Mexi-Wars! Guzman y Gomez vs Mad Mex

You must know by now that I have a deep love for Mexican food! Need proof? Check out these posts: Andale, andale, arriba, arriba!, Mexiday! The basic ingredients, Mexiday! Orange and chipotle chicken tacos

Mexican cuisine has been so poorly misrepresented in Australia there should, in my opinion, be legal consequences against some ‘Mexican’ chain restaurants when they are clearly Tex-Mex, NOT Mexican! Ok, so maybe legal consequences is taking it a little far, but let me clarify that I have nothing against Tex-Mex. I lived is the Great Lone State, on and off for a few years and a little piece of my heart will always yearn for Texas. But basically, Tex-Mex is smothered in melted cheese and almost always served with a side of refried beans… YUM!

However, In my travels to Mexico and California, I’ve found that whilst refried beans do appear on many menus, the Mexican cuisine is much fresher and tastier. Fried prawn tacos, slow cooked pulled pork enchiladas, spicy bbq steak… sorry, I’m drooling on my keyboard!

Well, finally we have some great options coming to town, and two of my favourite food court options are Guzman y Gomez and Mad Mex – both great options but for different reasons. I’ve heard both have been compared to another American chain called Chipotle, one of my all time favourite cheap eats! But I must say, both GyG and MM fall slightly short of these lofty heights. If only I could combine the two… 

They both have very similar menu options: Burritos, Nachos, Quesdillas, Tacos, etc. The main differences being:

Some like it hot! GyG Quesdilla

GyG – The meat options here are definitely tastier and come in spicy or non-spicy versions. Spicy pork for me please! And whilst you can make a few changes, like swapping white rice for brown, the menu options come as stated. So if it says it has pico de gallo, that’s what you get. I’m sure you could make further alterations, but I doubt it’s encouraged. The other thing I love about GyG is the free condiment bar where you can choose from 3 types of Tabasco (regular, green or chipotle) and fresh coriander, red onion and pickled jalapeños. This is what brings me back to GyG!

Little snack today, Kids Nachos from Mad Mex

Mad Mex – this is much more like the Chipotle franchise because you can customise your meal the way you like it. You first choose your meat filling – barbacoa for me please! – then there’s 4 salsas, sour cream, queso, beans, cheese, lettuce, guac, etc. I love coming to Mad Mex for their salsas! Different meats need different salsas and sometimes I want to burn my taste buds off and sometimes I don’t.

So… which will you choose? ;)

Mexiday! Orange and chipotle chicken tacos

Believe it or not, we have tacos for dinner once a week. Boring, right? WRONG! I guarantee we never eat the same tacos twice! This is mostly due to the way I cook as I like to throw together a little bit of this and a little bit of that. But that's not how most people cook, so I'll try to document some of my more popular concoctions.

These orange and chipotle chicken tacos are especially quick and easy and popular with little tummies too. If you can't find Chipotle, you could use smoked paprika instead.

500gr chicken breasts, sliced into strips

1 c orange juice

1 tsp chipotle powder or 1 whole chipotle chilli (or more or less to taste)

1 tsp coriander powder

1 tbsp honey

- Mix together the juice, chipotle, coriander and honey together. If you are using a whole chilli, blend the ingredients together to make up the marinade.

- Marinate the chicken for at least 20 minutes in the refrigerator.

- While the chicken is marinating, get your fillings organized - our favorites for these tacos is my Tomato and Corn Pico de Gallo and Greek style yoghurt. Don't forget to get your tortillas or taco shells ready too.

- Heat a frypan on medium flame.

- Drain the chicken from the marinade and cook in batches until cooked through. (if you try to cook all the chicken in one go, it will stew and get tough)

- Once the chicken is cooked, pop it all back in the hot pan to warm through.

- Finally, take it to the table with your warm tortillas (or taco shells) and your favorite fillings so everyone can make their own. Mmmmm!

Mexiday! The basic ingredients

I am sooooo obsessed with REAL Mexican food at the moment! You may have realized this after reading my review of Mamasita a while back... still drooling! When I say REAL Mexican food, I'm not talking about heavy, fatty, dishes smothered in refried beans and melted cheese. I'm talking about beautiful, fresh dishes, full of flavor and a whole lot healthier then you might imagine.

So it only makes sense that I do a series of Mexican recipes but since the phrase "Taco Tuesday" is used everywhere... let's make today... Mexiday!! Hey, there has to be at least one tacky reference thrown in :)

Firstly, you need to find a few ingredients for that authentic taste, such as:

Corn tortillas - the type you get at the supermarkets here in Australia are ok, but they aren't the greatest. If you can, try to find the frozen ones - you won't regret the effort! I get mine from here: http://www.aztecmexican.com.au/ they are in Victoria and are very helpful, so maybe give them a call and see if they know where you can find them in your area. I usually buy a box and stack my freezer full or share with a friend or two. FYI, there are two kinds of tortillas, one for heating and eating (soft taco style) and the others are thinner for baking like enchiladas. If you're really keen on cooking from scratch, you could buy a grain called masa harina (fairly easy to find) and make your own, but I haven't had much luck doing this. To heat the soft taco tortillas, just heat in a dry pan for about a minute each side and then wrap in paper towel and place inside a container with a lid, or a tortilla warmer. The steam from each tortilla will keep the rest warm and soft.

