“Really, who eats at 6pm?” The line of waiting clientele flowing down the stairs as we departed, stomachs full, spoke for itself. The ambience is subdued as we watch the crowd file in from the bar as the day light dims outside. The subtle signage, tucked away first floor location, and understated cool puts Mamasita solidly in the realm of Mexican Melbourne style.
No re fried beans or burritos are featured on the menu, but at last, I’ve found somewhere in Melbourne to enjoy great Mexican. Salsa tunes plays in the back ground as the Mexican beauty pears down from the wall. We place our order and devour our oddly shaped corn chips with salsa and guacamole. (Guacamole, I might add, that proved a fantastic combination of capsicum and chili to avocado for this peckish patron.)
The food arrived waves. The first of the tapas style dishes was one of the three servings of Tostida’s we ordered. Four crunchy bite size fried tortilla bases with our toppings arrive per serving. Tostadita de pollo; char grilled chicken, avocado, queso fresco, (Mexican cheese) & chipotle mayo was my favourite. The strong smoky flavour of the mayo, the crisp base combined with the tender chicken chunks and smooth creamy texture of the avocado and mayo made this a combination quick to vanish from the serving paddle.
Tostadita de Pescado, was topped with more of that great guacamole, small pieces of fish, lime and chilli. Chilli I would have liked more of personally. Tostadita de Maize with a topping of sweet corn, black beans, epazote & jalapeno salsa, queso fresco looked equally delicious but lacked the subtle flavours of the previous Tostadita toppings.
The next dish to arrive was our Quesadillas de Huitlacoche. This is not the most visually appealing food, but don’t let looks deceive you! The tortilla sandwich was filled with gooey and flavoursome Mexican truffle, mushrooms, roasted corn, epazote & queso fresco.
We also had some Ensalada de Quinoa, a salad made up of Quinoa, corn, spinach, coriander, chilli and ‘pico de gallo according to the menu. Fresh and tasty I’m reminded how well simple combinations of fresh ingredients can work.
For the record, I am no expert in Mexican food. It didn’t know what many of the ingredients listed on the menu until a post dinner Google. What I do know is that I thoroughly enjoyed my meal and that this is not something I am going to be able to enjoy again until 2011 and my return from Nigeria.
Good Mexican is hard to find in Australia. Have you discovered any other places for tasty Mexican?
Your local want-to-be Adventurer, Georgia
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
A fabulous review on our night out!
Quesadillas de Huitlacoche is my favorite!