Maiz and Mezcal have taken Mexican street food to a whole new level with the release of their new “revolution” menu. Food Bloggers and Media were invited to a sumptuous fiesta, where our hosts, Ivan and Sonia Pichardo, shared their dream of creating tantalising authentic regional Mexican food based on secret family recipes and modern culinary techniques. Unlike other places, the Mexican cuisine is created with personal style, using ingredients sourced locally and some directly imported from Mexico.

I’ve always been amazed at how large this place actually is. Taking up the floor space of three small shops, there is plenty of seating for everyone. What’s even more impressive, is that they still have close to a full house, even on a quieter Wednesday night. The decor has a traditional feel with their wall hung ornaments, patterned cushions, timber furnishings and bright orange colours.

All the fun starts at the bar area with a selection of Mexican beers, margaritas, cocktails, shots and wine on offer. What sets this place apart are their Mezcals which are imported from towns in northern and southern Mexico. The beer is also crafted from a small brewery and you’ll only find this selection at some of the top Mexican restaurants in the world.

What would a fiesta be without a glass of Sangria? Likened to a medium bodied wine with a whole lot of personality, this drink is distinguished by it’s bright fruity flavours and exciting taste. With distinctive notes of citrus, this drink goes down smoothly leaving a slight tangy aftertaste.

The Classic Frozen Lemon Margarita is both crisp and refreshing. It’s almost like drinking iced lemonade but with the added alcohol content.

The Ripped Kiwi Fruit Margarita has a thicker consistency from the fruit content. With a soft texture and sweet unique flavour, it becomes a deep green colour when combined with Mexican Mezcal and organic agave syrup. This drink is delicious and a must have!

The Hibiscus Fruit Margarita is known by various names around the world and can be served hot or cold. It is mixed with Mezcal and agave syrup, and then topped with a lime chilli powder. With a beautiful enticing red colour, the drink has an amazing tanginess and sweet flavour. Another one of those “must have” drinks.

The tamarind is a tropical fruit with a unique sweet and sour taste. This flavour is quite prominent in the margarita, and what you end up with is a delicious and refreshing drink.

The Deep Fried Avocado Fingers were made from fresh avocado slices that were lightly crumbed with a hint of spice and served with a fresh coriander lime mayonnaise dip. The avocado was soft and delicate, and encased in a firm but lightly crunchy shell. By themselves, they were a bit salty, but with the dip, the flavours were well balanced.

The Hand Made Corn Mexican Baskets were filled with (from front to back) fried beans, creamy chipotle mushrooms and guacamole. This was accompanied with hand cut paprika chips.

I had obviously been drinking too much at this point as I consumed an entire basket of fried beans without realising the paprika chips were meant to be dipped into them. The beans were well seasoned with a nice bit of heat from the Mexican chilli powder. The creamy chipotle mushrooms were thick and hearty, while the guacamole was fresh, creamy and tangy.

The Pork Belly Slider contains chunks of slow cooked pork belly with a hint of the smoky “morita” salsa. The pork was well marinated, tender and succulent. It was well balanced by the smokey and subtly spicy salsa.

The Pulled Pork Slider contains pork that is marinated in achiote, Yucatan pickled onion, habanero chilli and a hint of the smoky “morita” salsa. The pork was lean and juicy, and full of flavour. The tanginess of the pickled onion, the heat from the chilli and the smokey flavours from the salsa, all combined to take this slider to the next level.

Accompanied with the sliders were hand cut crispy potato wedges sprinkled with Spanish paprika and tajin chilli powder. This came with a chipotle mayonnaise dipping sauce. I thought the potato wedges could have been a bit more crispier and the powder made some of the wedges slightly tart. Having said that, once you dipped the wedges into the chipotle dipping sauce, the flavours were more balanced.

The Sandal Steak consists of soft handmade corn dough rolled flat. It is then topped with pork crackling crumbles, avocado cream, haloumi cheese, char grilled prime steak strips, grilled fresh chillies and onion. The sides include a Mexican corn basket filled with fried beans and smokey “morita” salsa and esquites, a traditional corn soup.