Chipotle chillies - these are my favorite chillies! It a smoked Jalapeno and is finally getting more popular in Australia. You can buy them as a powder, dried or canned, and has the most beautiful smokey heat. I wouldn't classify them as super hot, but start with a little and work your way up. Herbies sell the powdered and dried variety and I get my cans from Aztec, but some specialty supermarkets also have them. You can use smoked paprika if you can't find chipotles, but it won't be the same.

Other Mexican chillies include Ancho, Mulato, Pasilla, and there's many more. Again, Herbies is a great place to find these in the dried varieties. I suggest you get a few and see what you like, some are mild, some will burn your mouth, get a few and have a play.

There's a bunch of herbs and spices that you'll also need and if you've followed my herb and spice recommendations, you should already have most of what you need in your pantry. You're going to need coriander, both powdered and fresh... in fact, start growing it as you'll need handfuls in lots of dishes, especially salsa's. Cumin is a another must have as well as dried oregano and paprika.


And don't forget... Limes!! And plenty of them!


Lastly, grab a bottle of tequila... for marinating... and let's get cooking... hiccup!

Andale, andale, arriba, arriba!

Worth the wait, I promise!

It's time I finally reviewed my all time favorite restaurant: MAMASITA! If you haven't heard of Mamasita, you must either a) live in a cave, or b) you're not from Melbourne.  If you do live in Melbourne and haven't been to Mamasita, what's wrong with you?!

Tucked away on Level 1, 11 Collins Street, this place is the real deal when it comes to Mexican cooking.  This is NOT Tex Mex! (Btw, Taco Bill is Tex Mex, not Mexican) Nothing is smothered in chesse, over cooked or comes with refried beans.  And there are no tacky ponchos, sombreros or fake cacti!  Having lived in both Texas and California and having the opportunity of visiting Mexico, I have long had an obsession with Mexican food in it's true form.  It's fresh, it's healthy, it's flavourful... whoops, I'm drooling on the keyboard!  Oh, and did I mention the entire menu is Gluten Free?  Can Mamasita get any better?!

All that being said, there is one catch... they have a no reservation policy - insert huge sad face emoticon here!  You should be prepared to wait at least 40 minutes (if you're lucky) for a table.  Mind you, my husband and I have noticed that if you arrive around 5pm, you should get seated straight away... if you wait until 6pm, the line will run down the flight of stairs and out the door... how I wish I was kidding!  So leave the kiddies with the babysitter and have a night out - you deserve it!

A fabulous array of Tequilas, Margaritas, Mojitos, etc.

Ok, ok, the food!  For a starter, you can't go past the Elotes Callejeros - just don't ask me to pronounce it.  This is based on a "street style" dish which is essentially chargrilled corn, smothered in just enough chipotle mayonnaise, a tiny sprinkle of cheese and a squeeze of lime.  It's slightly spicy, slightly creamy and oh so addictive!  It's the only way we eat corn at home now, yum!!

Must have!

Next, I would recommend a taco or two.  My personal favorites are the pulled pork and the grilled fish - amazing!  Don't be scared of fish tacos, they really are divine and so light.  The pulled pork is a must in my mind and has a scrumptious pineapple and onion salsa... For me, a visit to Mamasita is incomplete unless I've had one... or two...

Tacos the way they SHOULD BE!

If you've filled up on tacos, maybe finish off with a cheese quesadilla.  This is basically a cheese toastie, Mexican style, ie: two tortillas, cheese in the middle, cooked in a frypan until melted and crispy.  It comes with a drizzle of jalapeno salsa which cuts through the cheese perfectly.  It's a lovely little end or perfect with a few cocktails.

However, if you're still hungry grab a "Comida para la familia".  This is a family style dish, best shared with your date.  If you visit, during the cooler months, my other must have dish is the Estofado de Cabra, translation: Chipotle braised goat which comes with a roasted sweet corn paste - I wish I could get this recipe!  My husband and I usually share this dish with some tortillas and Plátanos Machos.  Goat is usually a little on the fatty side, but this slow cooked dish is pure Mexican comfort food at it's best.  I wouldn't class is as spicy, but there's definitely a hint of warmth to the dish, which is probably why it's usually disappears off the menu during the warmer months.

So grab your partner, date, workmate and drag them up to the top end of Collins Street for a true taste of Mexico... just remember to get there early... or wear comfy shoes for the wait!  I promise it's worth it!

Buon appetite!