Restaurant Review - Los Amates

Only a couple of days late...

We went to Los Amates on a Thursday night. Normally, one needs to book weeks in advance to get a table, but we got one with (in retrospect) suspicious ease when we rang to book Wednesday morning. This Melbourne Mexican mecca is popular with both uni students and melbourne foodies alike - the cheap but satisfying and (relatively) authentic food (I'm not quite sure how popular chorizo is in Mexico...) has become somewhat of an institution on the Johnston St Mexican Strip. So when my partner and and his sister and her husband and myself headed down there at 7 pm on Thursday, it's fair to say we did have some high expectations.

When we arrived, a series of three (rather ominously) harried looking waitstaff tried to take our drinks orders in quick succession. While my margarita was not so quick off the mark as the beers and bloody tequila ordered by the rest of our party, it arrived and (one brain freeze later) was happily consumed. Margaritas at Los Amates are serious value at $12.50 for a very large lemony slushy full of tequila goodness, with the appropriate lime and salt accoutrements.

We shared an entree - guacamole with chicharróns. On hearing the description of chicharróns, you may think it is the most unappetizing dish in the world - it's deep fried pork fat - but I promise you, it's a) delicious, and b) thoroughly authentic. Don't get too attached to your arteries when you eat it, though. It's like a salty baconny prawn cracker - it fluffs up in the fryer and becomes all puffy and delicate. Delicious. You don't get many cracklings - but when you think about what they are (i.e. pure fat) you will realise that it is probably better all round that way.

We were so distracted by the deep fried goodness that we failed to notice that the presence of the waitstaff had gone from flustered but attentive to none whatsoever. After 20 minutes, we thought it was nice of the waitstaff to let us talk amongst ourselves. After an hour and no sight of our mains, we were starting to get a bit hungry, and the mollifying effects of the margarita was starting to wear off. The wait staff were very good and apologized - as did the owner - which made us appreciate what a worthwhile place this is to visit - but it didn't change the fact that we were hungry. Turns out there was a rather large table in the back, which turned out to be slightly more than the relatively small kitchen could cope with. So when we (finally) got our tacos around 8.15 pm, we were very much ready to eat.

I dove head first into my tacos al pastor, not realizing that the waitstaff knew how hungry we were, and had taken the meals out as soon as humanly possible - so quickly in fact that a) they hadn't made sure we were getting the appropriate amount of tacos, and b) that the fillings were rather hotter than anticipated. When I say hotter, I mean temperature wise (although I'll get to the salsa in a minute) - the result of which was a giant blister on the roof of my mouth (that still hasn't healed). Just goes to show it's fresh, I suppose!

One the steam had cleared and the meal cooled to palatable temperatures, we could really get going. I ordered the Tacos al Pastor (tender pork); my partner had tacos with beef and chorizo; and my partner's sister and her husband shared the value meal - tacos with beef and chorizo, lamb and shredded pork. As usual, once they had cooled, my tacos al pastor were tender and juicy, with the sharp, sweet pineapple contrasting well with the unctuous pork. Not being a raw onion or cilantro fan, I left those on the side. I braved a little of the salsa - apparently, this dish tends to be ordered by serious fans of Mexican food, not first time wimps, the result of which is it is served with a salsa that could probably dissolve your tongue. A drop or two is delicious, but any more pretty much sets your mouth on fire. The other dishes were served with salsa verde or pica de gallo - much more palatable for a chilli wimp like myself. The beef and chorizo tacos were lovely (provided you got enough chorizo - the beef was a bit bland on its own); the yucatan shredded pork tacos were popular; but the lamb was a bit grey and bland. We went a bit short on tacos, too - but that was because the freshly made, soft white corn tacos were so damn yummy that we couldn't help but want more. We also had some rather unmemorable frijoles (refried beans) - these were a bit bland and probably not worth getting again.

All in all, a very enjoyable night out. A bit slow to get our meals, but delicious.

Service = 3/5. Very slow to get our mains (but this was acknowledged) but otherwise friendly and efficient.

Ambience = 3/5. It's a bit crowded and the tables are very close together. It looks like a paint can or two exploded in there - crazy colours and patterns everywhere. I know that's the Mexican tradition, but still...

