What’s the best Mexican in Melbourne?

Enchilada amigo? Muchos gracias Senor!

That’s about the extent of my ability to speak “Mexican” unless you throw in the word nacho, taco and tequila…

and yes… I’m aware the language is Spanish, and that’s casually racist. Mmm Churros *drool*

Alas I’m getting side tracked…

I have been referred to as a Mexican by my New South Wales and Queensland friends for many years (in Melbourne we are south of the border) 😐

As far as I can remember dishes like Tacos, Nachos and Burritos were always on the menu as a quick throw together meal, and el cheapo trips to Taco Bill in my Uni days I can look back on fondly… Pancho Villa and a free sombrero anyone?

Recently I was planning my birthday dinner and was on the hunt for a good value for money cuisine option that would suit a multitude of tastes. With this in mind I stumbled across a plethora of Mexican restaurants…

I’m not talking about chain style restaurants like Taco Bill or Montezuma but, funky, hip and dare I say trendy places that all spouted the line of real Mexican!

When I asked some advice about where to go, it seemed that everyone had an opinion on the best mexican in Melbourne, and all had a restaurant that they either frequented regularly or were dying to visit.

So I’m posing some questions… Is Mexican the new cool kid in the food playground? Or are people’s restricted budgets driving them to seek cheaper yet still fresh alternatives?

Gone are the days when Mexican (thanks to Old El Paso $5 kits) is a quick at home fix, or a cheesy greasy fast food style restaurant option…

In the end I ended up going to a pub for my birthday dinner…

Why? Finding a mexican restaurant that would take 20 people; without having to go with a set menu was a task (and story) better suited to another blog!

Mugarita?

I did get to a funky place called Touche Hombre for lunch, which I have to admit was fantastic!

I will definitely be returning… mmm Margarita in a mug! Mugarita?

Perhaps it can be my “best Mexican in Melbourne” restaurant, but I’d better try the others first!These are some that were suggested to me as alternatives:

 

 

I’m sure that there are plenty more… let me know so I can try them out!

Nem Nuong… Nom nom nom

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An excellent recommendation from our guide in Dalat was to try “Nem Nuong”…

A do it yourself type arrangement, Nem Nuong is served as BBQ pork strips with crispy pork skin, pickled salad veggies, Vietnamese herbs (mint, coriander etc), garlic and red onions and rice paper.

You basically throw all the ingredients into the rice paper, constructing them into hand rolls yourself, then dip them into a satay style sauce.

A great blend of tastes, and judging how busy the restaurant was at 4pm in low season it’s quite a popular dish!

Next challenge is to find some in Melbourne or move to Dalat

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Snails de la mer!

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Snails!

I often find myself thinking of the humble garden snail and French people when I think of snails that you eat…

Down here in Mui Ne on the south-east coast of Vietnam they are quite the delicacy and are rather delicious!

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Bahn Cuon and Canh Chua Ca oh my!

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So we’re in Hoi An… And about to leave which is a shame as it’s a fantastic place!

In case you were wondering not everything we eat here is for a challenge, we’ve had some amazingly normal tasty dishes since arriving.

2 in particular that were on the list were astoundingly great!

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Pho sure!

Mmm… Beefy broth, rice noodles, spices, herbs and tender beef…

Beef Pho (Pho Bo)

I’ve entered a pho-coma

Pho is a delicious… no INSANELY DELICIOUS soup, and can be prepared in many different ways. Most commonly in Melbourne it’s referred to as Pho Bo (Beef), Pho Ga (Chicken) or a vegetarian variety (I don’t bother with vego as the broth is made from beef anyway), and the essential make-up of the dish is generally the same.

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Videos: Weasel Poo Coffee

A couple of interesting videos on Weasel Poo Coffee… courtesy of JourneyWithJason via YouTube

Guide talks about “Weasel Poo” coffee

Though this one makes me sad… they are so cute and can’t have much quality of life… paying sh*tloads for a cup of coffee from a caged animal doesn’t sit too well with me…

Touring small “Weasel Poo” coffee operation

I’ll have to find a “Free range” version…