‘Twas a lazy Sunday arvo, which Tic Tac, Dee and I had spent
strolling through the laneways of Melbourne – mainly shoe shopping...really,
there is no better way to spend a weekend.
Arriving in the city after 2pm, we
decided to get our priorities straight...by skipping lunch in order to secure
more shopping time before the boutiques closed, of course. So come 5pm we were famished.
We decided
to try out Mamasita on Collins St – and though we were there for an early
dinner, the place was already buzzing when we arrived. We waited about 5
minutes to be seated in a cosy 3-seater in the corner.
Of course we each had to have the famous corn. We also decided to
have a taco each, as well as share a main, 2 sides, a salad and some tortillas.
This was more than enough food.
Elotes callejeros - “Street Style” chargrilled
corn, queso, chipotle mayo & lime
Tasty, but a bit overrated, in my opinion. Could have done with more chilli.
de Pollo - Chargrilled chicken, avocado,
chipotle mayo & queso fresco
I was disappointed they ran out of crab meat, because that was the
one I wanted. Quite tasty, but nothing mind-blowing about this dish.
de Pescado - Grilled fish, lime, achiote
paste, red onion salsa & chipotle mayo
de Camarones - Marinated prawns, red chilli &
chipotle almond salsa
de Lengua y Cachete - Braised ox tongue &
cheek, pickled veg & ghost chilli mayo
My fish taco was bland. I didn't enjoy it.
Pancita de cerdo - Guajillo-braised pork
belly, habanero cream, fried parsley & lime
The pork belly was gooood...not too fatty, a tad salty but still
delicious.
Ensalada de quinoa - Quinoa, corn, spinach,
coriander, chilli & pico verde
Papas - Roast potatoes, serrano chilli &
parsley
Frijoles - Baked black beans & queso
fresco
The salad was the dish of the night, surprisingly. The quinoa had a terrific
crunch to it. I could have ordered just this, and eaten it all for myself...
Another surprise winner were the potatoes, which were perfectly crispy. We
couldn’t stop eating them, even after we were stuffed. I resorted to eating just
the crunchy outer coating...
We probably didn’t need to order the side of black beans, and there wasn’t
anything remarkable about it. I think we just felt like a bean dish at the
time...
flan de
menta con caramel
Though already very full, we had to sample a
dessert – there were limited options: ice cream cones (4 different flavours),
flan or chocolate cake. Tic Tac pointed out that it would be difficult/awkward
to share an ice-cream cone, and we all agreed that a chocolate cake sounded way
too heavy for our stomachs at that point. Hence the flan was selected – it was
much too thick and heavy – I think it was overly set.
Our bill came to about $40 each, which was
not a bad deal for the amount of food we ordered. The food was good, service
was amicable, and we never felt rushed or pressured to finish quickly, despite
the busyness of the place. Honestly, a few of the dishes were hit-and-miss. Do
the hits outweigh the mediocre dishes? You bet they do. I’m not sure I would
wait hours to eat here, but if I’m in the area and the wait isn’t ridiculous, I’d
come back for sure.
Ratings (based on my own
experience, on this occasion):
Food – 8 / 10
Service – 8 / 10
Value
for money
– 8 / 10
OVERALL
CONSENSUS: 4 bags (out of 5)
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