New Mexican hotspot takes over Teneriffe’s Sourced Grocer site
A Mexican restaurant has moved into a prime position in the warehouse space formerly occupied by Sourced Grocer, offering a fresh take on the cuisine beyond corn chips drenched in cheese.
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A Mexican wave of restaurants is opening in Brisbane. There’s rooftop newcomer Maya in the Valley where Baja also resides; El Planta, a vegan enterprise, in West End and now La Patrona has set up shop in Teneriffe, in the warehouse space formerly occupied by Sourced Grocer.
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What you won’t find in any of them are sombreros used as lightshades, Corona bottles as candle holders or corn chips, and pretty much most other dishes, choking beneath a thick blanket of melted cheese. Australian interpretations of Mexican food are evolving and at La Patrona, which opened in mid-August with owner Rebeca Flores running the floor and Ariel Becerra fronting the kitchen, the food is inspired by their home region of Bajío in central Mexico.
Polished concrete floors, bare wood tables with paper serviettes, and simple adornment including crosses on the back wall, a mural on another, dangling bare-bulb lights and an array of artefacts, cactus and succulents sketch in a relaxed Mexican theme. A covered deck out the front is a fresh air option.
Starters run from the house specialty of guacamole, made fresh at the table, raw dishes such as goldband snapper or prawn ceviche, to an array of cooked snacks such as gorditas ($15), two rustic corn-based pita bread-like pockets stuffed with smoky ancho chilli-enhanced shredded brisket, lettuce, pico de gallo salsa, cheese and house-pickled jalapeños. These were very good, the robust flavours of the meat shouting their credentials loud and proud. The two tostadas ($21) could have been a little crisper but are topped with a pleasant combo of chargrilled octopus cut into chunks and mixed through citrus pico de gallo salsa, guacamole chipotle sauce, and pecan and pistachio dressing ($21).
The menu marches on through enchiladas and tacos (beer-battered whiting, garlic mushroom and roasted corn, pork or chicken) to larger dishes such as slow-roasted lamb shoulder wrapped in banana leaf, Veracruz-style snapper and chargrilled rib fillet with rice guacamole, refried beans and red enchilada.
Mole poblano ($32), chicken covered in a fine version of the traditional savoury Mexican chocolate sauce and scattered with sesame seeds, is accompanied by rice and a pot of refried beans. A large pork shank glazed in guajillo sauce with cactus salsa and habanera pickled onion ($32) arrives with a container of fresh tortillas.
Unhelpfully there are no serving utensils with either dish but we eventually wave down a waiter, who brings a spoon for sauce scooping.
Dessert could be churros, baked caramel cheesecake infused with cinnamon, pecans and agave or a slice of tres leches cake, a moist vanilla cake with strawberry garnish and cinnamon sauce ($12).
Margaritas are the star turn with several varieties topping the cocktail list including a lip-tingling recommended spicy version, a decent line-up of tequilas, mezcales and a clipped wine list that includes half a dozen from the lesser-known wine region of the Guadalupe Valley in Baja California. Beer includes Mexican brews Dos Equis on tap, and bottles or cans of Sol, Corona and Tecate.
Wait staff come across as the nicest people you’ve ever met but while our waiter is very competent, as the place fills up service becomes a bit wobbly. We’re offered various plates of food and drinks we didn’t order as other staff wander around hoping they’ll find whoever ordered them. Payment is at a central point.
La Patrona is still finding its feet with service but it’s a solid addition to the inner-city dining scene. It’s relaxed enough that you could sit out the front with a beer and a taco, but with enough depth to go the full enchilada and delve into a hearty cuisine that’s finally getting its moment in the Queensland sun.
LA PATRONA MEXICAN CUISINE
Food 3.5
Ambience 3
Service 3
Value 4
Overall 3.5
Must try
Gorditas
11 Florence Street, Teneriffe
lapatronabrisbane.com.au
3852 5825
Open for lunch Wed to Sun 12-3pm, dinner Tue-Thur 5:30-9pm, Fri- Sun 5:30-9:30pm
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