A fiesta of flavour

Big flavours, bold decor and a bustling atmosphere make Mexicano’s a destination for a good time, not a long time, writes Alastair Paulin.

Mexicano’s has a split personality. From the outside the squat brown box looks like a storage room, a bomb bunker or perhaps Christchurch’s most boring restaurant. Although I’d dined here before, the lack of signage made me unsure if I was even at the right place, and I wasn’t the only person confused about how to get in.

But step inside and you are in a riot of colour, noise and life. On a Thursday night the place was packed with groups of 20-somethings and a smattering of older couples.

The stools, crammed tables, overabundant Day of the Dead decor, and noise ricocheting off the hard surfaces send diners a message: you are here for a good time, not a long time. This place is busy and tables are turned over quickly.

We were briskly served drinks and our starters: salsa and guacamole with corn chips and crispy fried potato skins with jalapeno queso fundido (Mexican runny cheese). The guacamole was chunky and tasty but the accompanying salsa was a laughably tiny portion. And while the potato skins delivered on the “crispy”, I failed to detect even a hint of jalapeno heat in the cheese sauce.

I had ordered my margarita on the rocks with a salted rim, and liked the addition of some chilli powder to the salt. But since I was clearly going to drink it from the glass, I didn’t want a straw, let alone two. Surely it is time for restaurants to stop treating cocktail drinkers as if they were at a 5-year-old’s birthday party and ditch the wasteful plastic.

Mexicano’s food is made for sharing and the “grande placas” did not disappoint. We ordered seven tacos to go with two of them, and had plenty of food for three adults while two children had a kid’s meal and a taco.

The pork hock with salsa verde on a bed of corn crema was a big chunk of slow-roasted pork topped with crispy crackling and a “salsa” of rocket, coriander, sprouts and julienned green apple. The best bites of the night were had using the crackling as a taco and filling it with the salsa – a perfect marriage of crunchy fat and tangy greens. The pork itself was tender and ripping chunks off with the tongs and big knife that came with it was a fun way to eat.

The “tikin xik” of grilled ling, squid and prawns in a tangy tomato-based sauce with cucumber, radish, rocket and coriander was also excellent, even if the decidedly wet plate was a far cry from the “dry fish” of the dish’s Yucatan name. There was no way to make a taco of this without making a mess but, even if I can’t get that spot out of my shirt, it was worth it.

Both dishes were sophisticated, attractive and well-balanced – a far cry from the bland messes of rice, beans and overcooked meats that used to pass for Mexican food in New Zealand. And a special shout-out for the delicious seasonal vegetables with black olive, toasted seeds and nuts and queso, which was grilled courgettes sauteed in spicy oil, and made a great addition to our self-made soft tacos.

The menu’s tacos were mostly $8 each and one (as well as some of the starters) sufficed for one child. The steak in his taco had good fire-grilled flavour while a kid’s meal of fried chicken, potato skins and slaw was enough for a not especially hungry 10-yearold. The fried chicken was tasty without having much heat and came with a sweet sauce.

The service was friendly, if rushed, and after I had stood in a long line of people from a large group paying separately, the hostess saw my plight and led me to the bar to pay. It was a small, thoughtful touch that showed that even in a crammed, high-turnover restaurant, a little attention can make a difference.