La Quinta Mexican Café y Bar
Cuisine: Mexican

www.laquinta.com.au

Shop 1/189 Oxford Street Bulimba
Ph: 07 3399 2800

La Quinta is a wonderful Mexican restaurant with a wide range of Central and South American beers and cocktails. Most of the cocktails are just under the $10 mark. I have tried the Pina Colada, Mojito, Fruit Daquiri and the Acapulco Colada (not all on the same night thank you very much). My favourite so far is the Acapulco Colada (Malibu, triple see, pineapple juice, coconut cream, cream) which made me VERY happy.

Hubby usually treats himself to a Dos Equis XX. They also have chilli beer with a little chilli sitting in the bottom. I don’t drink beer but I tried a little and it does make your mouth tingle.

We usually start the meal with some dips to share.  If there are more than 2 of us we will get the 3 dips ($16) which comes with corn chips and tortilla. There are 10 dips to choose from and the ones we have tried are:

Guacamole – avocado, lime, chilli and coriander
Queso – Cheese, cream and fresh salsa
Chefs salsa – Sweet potato,  corn and chilli
Mango salsa – Mango, lime and onion

We will always get the guacamole and my favourite other dip is the chef’s salsa. It’s very different and can have quite a kick if you get a piece of chilli.

The starters we’ve tried are the buffalo wings ($7) and the Veracruz prawns. The menu says that the buffalo wings are supposed to come with a spicy BBQ sauce but they weren’t very spicy at all. There isn’t a chilli next to it on the menu though, but these would have been improved with a bit of kick.

The prawns on the other hand are very fresh and the spiciness will build up the more you eat. For most chilli fanatics this probably won’t be that spicy, especially if you are sharing with others and don’t get to eat a lot of it. This would probably be classed as “medium” hotness.

You can get the prawns as both a main ($25.50) and a starter ($12). The main comes with salad and tortillas. It also comes with rice and I sat there for a while wondering why there was no rice then suddenly found it hidden at the bottom of the bowl of prawns. This meant that you will get some spicy sauce with every spoonful of rice, so if you would like it separate try to remember to ask when ordering.

Main portions are quite large so bring your appetite. There are some lighter meals.

The Aztec Chicken Salad ($15.50) is lettuce, corn and tomato topped with a good helping of seasoned chicken and a crispy fried tortilla piece on the side. This wasn’t my meal but it looked so yummy.

Nachos ($13.50) are a good light meal/snack size for one.

And the burrito meal ($14)  is a good small eater size also. Hubby’s mum ordered this one and she commented a few times that it was very good.

If you want a bit more than one burrito or feel like making your own, then order a fajita meal ($19 for vegetarian and $22.50 for meat).  It comes with two tortillas, cheese, guacamole and sour cream and a choice of a sizzling plate of either  steak, chicken or vegetables and beans.

Quesadillas ($18.50) are soft tortillas spread with guacamole and a choice of either beef, chicken or cheese and chorizo in the middle. I guess its a bit like a pizza topped with salsa and a side of sour cream. We had the cheese and chorizo one. They also come with a side of rice and salad.

Then there is the Chicken Poblano ($24) which is chicken breast topped with a creamy poblano sauce. You also get a side of salad, corn and potato. The sauce is so nice and creamy and this was my favourite dish. That was until I had the steak (Salsa Carne $28.50) which is basically the same thing except you get a 350g rib fillet steak instead of chicken breast. They are both great and we’ve been there so often now I have too many favourites I don’t know what to eat.

The Mole De pollo ($24.50) is chicken breast with a chilli and dark chocolate sauce and a side of baked potato. It is something really different to anything I’ve eaten before. The sauce smells like chocolate and when you first take a bite you can taste the dark chocolate but then it changes and you can fell a little kick from the chilli. I much prefer the chicken poblano but it was very interesting to try this dish.

I have also tried their Mexican lamb shanks ($24.50) which is simply an enormous dish. The shanks are infused with chipotles, garlic, oregano and tomato and sit atop a bed of mashed potato.

Everything on the menu looks appetising and we keep returning so one day I should be able to try everything on the menu. We haven’t had any of the desserts yet as we’re always so full after our mains. But one day I want to try their chocolate nachos.

*sing* I like pina coladas and dining at La Quinta!