Amigos

Address: 92B Acland Street, St Kilda VIC 3182

Ph: (03) 9534 3322

Website: www.amigos.com.au

Opening hours

Sun-Thurs: 11.30am to Midnight

Fri-Sat: 11.30am to 1am

Pretty random for a Monday night at 10pm – decided to have dinner and this was the only place still serving meals after 9pm on Acland St, St Kilda (Melbourne).

We expected hairs in our food and poor service – but in fact received the opposite. I think we received better service because we were the only people there – 11pm dining for the win!

The menu is a very traditional Mexican fanfare – tacos, enchiladas, burritos and variations of the previously mentioned. I’m not a huge drinker but there’s several kinds of tequila and mixed drinks to sample.

Finally settled on the Fajitas – a do-it-yourself kit which is fun and allows you to sample each of the flavours individually, or together. The side plate consists of: soft rice& flour tortilla wraps (x3), shredded crisp lettuce topped with guacamole, mashed kidney bean “dip” & Mexican rice.

All of these came out fresh & independent (I point this out because some dodgy Mexican places will keep their condiments too close together which ruins the flavours). The main dish was a sizzling meat platter with a tomato-based sauce & a combination of beef strips, chicken & prawns. A very fresh, healthy & hearty serving of food.

Casa Asturiana (Spanish)

Address: 77 Liverpool St, Sydney NSW 2000

Telephone: (02) 9264 1010

Trading hours: Open 7 days for lunch & dinner

Website: http://www.casaasturiana.com.au/index1.htm

I was craving something tomato-based and paella after being inspired on a cooking show. Spanish food at the Spanish Quarter is never a cheap meal, but you have to balance quality with price.

We literally stumbled in here after looking in at all the other restaurants on Liverpool St, and this seemed the busiest. We sat down at about 5:30pm so it was still quiet, but 6:30pm going on 7pm it was getting quite packed out. Gave us some faith in our decision.

For those who have never had Spanish food, typically most people will go and have “tapas” which are like entree-sized portions of food. You order several of them to fill yourself up. And at the same time try a variety of things. Great for a night out – instead of having a big meal which will put you to sleep, tapas is a great way to start the evening of drinking.

Below: PATATAS BRAVAS - Fried cubed potatoes topped with spicy tomato salsa. Served hot. This was possibly my favourite. The tomato salsa and potato just melted in your mouth with an exciting tang.

Below: CHORIZO A LA PLANCHA - Barbecued Spanish pork & paprika sausage. This was one of the better chorizo’s I’ve had, but I am generally not a fan due to them being overly salty. I think the paprika and just-right cooking time made it much more acceptable this time around. My fellow foodie loved it.

Below: Chicken and Seafood Paella – Cooking any sort of stewed rice requires time and patience, hence most people will leave it up to the experts. Paella is basically a risotto, but uses different rice and possibly more herbs. Being indecisive and greedy meant we chose the chicken mixed with seafood paella – not a good idea. The rice was very inconsistent – too soft on the outer edges (like, actually sloppy) and too hard in the middle of the dish. I also felt like I could taste the bottom of Sydney harbour so that was a bit offputting.

Stick to the tapas at Casa Asturiana because they were spot on and had us licking our lips...

MoVida (Bar De Tapas Y Vino) Spanish Restaurant

Address: 1 Hosier Lane, Melbourne VIC 3000

Reservations: (03) 9663 3038

Email: info@movida.com.au

Website: http://www.movida.com.au/

*** It is strongly recommended that you book this place before you go - at all hours of the day! There is limited table seating, and limited seating full-stop. I had to come back 3 times, and the staff are not afraid to treat you in a nasty manner if you don't have a reservation.

I was reading a Melbourne guide, and a hailed 'superchef' in Melbourne was interviewed and recommended MoVida for "The best Spanish restaurant in Australia".

Naturally I was curious because I have not had Spanish food properly (only Tapas in the Latin Quarter of Sydney, Liverpool St) so I needed a yardstick.

The first thing served to you is this bread and dipping oil (pictured below):

TAPAS: A single, small serving of 'entree'. You will need to order everything in multiple quantities if you are dining with others.

Above: Pollo Escabache Al Miguel - spiced chicken escabashe tapa on crisp crouton. Not all that spicy at all, the chicken is marinated in a creamy/mayonnaise sauce, with a tinge of lemon which gives it a mildly sour tang to taste. Very refreshing and good pre-emptive to the rest to follow...

Below: Viera, Jamon Y Espuma - half shell scallop oven baked with Jamon and potato foam. An awesome rendering of Scallop and topping. The white sauce you see is actually potato, so fine you think it's a cream sauce, but it is definitely a potato flavour! Scallop meat was cooked to perfection - not overcooked (which dries out the meat) and not undercooked (giving it a texture which doesn't allow your teeth to bite straight through). Simply divine.

Below: Costilla Con Sobrasada - roast lamb cutlet encased in Catalan pork and paprika pate.

A wholesome wad of meat right there. A little bit saltier than I would like, but the exterior has a slight crisp to the meat, and the green sauce is tangy and offsets it perfectly.

RACION: Small to medium-sized plates of "mains" - you will need to order a couple because they are still quite small.

Below: Chocos Con Garbanzos - pan seared cuttlefish with chickpeas, mint and tomato salad.

This was the recommendation. The marinated cuttlefish was nice and the salad with lemon juice gave it a nice 'zing' but nothing overly spectacular.

Below: Pork Belly (on Specials Menu). This is a fantastic dish - I always find pork belly to be a hit or miss. Sometimes it can be overcooked and too salty (German style) - but this rendition was highly textured and tasty, depending on which part you ate. The pork crackling is hard and crunchy, and the meat directly beneath it soft & tender. Toward the bottom of the piece, it looks like it has been cooked in a sweet soy-ish sauce which gives it extra flavour density.

Below: Monte Mar - spiced rabbit meatballs cooked with white wine and lemon myrtle sauce with prawns. I looked enviously over at the meatball on a nearby table and thought I'd give this a whirl. Gamey rabbit meat is offset by the use of raisins inside the meatball. Gives it a sweet flavour. It is a nice dish, however I personally am not a fan of game meat such as rabbit, venison and kangaroo.

This is a colourful restaurant, and seems to attract a lot of photographers because of the graffiti scene in the laneway outside. Grab a bar table, and watch the people go by, or lose yourself in the spray scene outside.

Montezuma’s (Mexican)

Recommendations:

Nachos

Juanita’s (Mexican)

Silvas (Portugese)

Churrasco (Brazilian style BBQ)

Address: 240 Coogee Bay Rd COOGEE NSW 2034
Phone: (02) 9665 6535
Fax: (02) 9665 6510
Website: www.churrasco.com.au