I decided to have a rest from Asian food. Asian food is so good, and so easily available I tend to eat it most of the time. I ended the old year with dinner at Uncle one of my favourite Vietnamese restaurants, also in Balaclava. So far this year I have eaten yum cha, dumplings , Vietnamese vermicelli with spring rolls so I feel a bit ‘ Asianed-out’ if there is such an expression.
While I am thinking about it I find the best Vietnamese vermicelli is at Quan 88 in Barkly Street, St Kilda, just above where Acland Street runs into Barkly Street and at the very reasonable price of $12.00
Time for a change and a move to another part of the world. This so easy to do in Melbourne. The place hums with variety.
Eat Drink Love Taco -Si Senor in Carlisle Street Balaclava
A friend suggested an ‘other part of the world’ was Eat Drink and Love Taco – Si Senior at 193 Carlisle Street, right by the Balaclava train station. I jumped at the suggestion. If you are looking to eat from a different culture I would advise you to head for Si Senor and give your palate a wake-up call.
This is great Mexican/Spanish food. One of my first comments when we decided to go there was “lots of beans?”
The answer to that is no. There are some beans of course but unlike some places they don’t dominate.
The place has flair and is set out like an old house . Takeaways and drinks down stairs in the front a passageway takes you through to a sort of dining room with alcoves and into the back courtyard. This is an ideal place to be on warm sunny afternoon or a summer evening. On your way to the courtyard you pass a flight of green-painted stairs that go to a light bright room with some large tables one of which overlooks Carlisle Street.
To drink; there’s a delicious Margarita served in a jar with the rim dipped in salt, Mexican beer and the usual assortment of wines.
Delicious Margarita
We sat outside for lunch on a very hot day. As the afternoon wore on the sun moved taking our shade with it. We wonder if we should pick up everything and relocate into the cooler, darker, dining area. As we discussed this we were cooled by a very fine spray of water from a pipe that runs around the courtyard wall. It was disconcerting for a second when it began but then the cooling effect took over.
You can see how fine the mist in the photo.
Fine spray to cool you down on a hot day
This is a place where it is good to share and we shared Ensalade Marinra, grilled corn and two tacos each – Chargrilled Steak, and Hongos (Mushrooms)
Ensalade Marinra
Roasted corn – amazing flavour
Char-grilled steak with caramelized onion & Hongos (mushroom) Tacos
All delicious. I loved the sauce and cheese on the corn. Corn on the cob is a risky thing to order. There is the possibility of spending the next couple of hours picking corn from between your teeth. This corn was worth it and not too bad on the teeth.
I will go again. The food was delicious, flavoursome and afterwards I felt I had had a light and satisfying meal. Prices are reasonable.
Where:-
Eat Drink Love Taco – Si Senior
193 Carlisle Street
Balaclava – by the Balaclava
Getting There:-
No 16 or 3 tram
Train – Sandringham Line
Website:-
http://www.sisenor.com.au/
