Inspired by American-style burrito joints in San Francisco's Mission District, Muchachos slings Mexican eats from noon till midnight. Located on Keong Saik Road where all the cool kids hang... you'll find Burnt Ends by Perth chef David Pynt, the Singapore iteration of Potato Head and Spanish tapas joint Esquina.
EAT | TACO FINO (Gastown, Vancouver)
From humble beginnings slinging Mexican street eats from a food truck in the beachside town of Tofino. Taco Fino is now the stuff of legends with four locations and two trucks hittin' the road. Casual eats with swagger. Don't forget to try the Burrito Bar.
MOTEL MEXICOLA (Seminyak, Bali)
Motel Mexicola
Jalan Kayujati No 9
Petingenget Beach
Seminyak, Bali 80361, Indonesia
Tel: +62 361 736688
Fonda Mexican
You can spot Fonda's brightly coloured chairs a mile off. This bright and breezy Mexican cantina perches prettily in the heart of Chapel Street. These two little tacos were fresh and bursting with pork, pineapple and crackle and shredded beef, chipotle and pickle. Happily washed down with agua fresca whilst I powwowed with my friends who make Stereosonic happen.
'let me see you do the Jane Fonda'
Buenas noches
Months can pass before we synchronise calendars to spend some much needed time together. I love that even we can still be the same four friends we were seven years ago no matter how many lunar cycles have passed.
As much as we love eating out it is sometimes the simple nights over home-cooked meals that are the most memorable. I am happiest in the kitchen busily throwing together dishfuls of flavour whilst we trade secrets over a glass of red wine.
The Menu ...
Strawberry Gazpacho from Dani Valent's In the Mix 2 cookbook
Iceberg lettuce chunks with chilli mayo
Oven baked corn cobs with paprika butter
Chipotle and ancho chicken tenderloins with lime wedges
Jalapeno guacamole
Old Lira pizza bases with cheese and chorizo
Tomato medley with persian fetta and torn basil
The Inspiration ...
EL PUBLICO ghetto kiwi caeser
Against a looming onslaught of Beaufort Street Festival madness the very thought of opening my fridge makes me shudder. Its around this time of year that my vegetables sadly wither and my puppy dog happily adds organic Mondo's meat to her diet. My phone goes into meltdown and my bikram mat hangs dry from neglect and the only way to clear this haze is to head out for dinner.
Digging into an unctious salmon ceviche and dunking mogo mogo into a creamy chipotle cream is definitely my kind of Tuesday. We kicked it off with a bowl of corn (returning to the menu ... REJOICE) and a swift serving of El Publico's take on a stiff G&T. This reincarnation boasts the distinct flavours of kaffir lime with Patron silver (hola!), tonic and cucumber. It went straight to my head and melted everything into happy as we debated whether to order pork belly or sope.
Maybe Sam heard us arguing or he just wanted to show off as a pretty crazy looking lettuce suddenly landed at our table. Dressed in a sweet mayo, reminiscent of the salad creams of your youth, laced with delicate air dried beef and sprinklings of bitter chocolate. FK ME. So amazing! Head down and get your hands all sticky as you dive into an iceberg salad or as Sam likes to call it his ghetto kiwi caeser.
Casa Mexicana - El Compa
Dining at this little cantina is like being welcomed into the home of your Mexican friend. It's that house you visit and think gosh I wish I lived here. After all El Compa’s name translates to ‘Mexican house-best mate’.
Warm and inviting with cheery plastic tables swathed with brown paper and crayons to scribble. Not too trendy with not a sniff of tex-mex, El Compa is somewhere in the middle and it has found it's sweet spot.
Generous servings of guacamole and corn, soft tacos filled with carnita and cactus and sticky de luce drizzled over crepes. A perfect little haunt for a cheap night out.
TACO CASA (Petitenget, Bali)
Just a little bit out of Seminyak you will find the red washed walls of Taco Casa. Swimming with friendly staff, you can order jugs of sangria and find all the usual Tex mex finds. They only use super fresh local produce and great cuts of meat. Definitely a place I will be going back to.
