I spent New Years in Australia and went for a brief tour of the big cities while down under. And while the Indian, Chinese, and SouthEast Asian restaurants were just as good as the Southern California counterparts that I am used to, there was no real good Mexican food experience. Until I reached Melbourne CBD (Central Business District) and found amigos.
As usual, this cute little nose on my face found the place for me. Located along the Hardware Lane that you often see in the tourist guide books for Melbourne, I was quite surprised to have my nose lead me here. Any fan of good chorizo (minds of out of the gutter, kids!) knows that you can pick up the aroma over other restaurants, which is the case here. There was a few Italian places and some other small fine dining, as well as Asian spots all along the Hardware Lane, but (for me) Amigos stood out because of the aroma and the great sense that I could find REALLY GOOD Mexican food here.
LUNCH: Appetizer of chorizo and black beans. Not the standard lamb chorizo or Aussie sausage with spice that tastes like pate' with chili sauce that you see in other Aussie attempts at Mexican food, but genuinely GOOD chorizo on caribbean black beans, with a side of marinated carrots and pretty decent chipotle spicy sauce. While the tortillas did not the "fresh out of the oven" taste, they were still quite good. The best part was the subtle hint of lime/citrus flavor in the black beans along with good cheese slightly melted on top. Someone has recently been to tropical zones in Mexico and remembered what was good about that food and duplicated it here.
The Sangria Blanca, while not exactly what should go with red meat meal, was a very refreshing beverage to enjoy. While the white wine was a local (forgive me, I did not write down the name) the taste of citrus and other wild berries was very subtle and very refreshing. (It was a 103+ day... imagine 103 degrees in Downtown L.A. and you can imagine how good a cool glass of white sangria was welcome.) Now, anyone who knows sangria knows that it should have a very relaxing smooth flavor while not making you loopy and letting your inhibitions go out the window after a glass or two. No, this was a very good blend of a fine fruity white wine and really fresh citrus and fresh cucumber (a really nice touch!)
Now, Aussie's have a world wide reputation for being good, friendly people, and the staff of Amigos really went out of their way to make me feel very good and that I had a great dining experience. I felt like I was eating at a friend's house and that I was well taken care of. The place was busy with a growing lunch crowd, but I was well attended in terms of food and drink, with quick service that did not make me feel like they wanted me in-and-out so that they could serve others. Quick, but not rushed. That's the way I like it.
(MINDS OUT OF THE GUTTERS!)
Kudos to the staff! I was told that the place was brand new, but they operated like a well oiled machine with a true team of well experienced people who have worked successfully together for so long.
The tequila bar upstairs was not open yet, so I promised to return in the evening, to try more Mexican food (a little taste of home) and see how good the tequila selection could be in this part of the world.
DINNER:
When in Rome....
Ok, so I decided to see what kind of creativity I could find here at Amigos. I had the traditional food and they "knocked it out of the park" (very good, for all the Aussie readers). Now was the time for something new.
The Signature Burrito:
Chicken, honey and seeded mustard.
Oh my goodness, now THIS was a welcome change. The flour tortillas were much better than the corn tortillas from earlier in the day, and the chicken had a great mexican taste to it, but the most brilliant surprise was how dark honey really worked well with the food. To try to compare with anything I have had GOOD in the States would be a disservice. At my best I could try to compare this to a fine Filipino BBQ marinade, but it still doesn't do it service as the level of capsicum and light saltiness keeps the flavor of Mexican food, and the slight char on the chicken gives the "stone oven" taste to it, not something made in a fine establishment like this. And the best part was the mustard. Not the mustard you put on hotdogs or hamburgers, but ones with more... grain to it, more of that mustard seed flavor that replaces the chilis and tomatoes that we are used to. Sure, tomato / chili sauces were made available in case I did not like the mustard, but the honey really balanced off what should normally be an overpowering taste on it's own. An excellent mix!
Dessert: Flan. A deceptively simple dish, but because of it's simplicity it is always a good measuring the strength or weakness of the cook, to get it right. And they nailed it. Sweet, creamy, with the right blend of custard and vanilla. And the fresh fruit on top really helped the dish.
Amigos gets my support! read more