Value = 3.5/5. We spend $150 on a meal for 4, including booze. Although we felt a bit short changed in the taco department, overall you won't find better value Mexican in the city.

Taste = 4.5/5. The best Mexican I've found in Australia. Although one or two dishes fell a bit flat on the night, most of the food - and even the garnishes - were delicious (apart from being a bit hot!)

Overall = 14/20. If you can get a booking, go. A Fitzroy institution for a reason.

Restaurant Review - The Flying Taco

In true lazy cook form, I have been truly lazy over the last couple of days - I escaped the heat in my kitchen by heading over to my mother's house last night for steak and salad; and I got my favourite hot weather food (Mexican take away) for dinner tonight. It came from one of the best Mexican places in Perth - the Flying Taco, on Angove St in North Perth.The owner of Flying Taco works there every night. She's Californian, and it turns out she has the rather distinctive logo tattooed on her forearm (the tattoo came first - I asked...). They do pretty traditional Mexican food - lots of corn tortillas, proper soft tacos, real guacamole, lots of lime and pineapple. They aren't afraid to use proper spices either, but they let the customer decide how spicy they would like their meal by applying the heat themselves, via the salsa. And in true mexican style, there is a lot of food on offer for a very reasonable price. Sure, it's not what you'd get, strictly speaking, in the hills of Oaxoca - let's face it, Mexico isn't known for its steak - but it's much closer to the real thing than the Tex-Mex monstrosities that attempt to palm themselves off as Mexican.

The restaurant itself is a bit of a hole in the wall - a very simple, albeit colourful shopfront, with a few plastic chairs and tables available. Both dine-in and take away options are available - you can even BYO alcohol (for a relatively cheap - for Perth - corkage fee of $2 pp). Ordering is a simple 4 step process - choose your style, filling, salsa (ranging from mild to tongue-dissolvingly hot) and sides.

Tonight, I ordered takeaway. I had the Tacos Carnitas with Pica de Gallo salsa, with tortilla chips and guacamole; my dining companion shared the guacamole and chips, and had the mole poblano quesadilla. Between us, we spent less than $40 - no mean feat for the CUB capital of Australia. There was a bit of a wait to pick up my order - although the staff were very friendly and kind, only one person was serving, meaning that I could see my order sitting there, getting cold, while waiting for the register to become available. None the less, the food happily survived the trip home.

Although my tacos were very nice - the sweet, slightly acidic pineapple cut nicely through the meaty, albeit ever so slightly dry pork (although a spoonful of guacamole took care of that!), they had nothing on the cheesy goodness of the quesadilla. Although the cheese used isn't exactly the most traditional - cheddar - it is absolutely delicious - rich, creamy and heady. Unfortunately, a flour tortilla, rather than a corn one is used, so it's not gluten free - but if you can eat flour, it is well worth getting! If not, ask for the corn tortillas with sour cream - it costs $2 more, but it replicates the creamy meltingness - and elevates the tacos from 'good' to 'delicious'.

The absolute star of the show, though, is the corn chips. These are not your regular insipid supermarket corn chips. They are made to order, from freshly made corn tortillas cut up into wedges and deep fried - but strangely, not greasy or soggy, even after ten minutes sitting in a paper bag in the car. They are crisp, crunchy and perfectly cook. Thick without being heavy. Strong enough to hold a good dollop of the perfectly seasoned, zingy guacamole. The bags are deceptively small. The first time I saw them, I thought 'this can't be worth $6' - but oh was I wrong! 3 hungry eaters were not able to get through a tiny bag - the chips, though small, are so filling, being made from fresh tortillas.

All in all - recommended. If you're in the mood for quick, easy Mexican, you won't do better in Perth. One of the best value eateries this close to the city.

Service = 3/5 - Service was with a smile, but a bit slow to get there.
Ambiance = 3/5 - Unpretentious but friendly. You can see into the clean, bustling kitchen as you order. Busy but not crowded. There is something about plastic chairs though...
Value = 4.5/5 - You will struggle to find this kind of cooking in Perth for so little.
Taste = 4/5 - Absolutely delicious. Even the food that didn't shine was still yummy and satisfying.

Overall = 14.5/20. An excellent meal on the cheap and quick. Highly recommended any time you want a satisfying hit of easy Mexican.