This popular Latin American cafe has been serving up plates upon plates of hearty traditional South American cuisine for over a decade in Southern Fitzroy. Aside from wowing Melbournians, they have also won a following from the Latin American expat community as well.
The interior of the busy cafe has all the charm of a Miyazaki film; everything was slightly mismatched, and yet, nothing seems out of place. From the dented tin pots brewing hot chocolate to their rustic roughly-hewned wooden spoons (you'll never find two identical ones!), the term "organised clutter" comes to mind.
The coffee beans are sourced from 7 Seeds, which made a decent cup of latte, but it wasn't particularly outstanding, as noted by EJ. R and I opted instead for their Traditional Colombian Hot Chocolate ($9.50 for a pot for 2). I was expecting hot chocolate seasoned with chili (Mexican Hot Chocolate?), but we were pleasantly surprised by the mild, malty flavour. And just LOOK at the cheekily dented tin pot. I absolutely adored the wooden stirrer too. 5/5 recommended just for the aesthetics of its presentation.
An arepa is a flat piece of pastry typical in South American cuisine, and is made from cornmeal. We ordered the 'Old Clothes' Pulled Beef Arepa ($13), the Chargrilled Free-Range Chicken Arepa ($13) and the Chargrilled Chorizo Arepa ($13). The portions were a little small, but they were surprisingly filling, and at $13 each, the price's pretty reasonable. Quality was terrific too; you know how it is, as you taste a wonderfully grilled piece of meat and the smoky flavour explodes in your mouth? That's their chargrilled chicken for me. The
chorizo was something I picked out of the blue, and I loved the explosion of flavour in every bite.
The Beef Empanada ($7.50) was a bit of a hit-or-miss. R loved the texture of the pastry enfolding the minced beef, but I thought it was a little too bland for my taste. Still, a cursory look online on Zomato shows that I'm clearly in the minority, and it was a hit with most other people. Chalk this one up to personal preference.
*Pictures taken and processed by R
Already in the area? Proud Mary is close by, as is Naked for Satan.
No comments:
Post a Comment