From MBA To Masa: The Malaysian Who Refused To Make A Bad Taco
Mervyn Chin, 34, a Malaysian with no culinary background, no Mexican heritage, and an MBA from Taylor’s, spent six months in R&D to open Comprendes, Mendes — a hyper-authentic Mexican pork taco restaurant in Petaling Jaya that passed its most important quality check when Mexican Embassy staff tasted the food and were moved to tears.
- Mervyn Chin, a Chinese Malaysian with an MBA and no culinary training, spent five months perfecting a single corn tortilla.
- The food moved Mexican Embassy representatives to tears, earning Chin an official letter of appreciation from Mexico's Ambassador to Malaysia.
- Named after an obscure 1997 Mexican rap lyric, Comprendes, Mendes operates Friday to Sunday, with Chin eyeing Michelin recognition.
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Mervyn Chin has never worked in a kitchen.
He does not speak Spanish, has no Mexican heritage and holds an MBA.
He also spent five months perfecting a single tortilla.
The sceptics were right to be sceptical.
When Chin first signalled his intention to open an authentic Mexican restaurant, the reception was not warm.
A Chinese Malaysian in his thirties, no culinary training, no connection to the cuisine, no time spent in Mexico — the scepticism, by his own account, was immediate.
He proceeded regardless, and Comprendes, Mendes was born.
Sourced From Mexico, Cooked At Home, Tested Until It Held
The R&D phase ran six months; Chin cooked at home.
He sourced key ingredients directly from Mexico — achiote, hominy, ancho chillies.
He built the menu around nixtamalization, the traditional Mexican process of soaking and cooking corn kernels before grinding them into fresh masa (dough) for hand-pressed tortillas.
The corn tortilla alone took five months.
The hydration problem is the reason.
Corn masa absorbs moisture inconsistently — a variable that affects texture, elasticity, and whether the tortilla holds together during pressing and tossing.
Wheat flour tortillas, the standard across most Malaysian Mexican restaurants, don’t have this problem.
Chin chose the harder option.
The Embassy Came To Assess, They Left Reminded Of Home
Before Comprendes, Mendes opened, Chin set a threshold for himself: the food had to pass review by Mexicans working and living in Malaysia.
When they tasted the food, they were moved to tears; Chin’s explanation was simple: it reminded them of home.
The restaurant has since received an official letter of appreciation from the Ambassador of Mexico to Malaysia — not for the food, but for Chin’s broader work introducing authentic Mexican spirits, tequila and mezcal, to Malaysian consumers across his venues.
The restaurant opened two to three weeks ago on the first floor of 1A, Jalan SS 4c/5, Taman Rasa Sayang, Petaling Jaya — directly above Undisclosed Location, Chin’s four-year-old ground-floor Malaysian-Mexican fusion restaurant.
The two venues share a building; they share nothing else.
Downstairs is the four-year-old pork-free fusion restaurant; upstairs, open for three weeks, is the Friday-to-Sunday-only, pork-forward traditional Mexican room.
Comprendes, Mendes operates Friday to Sunday, 5 pm to 10 pm.
The kitchen runs on 100 per cent Mexican-sourced ingredients, hand-pressed daily corn masa tortillas, and a carnitas recipe that involves orange — the last detail Chin declines to elaborate on
The Cochinita Pibil — pork marinated in achiote, slow-braised, topped with pickled red onions and habanero salsa — is rooted in the Yucatán Peninsula, Mexico’s prime tourist hotspot and home to ancient Mayan ruins and colonial cities.
Average spend runs RM40 to RM100 per person; the entire floor is also available for private functions, complete with DJ facilities.
The Name Is Also A Test
Comprendes, Mendes is a direct reference to a 1997 track by Control Machete, a Mexican hip-hop group.
The phrase loosely translates to “You get me?”
Chin did not name the restaurant after a tequila brand.
He did not name it after famous Mexican painter Frida Kahlo.
He named it after an obscure nineties Mexican rap lyric that the majority of his customers will not recognise without a search engine.
The name is, in effect, a filter.
Chin has stated his next target is Michelin recognition.
He has also stated that achieving it requires opening a branch in Kuala Lumpur — Michelin’s current coverage area in Malaysia.
The restaurant has just recently opened.
The branch does not yet exist, and the Michelin Guide does not cover Petaling Jaya.
He is aware of all of this.
All photos taken by the writer.
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