Taco Casa
Jl. Petitenget (North End of Seminyak)
Kerobokan, Kuta Utara
Badung, Bali 80361
Tlp. +62 361 9161919
The little tough girl
I am pretty sure this little tough girl is featured on the back of La Cholita's business cards. I do love the atmosphere of La Cholita; loud, always busy with its endless shelves heaving with tequilas and mezcals.
We started the party with the usual offerings of tacos and tostadas. Washing down the always satisfying queso and chorizo quesadillas with a tamarind soda. The food here is always tasty and pushing the right buttons however, I was a little sad that our pork hock was allowed to leave so early! The naughty piggy you should have stayed cooking for another two hours. You would (should) have been oh so tender!
pretty slaw
BSF pop up bar
This will definitely be a hot spot at the Beaufort Street Festival!
PIG DINNER Have you ever had pork soda with pig fat ice cream?
Here is little something I wrote for the Beaufort Street Loiterer. A few of the photos are courtesy of my wonderfully talented culinarily cultured friend Ai-Ling aka the Blue Apocalypse.
I WROTE
If an appetite for diversity is on your eating agenda, then Beaufort Street is your answer. From cheap eats and degustations for a pickier palate, to pop up beer tastings and for those a little more daring … a Pig Dinner.
On a chilly Winter’s night on the last day of July, sixty intrigued diners were treated to a swine of a time at el PÚBLICO. We aren’t just talking pork belly, we are talking the whole pig, from trotters to snout to its curly little tail.
Seduced by the streets of Mexico, el PÚBLICO Generales Paul Aron (co-owner of Greenhouse), Cantina 663’s Michael Forde and Alex Cuccovia fell hard for authentic Mexican fare and returned to Highgate to rekindle the love affair. Leaving behind their Head Chef, to be enchanted by the high priestess of Mexican cooking herself. Sam Ward was lucky enough to spend time with Diana Kennedy at her eco-farm in Michoacán learning a thing or ten. It was there he immersed himself in the art of traditional Mexican cooking. Venturing off, eating his way through Oaxaca and beyond bringing him back to Beaufort armed with an assault of recipes and inspiration.
Since opening the doors in March, el PÚBLICO has been educating the good people of Perth on a style that can only be bona fide Mexican. Completed with a library of tequilas and mescal carefully curated by James Connolly, what’s not to love?
Launched with minimal fuss, a poster bearing the words “Pig Dinner $65″ emblazoned the facade stopping many passerbys. A few posts on Facebook and a tweet here and there, had foodies scrambling for tickets, with the event booking out quicker than you can say “Porky Pig!”
Upon arrival the scene was electric with anxious guests milling at the bar. Most not looking past the cocktail cheekily named … “Deliverance”. A concoction of tequila, applejack, pressed apple, lime, honeywater and absinthe bitters complete with the disturbing sounds of a bango twanging in your mind. The Mezcal Trips were a hit, leaving you wishing it wasn’t a school night
The setting
The Deliverance
The long tables encouraged interaction with strangers soon to be friends. The walls glowed, awash with red light, brooding candles flickered to the sounds of a familiar bango rift, all lending to the mood with nervous giggles dotting the air. The tables were styled simply with white linen and long boards placed down their length, providing the perfect canvas for the myriad of colours and tastes to follow.
I had been dreaming of five courses of pork crackle all day but was not quite prepared for the onslaught ahead …
First course ~ Morcilla Queso Fundido
Morcilla Queso Fundido
First up blood sausage and cheese fondue served with house made tortilla chips fit for dunking. When you commence proceedings on an empty stomach, you cannot help but delve straight into the melted bowl of merriment.
Second course ~ Torta Ahogada Carnita
Torta Ahogada
The first course was quickly scooped up leaving in its place a pair rubber gloves. Questioning glances were thrown with jokes bouncing around the table. Wearing puzzling looks with rubber hands outstretched, we received a crispy pork filled roll swimming in a sea of chili de arbol. The sweet damper like roll soaked up the waves of flavour, leaving you in sponge bun heaven. Using the gloves allowed you to pick up the roll from the chilli puddle devouring it like a burger without getting dirty.