The steak was lean, tender and succulent and you could taste the subtle smokey flavours from the char grill. Combined with the crunchy texture of the pork crumbles, the soft delicate avocado cream, the saltiness of the haloumi, the spice from the chillies and the sweetness from the onion, and you experience a whole range of textures and flavours which makes this dish both delicious and exciting.

The M&M Salad consists of sauteed vegetables tossed with lettuce, corn kernels, strips of white corn tortilla, a hint of red salsa and cubes of picantino cheese seasoned with tajin chilli powder.

The highlight of this salad for me was the beefy nutty flavour of the picantino cheese. This worked well with the crispness of the lettuce, the crunchiness of the tortilla and the subtle spiciness of the salsa and chilli powder.

The Baja Fish Fillet uses grilled barramundi that has been marinated in a coriander pesto and then topped with fresh jalapeno chilli. Sides include hand cut crispy potatoes with Spanish paprika, sauteed vegetables in a Mexican corn basket and esquites, a traditional corn soup.

The fish was grilled to a light golden brown and was perfectly cooked. The flesh was soft and delicate, and it’s silky smooth texture simply melted in your mouth. The herby flavour of the pesto and the spicyness of the jalapeno chilli added depth and made this a standout dish.

The Sandal Pork Belly consists of soft handmade corn dough rolled flat. It is then topped with avocado cream, haloumi cheese, roasted corn kernels, chunks of slow cooked pork belly, grilled onion, char grilled chilli. The sides include a Mexican corn basket filled with creamy chipotle mushrooms, and a smoky “morita” salsa.

The pork belly was well marinated, tender and succulent. As with all pork belly dishes, the crispy crunchy skin was a highlight. Once again, they had the full range of contrasting flavours and textures working together like a well oiled machine. You had the soft delicate texture of the avocado cream, the saltiness of the haloumi cheese, the crunchy texture from the corn kernels, the natural sweetness from the caramelised onion and the spicy kick from the chilli.

The Mole (pronounced moh-lay) is one of Mexico’s most iconic dishes. Served with chicken, the mole is a rich, dark and smooth sauce made spicy, but sweet and robust. It’s most unique ingredient is Mexican chocolate, which is used to prepare the mole sauce covering. The dish is then accompanied with Mexican rice, carrots, peas and soft tortillas.

Chicken with chocolate is kind of like chalk and cheese, however, if you don’t go overboard with the chocolate, it works. The chicken was tender and succulent, and was covered is a smooth creamy sauce that had a subtle hint of spicyness and chocolate flavour. It doesn’t get more unique than this.

The Vanilla Sombrero was ice cream topped with Mezcal tamarind syrup in a crispy sweet tortilla which is then sprinkled with sugar and cinnamon.

I can’t remember the last time I had ice cream this good. It was simply amazing and I’m still salivating at the thought of it. The ice cream was smooth and velvety, as the syrup, sugar and cinnamon combine to create a slice of heaven. Combined with the unique crunchy sweet tortilla that acts as a bowl as well as a treat, and you have yourself a dessert that is both practical and delicious.

The Coconut Flan had a goats milk caramel base and lightly dusted with chocolate powder.

If anybody has ever eaten fruit straight after a sweet dessert, they would know that you don’t get the full affect of the natural sweetness. That’s how I felt about this flan. On it’s own at a different time, it would have been fine, but straight after the previous exceptional dessert, it had a tough act to follow.

Having said that, the flan was well executed in it’s own right. The custard was firm and delicate, and it was complemented well by the sweetness of the caramel base.

It was with great pleasure that a select few of us were fortunate enough to indulge in the exciting new “revolution” menu. Like all successful businesses, it is about the process of continual improvement, and the new menu is a reflection of that. Combine that with the friendly staff, the exceptional service, and the casual relaxed atmosphere, and what we end up with a revolution in the world of Mexican street food.

WHERE: 405 Magill Rd, St Morris