Mexican Food - Down Under Style
Posted by at 9:48 AM
The selection of Mexican food here is nearly non-existent, which is not a surprise given the distance away from Mexico. Anyway, I am kind of on a mission to find a half way decent Mexican restaurant, just to see if one exists. So far we have found a couple of places that have Mexican food on the menu, but I wouldn’t categorize them as Mexican restaurants. Near my office is a placed called Xquisito, which has tacos, nachos and burritos, but apparently they specialize in Mexican crepes. Hmm…don’t seem to remember any Mexican crepes back home…seems like a rare French-Mexican hybrid to me. Jess and I also tried a taco place in Bondi Junction, which was actually pretty good, but the tacos only came with meat and beans…not exactly a full fledged taco if you ask me. I have a crazy idea that a good taco stand/shop would do really well here…still on the lookout at the moment.
At the grocery store, there are usually one or two shelves that have “Mexican Food”, which usually consists of canned chillies, salsa, taco seasonings, and tortillas. The only brand to choose from is Old El Paso. Jess and I have already gone through a jar of salsa, which tastes more like spicy ketchup than actual salsa. The tortillas come with a moisture absorption packet (the same kind that comes in the box with new shoes), but surprisingly it doesn’t affect the taste as much as I thought it would...although they were a bit dry. Once our kitchen stuff is delivered, I am sure will be attempting to make tortillas on our own (any advice John Q?).
Update: I decided to try one of these so-called “Mexican Crepes” for lunch – it was terrible and it cost $9! The Asian behind the counter seemed shocked when I wanted avocado and cheese….um this is a Mexican Crepe right? The crepe itself was too thin to pick up, yet to tough to cut with the plastic fork and knife….hmmm maybe a tortilla would be better? The “spicy meat” filling was interesting, but in no way had any resemblance to “meat”. So I have learned my lesson….if I want Mexican food here I am going to have to make it myself.
At the grocery store, there are usually one or two shelves that have “Mexican Food”, which usually consists of canned chillies, salsa, taco seasonings, and tortillas. The only brand to choose from is Old El Paso. Jess and I have already gone through a jar of salsa, which tastes more like spicy ketchup than actual salsa. The tortillas come with a moisture absorption packet (the same kind that comes in the box with new shoes), but surprisingly it doesn’t affect the taste as much as I thought it would...although they were a bit dry. Once our kitchen stuff is delivered, I am sure will be attempting to make tortillas on our own (any advice John Q?).
Update: I decided to try one of these so-called “Mexican Crepes” for lunch – it was terrible and it cost $9! The Asian behind the counter seemed shocked when I wanted avocado and cheese….um this is a Mexican Crepe right? The crepe itself was too thin to pick up, yet to tough to cut with the plastic fork and knife….hmmm maybe a tortilla would be better? The “spicy meat” filling was interesting, but in no way had any resemblance to “meat”. So I have learned my lesson….if I want Mexican food here I am going to have to make it myself.
1 Comments:
i sympathize - the mexican food up here is a disaster. but i've stumbled across a fajitas recipe that i've tweaked a bit & really like, so i'll email the recipe. you guys should get some of those texans to send you a care package with proper tortillas, spices & such. i'd offer to send some salsa but these people seem to think watered-down marinara sauce is salsa. savages.
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