Third Course ~ Offal Plate
Sausage
Tongue Esquites, Heads Cheese and Chipotle Crema House made Heart and Liver Sausage with Salsa Negro a chipotle and brown sugar salsa. At this point I thought, why did I pig out prematurely. As a seasoned sprinter, this kind of banquet called for endurance and stamina so, I slowly sampled everything at least three times. Offal as it should be, thank you chef!
Fourth Course ~ Quaesadilla and Sope
Quesadilla
Bacon potato and cheese quesadilla
Next up a generous offering of sope of pickled trotter cochinita pibil and house bacon, potato and cheese quesadillas. My friend cried gelatin far too early which stirred up memories of a failed batch of gin and tonic jellies. If you have ever burnt gelatin you would understand why I just could not take a second bite of the gelatinous antijotes. Thankfully, the humble flavours of the quaesadilla quickly erased any ill feelings.
Fifth Course ~ The Banquet
The main event starred a slow cooked achiote marinated pork butt. A “choose your own” tortilla adventure with a smorgasbord of cabbage, lettuce, pickled onion, radish and beans cooked with bacon laid out. By now we were quite weary travellers feebly attempting to conquer the mountain of tortillas, wishing to be back at the beginning of the night, wide eyed and ravenous tearing the pork apart. We gave it our best shot and watched defeated as the long boards were picked up and whisked away.
Tearing Pork
Sixth Course ~ postres/dessert
Sam announced that the grand finale would take you back to your childhood. An empty glass, a long necked bottle blanketed in paper bag and a scoop of ice cream could only mean one thing, summer. Being mesmerised by a scoop of vanilla ice cream, fizzing and floating it’s way to the top of a glass of sweet lemonade. Have you ever had a Pork Spider? A strangely sweet yet fatty ice cream of white chocolate and pork fat bubbling away in a pork soda. The salty soda, basically carbonated pork stock, working in a weird yet wonderful way. This was definitely the dish that pushed the boundaries, pushing your comfortable edge, so I was reassured to lock eyes with the familiar. Hello candied pork crackle, old friend.
Grazing our way from top to tail, Pig Dinner was the whole hog fuelled by tequila, mescal, laughter and 2kg of pork per head. No matter what your hunger Beaufort Street will hit the spot. Keep your eyes peeled and listen carefully over the sounds of your rumbling stomach to ensure you catch all those foodie whisperings early.
Oink Oink
el PÚBLICO is bringing a whole lot of humble hog to the streets of Highgate on Tuesday, 31 July. The menu includes: - cheese and sausage fondue - "mexican subway" - antijitos of lesser known parts - quesadilla's and all the regulars - sunday roast with the trimmings - not so classic ice cream spider
Mad Mex
This was my first trip to Mad Mex. I found it quite messy in every aspect. Reminiscent of an American high school in the 80s with a lunch lady just slopping any old thing onto the tray. The burrito was lacking. Something to grab after a boozy night out with friends but definitely not somewhere to take a friend for good grub.
La Cholita
I am quite happy to ride the mexican wave that is crashing down on Perth at the moment. I have been to La Cholita a few times now and I think the trick is ... embark on this adventure with friends who want to order for Africa. This is always the best case scenario. Damn you two people date night ... you just cannot sample enough in my opinion. Maybe that is why I try and turn every catch up into a social fiasco. Was perfect to drown my sorrows with my Moogni (collective term for the three of us ... don't ever ask ... it's totally gay) over Tamarind Jarrito as they are both leaving me for fun times abroad.
Entradas: Guacamole, crispy flour tortilla, Market ceviche, Mexican street corn,Taco ~ beef cheek, pico de gallo, Quesadillas ~ chorizo, queso corelo
Fuertes: Wood roasted pork hock, recado rojo with Mexican rice - HOLY SHIT I will now order this every time. You simply have to poke it with your fork and all that ham hock goodness just falls off the bone. (Homer Simpson drool ... urghhhhhh).
Dulce de leche chimichanga - a devillish good dessert (an icrecream burrito deep fried and served with a condensed milk like sticky sugary caramel-y sauce. YUM.
el PÚBLICO
I have already fallen hard for you el PÚBLICO and we only just met. I know that our future together holds many looooong nights together. We thought we would pop in for a quick bite before French Film Festival (ie. order everything off the menu twice and run late for the movies).
