Mamasita, fresh and fabulous Mexican, if you can survive the queue

Level 1, 11 Collins St, Melbourne

9.5/10 (half a point deducted because of the stressful process of securing a table)

I’ve put off going to Mamasita for a while, put off by the hype, but now I am a true convert. The only bad thing about Mamasita is the difficulties that you have to endure in getting a table. Everything else about this truly unique restaurant is fabulous. I am hard to impress, and went to Mamasita with high expectations and left with them exceeded. It truly was a great dining experience, as good (or better) than many of the top Melbourne restaurants, at a fraction at the price.

So what is so good about Mamasita? Well, of course, the food is the star of the show. Fresh, light and perfectly balanced Mexican food, like you have never had before. It sticks to the traditional soft taco/quesadilla path, but includes beautiful homemade salsas (truly to die for), fresh seafood, herbs, spices and all things wonderful in the world of food. And the cocktails! Don’t get me started on the margaritas. At $60 a jug, they are not cheap, but as a long time hater of tequila (from several bad tequila shots related incidents), I was blown away. The mix of fresh lime, quality tequila, ice and the salted rim was worth every cent. They sure packed a punch, and after half a glass my companions and I were giggling away with rosy cheeks. After two glasses I was three sheets to the wind. I opted for a glass of wine after that, afraid that I would topple off my high stool if I downed another margarita.

The deal with getting a table with Mamasita is simple - arrive early. This will involve you heading out for dinner at a “nanna” time. I went on a Friday night, arriving at around 5.30 pm and I still had to line up for twenty minutes to get a table. The queue was already extending down the stairs and onto Collins St. The queue remained that long (and even longer at times) throughout the night, although by the time we left it had started to shorten. So arrive very early, or very late, to avoid having to stand awkwardly on the steps staring down those who have a table to try to make them eat faster and leave.

The queue at Mamasita - 5.30 pm!


But once you are in, the fun begins. You would think that the service at Mamasita would suffer because of the constant turn over of tables and amount of people hanging around wanting a seat. I have worked in extremely busy places like this, and believe me, it is exhausting never getting a breather between tables. However, the service was fabulous and the staff were friendly and efficient. Our table of five people ordered a range of food to share, and it was brought out at well spaced intervals. We started with two types of tostadas (small crispy tortillas), the first topped with lime cured fish, guacamole, nasturtiums & serrano chilli ($14), the second with sweet corn, black beans, epazote, jalapeno salsa & queso fresco ($12). They were both tasty, but the lime cured fish was the stand out. We then had two kinds of soft tacos, the first with grilled fish with lime, achiote paste & red onion salsa ($16), and the prawns with habanero chillies & chipotle almond salsa ($18). They were served with an extra salsa on the side that when combined, took the tacos to another level. Less impressive was the quesadilla of mexican truffle, mushrooms, roasted corn, epazote & queso fresco ($14), which, whilst pleasant tasting, just didn’t have the punch of the other dishes. But this food, mixed with the previously mentioned magnificent margaritas, equalled one of the best meals I have had in a long time. Combined with the buzz of the restaurant and the great service, it was a truly wonderful eating experience. I left a bit drunk, full, happy and ready to go back straight away. Although, I am not looking forward to that queue again!

Maha Bar and Grill - Good but not great

21 Bond St, Melbourne

7.5/10

I have wanted to dine at Maha for quite some time, after hearing many positive reviews from multiple sources. I was a little bit concerned however, as I had heard similar things about the Press Club (and Maha is owned by the same people) and eating there was one of the most disappointing dining experiences I have had in Melbourne (and the $400 bill that went with it made the experience even more painful). With this sense of worry hanging over me, my meal at Maha did start inauspiciously, although through no fault of the restaurant, but by way of my own clumsiness. Sitting in Maha’s bar for a pre dinner drink, I somehow managed to spill the majority of my glass of champagne all over myself (and this is before I had more than a few sips of alcohol). Mass panic ensued (as I was wearing a pink silk top that now resembled a wet rag) but the staff at Maha were quick to respond with a bottle of soda water and a clean cloth to soak up the stain. Feeling slightly sheepish, Husband and I decided to start dinner a bit earlier rather than risk me flinging another drink across the room in the bar.

First impressions of Maha were good - the layout is open and the colours warm and inviting. The space feels a bit plush but not over the top, as some middle eastern restaurants can do. Booking was also a breeze at Maha, with my email enquiry quickly followed up by the restaurant. Although, I must say that I was surprised to see Maha only two third full on a Friday night, so perhaps booking is not as essential here as I imagined.

Husband and I choose the four course soufra ($75), which was the perfect amount of food for a Friday night where you cannot be bothered to navigate a menu and would rather the chef decide for you. To drink we choose individual wines by the glass (as the standard white or red debate between Husband and I often prevents us from ordering a bottle). I first had the Kreglinger sparkling from Pipers Brook ($14) and then went for the Ten Minutes by Tractor sav blanc, also a steal at $14.5 a glass (I hope you sense the sarcasm there). Husband drank a Chatneuf de Pape at $20 a glass (which according to him was “delicious”). As you can see, drinks are not cheap at Maha, perhaps to push people into having the wines to match at an extra $55 a head.

The first course is a mezze plate of “cold dishes”, which really just means bread, dips, olives and a little glass of soup with a meat ball sitting on top. Simple, but tasty. The second course were “hot mezze”, a mouth-watering small plate of pork belly on a bed of skordalia and another small plate of “prawn toast”. Both were the dishes of the night, especially the pork belly, which is such a fad at the moment that I think every restaurant in Melbourne, be it French, Thai or Japanese, seems to be cracking it out (excuse the pun). Despite the proliferation of pork belly in the streets of Melbourne (oh, all those poor pigs!), Maha’s belly most definitely stands out. It was moist, sweet and full of flavour.

The main courses, or the “sahen kbeer”, consisted of slow roasted lamb, green olive tabouleh, garlicky potatoes, and a barramundi dish. The tabouleh was the best I have ever eaten (sorry Mum!) and the potatoes were a perfect mix of garlic and butter. They were taste sensations. The lamb and fish were good, but not incredible. They didn’t lift up beyond the “good” level, when really, you would expect for Maha’s prices and reputation that I would be raving about the lamb like it was my long lost child. Deserts were also “good”, but not amazing. The Turkish delight filled donuts were tasty, although the dough wasn’t as light and airy as I expected. They didn’t match up to the bobolinos at Becco, which will always hold a little candle in my heart.

So the food at Maha walked the line between good and very good, but didn’t quite hit the heights I was hoping for. The service was also a little terse. Yes, it was very efficient, to the point that it seemed like there were too many staff for the amount of guests. But it didn’t feel as warm as you would like for what is meant to be a “rustic” experience (as the waitress described the food to me at the beginning of the meal). I felt like telling the waitress at one point that a smile wouldn’t crack her face. Although, perhaps she looked so serious because she was trying not to laugh at my champagne stained chest.

My final niggle is that I also felt as though the four courses came out a little too soon on the back of each other, with the whole meal being over in under an hour. A bit more time to linger between courses and to savour our overpriced glasses of wine would have been nice. But I do wonder if it was an unusually quiet Friday night for Maha, meaning that the food was being flung out of the kitchen at a quicker than normal pace.

So, after our fast paced meal, Husband and I headed off into the not-so-black night (it was only 8.30 pm and twilight was still lingering), and we were tucked up in bed nice and early.

The verdict is that Maha is a good restaurant, it just isn’t great. But one thing is for sure - it was a hell of a lot better than the Press Club!