I used to work in Miranda prior to the redevelopment of the shopping mall but since, I haven't actually gone back all that much. We took this opportunity then to introduce the Mrs to the suburb and survey all the new eateries that have opened up. On this occasion, we chose to dine at Mejico which is a popular and well known Mexican eatery. The Mrs and I have always wanted to try the place but we'd never really found an opportune moment. Fortunately as well, since we'd never gone, the responsibility of ordering went to my sister who was a regular at that particular restaurant...woohoo!
We ordered quite a bit to share but we started with their most well known guacamole which is made right at the table and served with plantain chips. All the ingredients are brought fresh to your table where the service staff will personally prepare the guacamole in front of you in a large mortar and pestle. Tangy, creamy and refreshingly light...the guacamole makes for a wonderful dip for the moreish chips.
After the guac, our tacos started to come to the table in quick succession. We ordered the chicken tacos, Salmon Tacos and Pork tacos. I'll elaborate on them a little from the ones I liked the least to the one I liked the most (bear in mind, all of these tacos were amazingly delicious in their own right). Of all three tacos, I personally liked the pork the least which is a little disappointing because I love pork but to me, the tacos had a deep and impressionable impact at first but quickly became overly heavy on the flavours. Texturally and flavour-wise, there wasn't enough to cut through the intensity.
After the pork, I would rank the chicken tacos second best. The chicken is flavoured really well and goes nicely with the chorizo. The cucumber and other spices help to create a layered and complex combination that works together really well.
Finally and most surprisingly, my favorite of the night were the salmon tacos. I normally strongly dislike cooked salmon as it's so easy to overcook it and make it mediocre but the small and well portion salmon pieces worked really, really well in this instance. Cooked to absolute perfection with a delightfully smoky char, made just that much better with a sour element from the cabbage, spice from the jalapenos and the creaminess from the mayo....it just works so wonderfully.
Additional to our tacos, we also got the salmon ceviche which was really good but I'd say something I'd pass on ordering next time. The crunchy radishes and creamy creme fraiche work really nicely with the salmon but I'd have to say that the salmon flesh was chewier than I'm normally used to. On top of that, the tortilla strips came off as a little stale to me.
We'd also ordered the beef short ribs and patatas bravas to share between the three of us but they sort of forgot our order so it took some time before we got to dig in again. No complaints after the first bite however as the beef was so amazingly tender I couldn't have cared how long it took. This dish was all kinds of fatty, beefy goodness with a chipotle chutney that really helps add a tang to the generally heavy and moreish meat. Beef always goes well with carby, starchy potatoes...especially when they have a crunchy, crispy exterior and it's all smothered in a rich, decadent spiced aioli.
It was a great night out catching up with family whilst having amazing food and drinks, I can honestly say that I wouldn't have had our Friday night any other way. Now, I know the Mrs and I have been a little quiet lately but if we haven't mentioned already, a very, very important event is edging dangerously close and we've been flat out trying to keep it all together...which is to say, we haven't forgotten about our readers but we'd like to ask everyone to stick with us a little longer as we have exciting news coming soon!
