create something that has a bit of all of Latin America, not just Mexico,” owner Geoff “Sid” Siddle himself tells us.

My white peach sangria arrives just in time to sample the eggplant nachos. Topped with spicy jalapeños and served with a generous helping of cheese, this is probably one of the best nacho plates in the city – even with no meat!

Another sip of my refreshing sangria and the chicken wings make their entrance. Doused in Sid’s ‘inferno’ sauce, this dish is not for the faint-hearted. Staying on the spice trail, we sample the stuffed jalapeños – my favourite on the tapas menu. Bursting with flavour, the mozzarella cheese in the jalapeños perfected the trio of tastes.

After all that tongue burning, an ice-cold frozen margarita is ordered to soothe the fiery tastebuds. A quick swig of the chilled drink prepares me for the next tapas dish – BBQ ribs. Sweet and tangy at the same time, the portion was generous enough for three, if not four people. Crab cakes follow and were a definite highlight for this seafood-loving foodie. Not your average bread-crumbed snack, the homemade patties were jam-packed with crab-tastic goodness and are definitely (in my opinion) well worth your money.

Another perennial taqueria favourite, the ubiquitous fish taco, has yet to make a real splash in KL – but El Sid’s serves up a winner. With their Dutch codfish topped with tomato salsa, lettuce, and a spicy mayo sauce, you won’t need to make a trip to South America to sample this popular dish. Churning through the extensive cocktail list, a delicious pisco sour is brought out, to go with the empanadas. Piping hot and packed with minced meat, these snack-sized munchies were deceptively filling.

Laid-back, welcoming and with a drinks menu that’s definitely something to shout about, El Sid’s is proving to be the city’s best spot to sample the different tastes of South America – all with a drink in hand, of course.

Source: The Expat January 2014

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