Last week I was lucky enough to attend the preview of Maize and Mezcal's new Revolution menu as the guest of Adelaide Food Central. The evening was a gathering of some of Adelaide's great food bloggers, media people and lots of Mexican food! I'll be upfront and say I was fed and watered for free at the event, but as usual the review remains my honest views on my experience :)
Located on Magill Road this restaurant serves traditional and authentic Mexican food and the decor and vibe of the venue reflect this. It's really huge inside, and the space has been utilised really well. It's warm, welcoming and has a very fun vibe, somewhere I could certainly see myself celebrating with family and friends.
The first entree we were served was a platter of fried avocado fingers and lime coriander mayo dip. These were a completely new experience for me, I rarely eat avocado warm, it's always just been one of those 'salad' kind of food items. The avocado was soft but still retained it's shape, whilst the crumbing was golden and crunchy which contrasted the silky interior well. These were really quite delicious on their own but the dipping sauce rounded them off beautifully, balancing the richness of the avocado with a light, creamy texture and refreshing citrus flavour.
Next up was the Mexican baskets filled with guacamole, chipotle mushrooms and fried beans topped with cheese and a side of paprika chips. I tried all three dips and for me the mushroom was definitely the standout. It was creamy and thick with a really distinct chilli kick. The guacamole was definitely on par with other high end Mexican restaurants having a great balance of flavour and that classic smooth yet chunky texture good guacamole has. The chips and baskets were all golden, crispy, crunchy and there was not an ounce of oil in sight! These didn't feel like your usual heavy/greasy Mexican chips, but a much nicer, lighter rendition.
The last entree we were served was the Cochinita Pibil (pulled pork) and pork belly sliders with wedges. I only tried the pork belly and the wedges, but the pulled pork was reported to be delicious. The slider I tried was crazy good, my favourite savoury item of the night for sure. The bread was super fresh, soft with a slightly chewy/crust exterior, it reminded me of a sourdough or damper style bread. The pork was tender, juicy and even had crispy, crunchy crackling, and combined with the smokey morita salsa packed a flavour punch, I think this is a must have if you dine here! The wedges had a well balanced seasoning and were fluffy and golden however they were slightly on the too soft side for me as I prefer my chips/wedges to be really crisp/crunchy. I think it may have been just the time taken to get the meals out to all of us, plus serving other diners rather than a quality issue. Not a huge problem, and I would order these again as flavour wise they were great especially when paired with the mayo chipotle.
All mains were served with the M&M salad, a combination of sauteed vegetables, lettuce, corn, white corn tortilla, red salsa and tajin powder dusted picantino cheese. This was the perfect side for the mains, light, refreshing and full of texture and flvour from the sweet corn to the creamy cheese with a subtle kick.
For main I chose the sandal steak, which was a combination of masa (flattened, soft corn dough), pork crackling crumbles, avocado cream, haloumi cheese, char grilled steak, grilled capsicum and onion, a Mexican corn basket filled with fried beans, a jar of smokey morita salsa and a shot of Esquites (traditional corn soup). This may sound like a crazy amount of stuff was going on for one dish, but in all honesty it worked really well, every component complemented the others harmoniously without being overpowering or overshadowed. The serving size was generous (don't worry as always I finished it all!) and i think if you ordered this, plus a few entrees/sides you would have a really filing, and delicious feed for two people. The steak was well cooked being juicy and tender. There was a hint of smokiness and the subtle flavours were enhanced when combined with the silky avocado cream and salty cheese. The masa was a new experience for me and I fell in love with the soft pillowy bread like dough that formed the base of the dish.
On to my favourite part of any meal... dessert!
My oh my was the first dessert we were served amazing! The 'vanilla sombrero', ice-cream and Mezcal tamarind syrup in a cinnamon and sugar dusted sweet tortilla. The basket was so crispy, sweet and such a great textural contrast to the ice cream. The only way I can really describe it.. think of rolling a donut super thin and baking it until crispy! The ice cream was perfection, for someone who has a rather large soft spot for high quality ice cream I was very much impressed. The consistency was rich, creamy and smooth and the flavour sweet but well balanced with obvious vanilla notes. This was clearly not your out of a tub commercial vanilla, and Maize and Mezcal certainly know what they are doing when it comes to house made ice cream! The dish was finished off with a slightly thick, sticky sauce. This was really interesting, you could certainly taste the tamarind but it wasn't too sweet or savoury, it was just what the dish needed to cut through the creamy, cinnamon aspects and make it an overall very light, moreish dessert.
The last dish of the evening was a flan of coconut and Cajeta (goats milk caramel). I'll be upfront and say I rarely, if ever, order a custard/flan/panna cotta kind of dessert, they just aren't my thing but I did give this a try though. The custard was thick, firm and well set, but not rubbery, there was a subtle coconut flavour, whilst the caramel was a thinner more creamy caramel then that I've had elsewhere. Together they worked well, if you like flan then you will love this dish, it was a well executed version of a flan with traditional Mexican flavours and texture, for me though it was probably my least favourite of the night.
Overall verdict of the new menu? Fantastic, great authentic, fresh Mexican flavours with something for everyone. High quality ingredients, interesting combinations and everything obviously made with passion. Service was attentive, friendly and the venue has a fantastic feel and is set up very well. If you love Mexican and are looking for something a little less commercial, a little more unique and certainly delicious Maize and Mezcal is worth a try :)
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