While T & I are vegan most of the time, evvverry once in a while we break our veganism for particular exceptions that we deem very worth while. For us it's been part of how transitioning to a diet free of animal products has been a bit more doable. Different things work for different people, and allowing ourselves these occasional "cheats" has made the whole thing seem a bit less extreme and easier to keep up with during the other 99% of our lives.
I bring this up because our most recent cheat was at Los Amates, a Mexican restaurant in Fitzroy. Los Amates is probably my favourite Mexi place in Melbourne- to me it seems the most authentic, both food and decor wise. Almost every other attempt at Mexican food I've tried in Australia (with the exception of another favourite, Trippy Taco) has been something with beans covered in tasty cheese and jalapenos, and seems to be based on some weird Australian speculation of what Mexican food might be like. Los Amates, on the other hand, makes their own authentic salsas (including Molé sauce!), uses ingredients like nopales (cactus) and black beans in dishes, and overall is usually on par with the food quality and taste that I've experienced in Mexico and the US. Also there is a Latin American grocery across the street that sells lots of authentic, imported ingredients for your home experimentation!
Anyway, I digress. We met our friends C & J who were visiting from Brisbane here for the first sitting at 6:30pm. Upon arrival we were told that we needed to be finished by 8pm, which was a bit of a surprise as they had said 8:30pm over the phone. Understanding that most restaurants do hold two sittings and knowing that they fit our booking in at the last minute, we said we'd try our best (secretly knowing there wasn't much of a chance of dinner happening that quickly). We ordered a jug of sangria to sip on while we caught up with C & J, took in the brightly decorated surrounds, and decided what we wanted for dinner. Luckily, a few minutes after bringing our drinks, the host told us to no longer worry about the time limit, which was good news and definitely made the experience more enjoyable!
One glass of sangria in and T & I still couldn't figure out what to order, so we ended up splitting the indecisive person's dream, the vegetarian combination platter for two ($36). It was incredible! On the plate was a great array of little bits of their best stuff including sopes, quesadillas, molletes, empanadas, and bean taquitos. I got my fill of my favourites (those nopales and black beans I mentioned before!) and was perfectly full by the end of the meal. We washed dinner down with yet another jug of sangria and left very happy campers. I love this place and can't wait to go back- I think next time we'll see what they can make vegan.
I bring this up because our most recent cheat was at Los Amates, a Mexican restaurant in Fitzroy. Los Amates is probably my favourite Mexi place in Melbourne- to me it seems the most authentic, both food and decor wise. Almost every other attempt at Mexican food I've tried in Australia (with the exception of another favourite, Trippy Taco) has been something with beans covered in tasty cheese and jalapenos, and seems to be based on some weird Australian speculation of what Mexican food might be like. Los Amates, on the other hand, makes their own authentic salsas (including Molé sauce!), uses ingredients like nopales (cactus) and black beans in dishes, and overall is usually on par with the food quality and taste that I've experienced in Mexico and the US. Also there is a Latin American grocery across the street that sells lots of authentic, imported ingredients for your home experimentation!
One glass of sangria in and T & I still couldn't figure out what to order, so we ended up splitting the indecisive person's dream, the vegetarian combination platter for two ($36). It was incredible! On the plate was a great array of little bits of their best stuff including sopes, quesadillas, molletes, empanadas, and bean taquitos. I got my fill of my favourites (those nopales and black beans I mentioned before!) and was perfectly full by the end of the meal. We washed dinner down with yet another jug of sangria and left very happy campers. I love this place and can't wait to go back- I think next time we'll see what they can make vegan.
LOS AMATES (click for website & menu)
Address: 34 Johnston St, Fitzroy VIC 3065
Ph: 03 9417 0441
PROS: great fresh authentic Mexican food, morish sangria, fun atmosphere, wait & kitchen staff that actually speaks Spanish, oh and that amazing MOLÉ sauce!! Also they sell their salsas in jars if you can't get enough while you're there.
CONS: Mexican beers that are overpriced as compared to some other restaurants, Occasional long wait for food (although not on this occasion), slight confusion over the sitting time lengths
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