Tannic Teeth

Mexican cuisine to the USA is Vietnamese to Australia.

We can go to pretty much any city and get decent true-to-form Viet fare. I can’t really say that for Mexican.

It’s not suprising (given our proximity to Mexico) we have a reached a glass ceiling on the stretch to fine mexican cuisine. Stodgy, canonical and banal would round up a usual “Tex-Mex” offering.

I’m not a pro when it comes to Mexican food — I don’t get the chance to eat enough of it. But when I do, it’s gormandised so quickly I’m usually left with a crusty adherence around my mouth — possibly resembling refried beans or tortilla crisp that people poke fun at long after I’ve left the table. This is what happened at The Flying Taco. It was a piece of lettuce that covered my tooth however, so I resembled  someone who had a misadventure in pub brawl. The food was spectral. A rainbow of flavours. My eyes had finally opened to Meh-hi-co.

The Flying Taco is an honest, approachable entry into Mexican food. It has a modular menu which consists of a subway-esque ordering method. First choose your (carb) style, then your filling, then a salsa. It’s a chicane of possible flavour matches spurring a flexible choice for people that would tire of same old same old.

You can pick up a feed for less than $15 making it a port-of-call for frequenters of the Rosemount Hotel up the road.

I got a Burrito + Mole Poblano + Salsa Chipotle. It came nestled in a basket, resembling a soft glittering infant, warm from maternal care with smokey chilli-garlic sauce at its side.

And the taste? Round and fruit-inspired, the beans and rice gave an interesting texture to the soft flour tortilla. The salsa is where the joy was at. Piquant and agreeably hot (could have been hotter!).

I guess what stood out for me was the freshness and interplay of flavours. Not everything tasted like Old el paso taco seasoning. It’s the mantra that is written conspicuously on the back of the flyer.

“Genuine, healthy, homemade, fresh food — made to order, with love, quickly.”

Flying Taco doesn’t stray from that point.

The Flying Taco

40 Angove Street, North Perth, 6006

Wed — Sun

Noon– Late

BYO Cash & EFT

P: 08 9227 6393

If you don’t know what Pho is by now, I’m sorry, but you have probably lived in a cultural bubble. For those well acquainted with the subtly spiced, simmered beef broth with noodles and DIY mint and bean sprouts, will be well aware it’s messy business. It can also be quite hit-and-miss. Sometimes the serving size is too small with an unfair noodle-veggie ratio. Or the broth just doesn’t have enough oomph. Or it’s ludicrously expensive. That’s the dead giveaway for a shonky Pho. Over $10 and I’d walk in the other direction. Because I know where you can get a killer for $9.

It’s called Pho Huynh and it’s in the central northern suburb of Girrawheen. Though the greater surrounds would make me feel uneasy at night, this place shines like a beacon in the newly named Saigon Business Centre. It’s quite the opposite of every other noodle house I’ve been to: fresh decor (no plastic table coverings here), air con and a plasma TV that blares Vietnamese karaoke all day long (well maybe this is the same). The staff are attentive and family-like. It’s not uncommon to see the proprietor babysitting her (Eurasian) children, and the matriarch wisely staring from the corner. I’m sure she’s analysing my Pho eating style and chopstick etiquette. Whether I’m a sauce adder or dunker, and whether I add all the bean sprouts with judicial use of mint and hoisin. It’s highly personal stuff. Lunch time,  it’s packed. The car park swells with oddly out of place Mercedes and BMWs. Sunday lunch is pretty much like being back in Vietnam, 100 people per metre squared. The litmus test for a good Asian restaurant is how many countrymen dine there. This place passes with flying colours.

The food is better than I had in Vietnam, Pho sure.

Pho Huynh. Vietnamese Rice & Noodle Bar. Shop 1/32 Balgonie Ave Girrawheen WA Open 6 Days 9am-8pm (Closed Wednesdays)

Totally engulfed by development, Conti Wines sits on Wanneroo Rd in Woodvale. Vineyards, farms and market gardens have succumbed to the relentless suburban sprawl, dissolving only but the fiercest of primary producers.  Conti Winery is a veteran amongst the younger upstarts of our state, starting in 1958 -still family owned and operated, and actually doing well for an independent producer. A wine from the very vines that were planted in 1958- Hermitage back then – now Shiraz, called ‘Mariginiup’ Shiraz is one of great pedigree, with a loyal following over the decades. It is with this in mind, that I respectfully disgorged and swill away a bit of vinous history.

Paul Conti ‘Mariginiup’ Shiraz [Swan Plains] 2004 (Cork)

‘Deep red in colour, this wine exhibits a fragrant aroma much like boiled candies and pastille. Floral notes lurk in the background with anisette. The as-you-would-expect rich plums and red berries form the foundation, layered with said floral notes. Succulent mouth feel of this wine, despite being dry, provide much of a sensory perception, red fruits and sweeter but not jammy textures unfurl. Tannins are softer than what I would expect from a Swan Coastal Plain dry grown Shiraz, with the subtle hints of oak give an overall impression on a wine that has been crafted with balance and poise in mind. It’s not voluptuous or chunky, but rather finished in an elegant finesse something that would compliment food and not detract from the overall sensory package.’

Not quite the forte for Shiraz, Margaret River excels in Cabernet and SSB blends. So it is with zeal that I peer over the rim for this prominent producer of iconic drops- Leeuwin Estate- and delve into still vivid red sea of the 2004 Shiraz. Enjoy the vinous dissection.

Leeuwin Estate “Art Series” Shiraz [Margaret River] 2004 (Cork)

‘2004 for Margs was a slow ripening season ending in a crescendo of more-or-less perfect weather. The deep red intensity of the wine, shows hints of youthful purple, slowly fading into the background. This wine needs decanting being very herbal and restrained otherwise; Sage and cool timbery oak present on the whiffs from the glass. Unfurling further, sweet plums and black fruits all present for the roll call, timbery oak still nearby the first row. Layers of floral notes come through towards the end, violets and petal ( yes I know it sounds wanky), all in all this with is sweet and floral . Palate is generous and well rounded; full bodied mid palate , seemingly well balanced, tannins have softened- pleasantly velvety. The flavour and intensity carries well through to the end of minimum commotion ending in an 80% dark chocolate bitter finish.’