On Wednesday it was B-Mans birthday. Usually he organizes a night out with his friends, but for one reason or another this year it became a little difficult and no plans eventuated. So I decided to do a little secret squirrel business and organize a surprise dinner out with his closest friends. B-Man is a big fan of Mexican food, and it features most weeks in our home cooking, so it seemed fitting to try out Mejico, the latest addition to Sydney's Mexican food scene.
Most of our party had arrived by the time we showed up, and as our table was not yet ready, we were directed to the bar for chilli infused beer (not as odd as it sounds) and cocktails. I started off with "An Easy Read", basically a pineapple margarita. After all that secret squirrel business I needed the soothing hit of tequila! I definitely recommend this if you're not massive tequila fan or are trying to ease your way into the night, as it wasn't overly tequila-y.
I'm a tequila girl from way back so it lacked the sour punch I was looking for, but was enjoyable nonetheless.
As a fan of tapas and share food (why choose one meal when you can have several?) I was quite pleased to see that Mejico have structured their menu and servings this way as well, even their mains! Given that we had 15 people's tummy grumblings and taste buds to satisfy, I enlisted the help of our wonderful waitress to help me devise an order that had a good variety of dishes and didn't leave anyone hungry. It went a little bit like this...
Market Fresh Guacamole with avocado, spanish onion, coriander, lime juice, pistachios and serrano chilli, served with golden plantain chips. What was best about this is that they make it to order at your table in a molcajete (mortar & pestle).
Salsas - Pico de Gallo and Rodriguez Farm Chorizo (with Persian feta, Pedro Ximinez Sherry, black beans, smoky paprika and charred serrano chilli salt)
Pacific Scallop Cerviche with avocado, pomegranate, jalapeno and crispy eschalots
We tried each of the tacos - Braised Lamb Shoulder, Smoked Pork Belly and Grilled Ocean Trout. All were amazing but the lamb were my favourite.
We decided upon a selection of 3 mains - Archiote Chicken with pumpkin puree, roasted garlic and ancho chilli; Glazed Pork Ribs in a Chipotle chilli marinade with blackened corn and polenta chips; and Chargrilled Black Angus Sirloin with quinoa, black beans, pumpkin, pepitas and green chimichurri. Again, I really cannot fault any of these, but the ribs were a favourite not just with me, but with everyone on the table! Finger licking good and worth the sticky smile you will be left with!
We also had a vegetarian at the table who ordered his own main of Portobello Mushrooms & Croquetas with tomatillo salsa, black bean puree, ancho chilli, sweet potato, cumin, onion & manchego. I didn't try this - didn't want to rob the man of his main meal whilst we were all being cannibals! But he assured me it was very enjoyable.
By this stage we were all as full as googs, so we ordered a last round of drinks (I moved on from tequila to 'The Devils Advocate' - rum, lychee, grapefruit and campari) and one plate of the Agave glazed carame fudge, complete with a candle for the birthday boy, and shared it around.
This was by far one of the best meals out I have had in a while. All of us enjoyed the food immensely and are making plans for a return visit, the bill came out at around $35 per person + drinks and we were all satisfied with how much we ate. The service is friendly and know the menu, making good recommendations. I think we may just become regulars!
NB: B-Man was totally and utterly surprised - he had no idea and was astounded that not one person let anything slip. We came home & shared a special birthday dessert of Peanut Butter Pie. Hopefully, although it is the last of his 20's, it was a memorable day.
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