My inner foodie is doing somersaults of joy at the amount of new establishments opening up along Oxford Street. But of course this also means to make way for these fresh new options, older establishments have had to close their doors..
As seems to be the cycle of life along this busy strip.
After today's visit I'm a firm fan of La Cantina Mexicana, one of the very freshest new-kids-on-the-Oxford-St-block, and I sincerely hope the locals and visitors will embrace its casual and fresh atmosphere.
On our visit today we were welcomed by beautiful bright and cheery fence palings outside the restaurant. The scene was completed by the two men sitting at the outdoor bar on stools with icy cold Coronas. The traditional (and amazingly not cheesy) music filled our ears as we entered the restaurant and we were instantly transported to what I imagine a real Mexican cantina to feel like.
Staff were very welcoming and courteous. We chose indoor seating at one of a few mosaic tables with comfortable leather benches over the less formal option in the adjacent room filled with tables and bar stools - I would imagine this other space being used for drinks and bar snacks and could be used for functions.
The menu was everything you would expect from a traditional restaurant with many Mexican favourites. I was pleasantly surprised to see some interesting extras such as the snapper with avocado salsa.
We settled on the fish mentioned above, with the tacos with chicken and two Coronas to accompany the meals. The men sitting outside did their job selling the idea of an early afternoon beverage.
We were quickly served our drinks along with a starter "on the house" which consisted of the most creamy and deliciously spiced corn I have ever had. Staff explained that this was usually a drinking snack over in Mexico, and we were asked to report on how we liked it.
The meals arrived quickly after the starter was polished off and our fingers were licked.
My tacos were presented on a long plate with many lovely small jars filled with spiced chicken mixed with corn and beans, guacamole (wasted on me as I'm allergic), sour cream, shredded tasty cheese and a mild chilli sauce. I had great fun filling the tacos up and having them crack all over me! We decided tacos were definitely not a good first date meal choice, but thankfully after being together for 6+ years the man-thing was fine with seeing me with taco filling all down my chin. ;)
The tacos themselves were thick and delicious, and all of the ingredients tasted very fresh.
The snapper was served in a lovely buttery taco shell filled with salad. Two jars contained the avocado salsa and sour cream. The fish itself was deep fried and crumbed, and was rather dry. Everything else was lovely according to the man (I couldn't taste the salsa) - very fresh and seasoned beautifully. I would have liked to have seen the fish steamed or fried without the coating to let the flavour of the fresh fish really work its magic.
It came to just over $50 all up; very reasonable in my mind. I advised the staff the corn was delectable, and they were happy to hear we would be coming back very soon - most likely with friends in tow for a few evening nibbles and drinks.
I don't think this place will have any issues competing with La Quinta Inn further down the strip. The atmosphere in this little eatery is more casual, light, and bar oriented than their more formal sit-down restaurant counterpart.
I am dying to go back and sink a few more coronas and get stuck into their margaritas. read more