Another fax, another yummy night to be had! This time it was for a Mexican night at Wandin Valley. Five courses with canapes, drinks and desert for $35 - who could resist that? When our printer/fax machine Bryan, spat this out at work I certainly couldn't. Just like when he spat out the Asian Dumpling Dinner at Amanda's On The Edge. I'm starting to like these faxes!
Upon arrival at Wandin we were greeted by a very loud, sombrero wearing waitress and offered the choice of either a Corona or Sangria. We went with the Sangria and the strong cinnamon and orange flavours kicked the night off sweetly. Mexican music was playing overhead and The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly was showing on a flat screen tele to add to the Mexican ambiente. We took a seat at our table which was decorated with the cutest baby cactus - let the feast begin!
Canapes
Our canapes arrived and the waitress and owner took much glee in watching us tackle the Frozen Margarita Oyster Shots. The margarita was bitter but refreshing and I wish I had saved some for later when I ate the Ricotta Stuffed Chilli Popper, man it was spicy! 10 glasses of water later I moved on to the mini Chicken Taquito. It was yummy and crispy and left you wanting more for they were only half a mouthful.
First Course
First course was a Mexican salad in a crispy tortilla bowl and Hapuka Cod Ceviche. It was a simple salad consisting of cucumber, tomato, red onion, avocado, red capsicum and black beans. The soft, rubbery chunks of the cod ceviche were mixed with coriander, lime juice, tomato and black beans. It was my least favourite course as the texture of the fish was not pleasant!
Second Course
Next course was Tomato, Chicken and Corn Tortilla Soup ('scuse the grubby plate!). It was sooo yummy and had just enough bite to tingle your throat for one second then disappear. It had chunks of chicken and thin flat pieces of soup soaked long tortilla strips. This one was the winner of the night!
Third Course
Swordfish, Mango Salsa and Red Cabbage Tacos were up next. I'd never had fish on a taco before but it turned out to be delicious. The swordfish was cut into strips and grilled making it tender and juicy. But yet again we found ourselves hunting down concealed parsley which seemed to be a fixture in each dish; it's strong bitey flavour can be a bit overpowering if you're not a fan.
Fourth Course
By this stage we were getting quite full and there were still three courses to go! Our fourth course, Enchilada Verdes soon arrived. The combination of the subtle spicyness of the Tomatillo green sauce and the creamy Manchego cheese on top was yummo.
Fifth Course
Next came the sizzling make-it-yourself Pork Fajitas. The pork was BBQed in strips with the choice of sour cream, avocado and tomato/blackbean/red onion salad to construct your own mini fajita feast. Time to loosen the belt!
Dessert
Last came the dessert and as we were pretty much full to the brim we were relieved when the Pineapple and Coconut Ice with Chilli Glass was placed before us. It was perfect to finish off a spicy night but if you were after one last hit there was always the temptation of the shard of Chilli Glass, which was VERY spicy - especially if you hit a full flake! (Excuse me for eating half of this before I took a photo! :)).
Conclusion
So we rolled out of the restaurant both well fed and ready for bed. For $35 each it was a bargain and as usual it was a relief not to have to agonise over what to order. It's such a relaxing night when it's all been organised for you and those usual menu regrets I seem to have often were gladly gone (for now at least!). My only complaint was that a Mexican theme is definitely better suited for summer weather. When it's freezing outside all you feel like is warm, comfort food not teeth chilling oysters bathed in ice and frozen tropical deserts. Regardless we still enjoyed it and went home very happy amigos! Bring on the next fax :)
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