Friday 27 January 2012

Beach Burrito Company

Beach Burrito Company Newtown, the fourth and newest of Beach Burrito Company's eateries, is located near the busy intersection of King St and Enmore Rd. Being new in the neighbourhood, many locals seemed keen to try it out and my sister was no exception.

Managing to grab four seats on a large share table inside, we quickly absorbed the decorations and signs around us. Cheap deals on Tuesdays and Thursdays. A picture of two moustached men surrounded by bikini-babes. Vodka and Tequila Margaritas. Wait what? Vodka Margaritas... my suspicions were aroused. Being an avid fan of Mexican food and tequila, I proceeded with caution.


An extremely relaxed, practically catatonic waiter - whom you could barely tell was a waiter - told us "this place is really chill, just order at the bar".

I was a little disappointed that the menu seemed to reflect Taco Bills or Montezuma's rather than the more varied Mexican cuisine that Australians seem to have embraced in the past few years (e.g., Mamasita, Fonda Mexican). Eventually I went with my fail-safe option - Beef Tacos.



Unfortunately, Michelle isn't a fan of spicy food and thus the following conversation then took place.

Me: How hot are the nachos? My sister is not a fan of chilli. Could we get them without the Chilli Con Carne?
Barman: But then it'll be just sour cream and corn chips... You can get the Vegetarian Nachos.
Me: Is that hot?
Barman: Not as hot. You do realise you're at a Mexican place, everything is hot.


So with an order of Pulled Seasoned Beef Tacos ($9.95) for me, Chipotle Chicken Burrito ($13.95) for Dan and Vegetarian Nachos ($11.95) on its way, I tucked into my frozen Tequila Margarita. It was goood. Just a hint of tequila, good slushy consistency, cold enough to give you a headache if you tried to drink too much too quickly. And the serving size was decent for the $10 price tag.



The food arrived, though not all at once, and we each dug into our respective dishes. The Vegetarian Nachos had a nice assortment of toppings - guacamole, sour cream, beans, tomato salsa and a hot red sauce. Yep, right in the middle covering half the dish was a spicy sauce (medium for me, no doubt mild for some, but would be fiery hot for my sister). Quick to discover this, I warned Michelle and disaster was avoided. And though the toppings were varied, tasty and fresh, everyone commented that there was a distinct lack of cheese (perhaps it was adaptable for vegans too) and the corn chips weren't unique or outstanding either.



The beef was described as "slow cooked for 8 hours in chillies and spices then pulled apart". In reality, the tacos tasted pretty bland. Given the barman had told me only 10 minutes earlier that "everything is hot", I was utterly disappointed with the lack of flavour and spice.


Dan's meal wasn't much better as he described his Chipotle Chicken Burrito as "having one 'taste' rather than a combination of flavours".

Feeling unsatisfied we started brainstorming where we could head for dessert... not a good sign.

If you treat food as fuel or just want a snack with your beer/margarita, then Beach Burrito Company might be a winner. The meals are fairly cheap, especially if you go on certain nights, and the atmosphere is intriguing. But if you want food that tantalises your taste buds then perhaps give this one a miss.

- Dani


Summary
Name: Beach Burrito Company
Cuisine: Mexican
Price: $
Location: 1a Bedford St, Newtown NSW
Map:



No comments:

Post a Comment