Jasmyne Tea

El Loco, Surry Hills

I both love party season and hate it. Of course, going out and seeing my friends, eating good food and drinking good wine are all wins in my book, but it all comes with the hassles of trying to find a way home when the designated driver has had one too many, and it leaves a big dent in my bank account after a while.

So when yet another birthday rolled around, I suggested a bar a little less expensive than usual, yet still vibrant and interesting - and with awesome food: El Loco, in Surry Hills.

El Loco is a Merivale restaurant, but it doesn't have the posh, unapproachable air of the other restaurants and bars, so when the three of us turned up one Saturday, we felt right at home. We snagged a table right away and set about ordering.

Pink Cuco - $13.50
Classic Margarita - $13.50

We started off with drinks. Elain ordered a Classic Margarita, which included a good dash of Herradura Blanco tequila and zesty Cointreau. It was fresh and zingy and probably the best margarita I've ever sampled.

My Pink Cuco slushy was a tad more complex: El Jimador tequila was mixed with pink grapefruit and lime juice, and finished off with a ginger and coriander syrup. I was so enamoured of this drink that I ordered two more before the end of the night.

Corn Chips with Guacamole and Salsa - $5.00

The thing I love about El Loco is that a lot of items on the menu are five dollars. With that five dollars you can order a healthy serving of thick corn chips with a creamy guacamole and salsa with a bit of a kick. It's a great bar snack, and we munched on these as we waited for the rest of our order.

Crispy Fried Barramundi Taco - $5.00

Carne Asada Taco - $5.00

The tacos here are all soft-shelled and jam-packed with fillings. We chose one of the specials, a crispy barramundi taco topped with salsa verde and smooth queso - it was chock full of different textures and the flavours were perfectly balanced. The Carne Asada taco included lemongrass beef that was slightly tough but redolent with the fresh, zesty lemongrass, and pico de gallo, a zingy salsa.

Market Grilled Fish - $15.00

The fish of the day happened to be some sort of snapper, which was grilled to perfection. The flesh was tender, which really showed against the crispy skin, and the freshness was accentuated with a beautiful salsa verde. Served with a shaved fennel, cabbage and coriander salad on an oddly floral plate, it was a great meal.

Quesadilla with Chorizo, Jalapenos and Chipotle Mayo - $5.00

Now this quesadilla was SPICY! Stuffed with chorizo, jalapenos and a smoky chipotle mayonnaise then toasted, there was no way I was able to finish it (I'm a light weight when it comes to spice though).

Secret Taco - $5.00

The server wouldn't tell me what was in my secret taco, even after I'd eaten it, so I'm not really sure what it was. It's normally offal and changes daily. My mystery meat rested atop a pile of cabbage and was smothered in a tart pico de gallo salsa, and it was quite tender and slightly gamey.

Churros with Orange Dulce de Leche - $5.00

I thought that each serving of churros would be just enough for one person, so I ordered three serves. What came out were nine massive columns of dough, accompanied by a sweeter-than-sweet dulce de leche spiked with orange syrup. It was delicious, but we had to take half of it home.

If you're looking for a place to chill, with great food and even better drinks at a reasonable price, then I'd definitely recommend El Loco.

El Loco

http://www.elloco.com.au

64 Foveaux Street
Surry Hills
NSW, 2010

Phone: 02 9211 4945

Agave Restaurante Mexicano, Surry Hills

Mexican food brings back memories of the summer of 2000 for me. I was 10, and my step-mum would occasionally pick my brother and I up from school and take us to the pools. After cooling off by paddling around for a couple of hours, we'd be starving and Elain would break out the Old El Paso for a quick dinner.

During the cold snap we had in June I had a hankering for Mexican, maybe in an attempt to evoke the warmth I remember so well, so Stephen and I hopped on the train and walked the short distance from Central to Crown Street. We arrived at 6pm, and were offered a seat at the upstairs level. Our smiling waitress handed us our menus and informed us that between the hours of 6pm and 7pm, margaritas were $5 off.

Lemon, Lime & Bitters

Margarita - $10.00 (happy hour)

Stephen kept it tame with a lemon, lime and bitters, but I felt like some alcohol. This was my first taste of a margarita, and I sort of wish I had researched what actually went in one of these cocktails, because it was completely wrong for me. Stephen did assure me that it was a well-made concoction of tequila, orange liqueur and lime, but I'm really not a fan of citrus and I couldn't finish my drink - I only ordered it to try it.

Frijoles Refritos - $13.00

I ordered this as a starter because I've heard about it and always wanted to try it. It's a terribly simple dish of traditional refried beans served with totopos (salted corn tortilla chips). The beans seemed almost pureed and had a mild, earthy flavour that was given a hell of a chilli kick.

Croquetas De Pollo - $16.00

The croquettes were Stephen's choice; they were stuffed full of shredded chicken and studded with small chilli pieces. They had a lovely, dark and crunchy coating on the outside, and they were also served with a thick chilli sauce.

Flautas De Papa - $14.00

In this dish, mildly spiced potatoes were encased in super crunchy tortillas and topped with a guacamole and salsa that had a cooling effect on the tongue. It was a favourite of mine and I could have easily had Stephen's share.

Molcajetes - $28.00

For the Molcajetes there was a choice between chicken, prawn, beef or vegetables - Stephen chose chicken, which was rubbed with a spice blend (predominantly chilli) and presented in a manner that vaguely looked like stew. It was served in impressive stoneware and accompanied by feta, tortilla, guacamole and salsa. The chicken was incredibly hot on the tongue, but the pieces were tender and juicy. A black chilli sat malevolently in the middle of the dish, daring us to try it - we chickened out.

Pollo En Mole Poblano - $26.00

According to the menu, this meal originated in the state of Puebla, which had me intrigued. Chicken was cooked to perfection before being covered in a sauce that was a blend of dried chillies, cocoa and almonds, and the taste was very earthy. It was served with rice and tortillas:

All in all, Agave was a fair cry from the usual Mexican I've made at home, but it was a lovely experience, and having the usually simple and rustic flair jazzed up a bit was a novelty. We would definitely come back here, especially to try out their varied cocktail menu.

Agave

2/410 Crown St
Surry Hills, NSW
2010

Phone: (02) 9326 9072

http://www.agavesurryhills.com.au/