BOTANA (snacks) fried chickpeas burnt tortilla salt, street prawns, guacamole
ANTOJITOS (mexican street snack designed to satisfy a craving) pork tongue butter orange picked onion taco tasajo grilled cheese taco pasilla peanut sauce requeson radish habanero relish taco
POSTRES (desserts) "tequilla slammer" lolly <--- bombs of marshmallow bliss with an injection of tequila ... party in your mouth!
Zambrero
If you want fresh, fast and healthy then Zambrero is your answer. Jamie and Eli opened their Mt Lawley store just in time for the Beaufort Street Festival. Following in the footsteps of big bro Leederville, the Mt Lawley store is always packed. The line is full of patient peeps waiting to sink their teeth into quality ingredients and Mex with modern attitude. I tend to opt for a salad bowl and I always get verde and white sauce. Oh how delish! When life gets busy I probably scoff a salad bol two times a week.
Happiness in a soft tortilla.
These two dudes are the owners!
This is the part about Zambrero that really hits home.
"Our plate4plate initiative has been running since April 2011. We work with Action Against Hunger, to provide high protein, high vitamin meals that help strengthen people suffering malnutrition.
Each quarter, we add up all the meals¹ we have served at Zambrero and deliver the resources to provide the equivalent number of meals to our distribution partner, Action Against Hunger, who provide the logistics to distribute the food relief to the areas most in need.
Why did we choose Action Against Hunger as a partner? Because with thousands of volunteers all over the world, and a 30-year track record of providing non-governmental, non-profit, non-religious humanitarian action, we were totally confident that our plate4plate donations would be distributed to the right people in the right places.
Plate4plate is funded through the profits of Zambrero, which means we’re never going to ask you for money. All you have to do is enjoy any delicious meal from our fresh, healthy menu and we’ll donate a meal in return—a definite win-win!
With your support, as Zambrero grows, the number of people we can feed increases and we hope it goes a little way to helping reduce world poverty. Thank you for helping us to help them!"
el PÚBLICO
We were invited by Matt and Marcela to join them at an el PÚBLICO test dinner. Friends with foodie leverage, humour and appetite. My kind of people. Alex, Paul and the whole el PÚBLICO crew were very welcoming. You already get that comforting feeling that the right people are in place to have it running like clockwork. So pleasing to see James Connolly back behind the bar on Beaufort Street. It is always great to get the whole story from venue owners upon you first visit. It makes the venue personable and makes you want to just spread kind words. This investment within all your potential clientele is so important and the guys do it well. Not that they will ever be short on clientele with Cantina 663 and Greenhouse prime examples of being the finest operators.
We are all very good eaters and when I say that I mean when they told us to order EVERYTHING from the menu and report back. Well we did. BEST dinner ever. We had so much fun and we laughed more than we ate.
Spanish "gordita" ~ little chubby girl, me
slow cooked pork belly piloncilo chili oaxacan chocolate - JOY
I cannot recall what the two middle dishes ... can anyone help? 
pan fried fish chileatole home brewed soda ginger and pink grapefruit YUM Sam's hot sauce DANGER tomatoes smoked avocado tortilla radish arroz local prawn mussel organic epazote achiote
tequila flights with sangrita "tequilla slammer" lolly nicuatole mouse wedding cookies cafe de oila nieves cajeta flan banana peanut butter icecream paleta avocado paleta avocado and chocolate - served in steal-able glasses (don't worry I didnt)
La Cholita
Making the most of the hustle of Fringe World we ducked into La Cholita for a liquid refreshment (hello tequila heaven) and some mexican fare before tackling the Twilight Laneway Markets (which were gorgeous). It was nice to go before the evening rush were battling for a table is like waiting for the changeroom at a Sass and Bide sale. You ca'nt exactly say fk it I will sit and eat on the floor thanks. But thats the beauty of somewhere fresh and new Perth ... if it's a winner, it's obvious.
guacamole ~ chorizo queso corelo quesadilla ~ chicken corn salsa tostadas ~ slow cooked pork pineapple onion ~ beef tartare tostadas