Señoritas taco SNACK

Establishment: Señoritas
Address: 16 Meyers Place, Melbourne. Catch any tram running along Bourke St or Parliament Train Station (get off at Spring Street, 7 Eleven on the corner from Bourke St end)
Hours: Dinner – Monday to Saturday from 6:00 P.M. until late.
Lunch – Monday to Friday 12:00 P.M. until 3:00 P.M.
Closed Sundays
Contact: http://www.senoritas.com.au/
Visit date: 6^th July, 2012

By now you know, I love nothing better to do than park my arse on some bar stool, crouching like a vulture over the bar then easing into weasel mode after a few drinks. It’s dark and a little spooky coming here and there is a macabre* fire lurking about…… It’s the good kind. I’d never thought that I would be dipping my radish slices in habanero sauce. I really like the rush of heat and sting when it touches my tongue. Me thinks, I might get into this whole chilli thing…..slowly but surely and of course, I will get the premium introductions. Like from what I experienced here today.

I saunter in and they’ve got Muddy Waters guttural blues-ing up the place and I felt like Cowboy Bebop’s Faye Valentine but unfortunately I had a honking spluttering cough! I wondered why the group of dudes sitting near the door stopped eating and turned around to have a gawk. That was kind of intimidating but NO! I am F.V. and so I took longs strides up the bar. Straight away I was greeted and served by a friendly staff who asked if I would like to sit at the bar….Yesssssss! Scottish accent…I LOVE the place already!

It has dark devilish vibe with its polished Dia de Muertos (Day of the Dead) furnishings, blood red caul membrane like casings for light fixtures with big arsed light bulbs, sugar skulls, Mexican folk art, Catrina portraits, beautiful bar set up, wide kitchen window so you can see those cooking your food and more tin flaming hearts and mirrors that you poke a stick at adorning the walls.

I was given a menu and had really good looking through and noticed that Gluten Free dishes were clearly marked. I was given a glass of water and was surprised with a complimentary 3 fiery salsas with a bowl of corn chips! I really hoed into those thick corn chips and had my teeth rattled off by the heat but also of the flavours from jalapenos, habaneros and Serrano chillies. I even mixed up a few into various combinations to make it even hotter. Mind you, I almost out of the woods with this demon flu that I’m battling and I think having some chilli will somehow exorcize those fuckers!

It was a good move on the barman behalf because I spent at least 10 minutes umming and ahhing on what I wanted. For some reason we were talking about whiskey and he suggested I should have a Smokey Margarita…so tempting to have some booze with Mexican food but I have to stay strong and avoid the drink the next few days.

In the end, I ordered the Taco’s Matteo (Puerto Lallarta) $10 which looked like a Picasso face when being served up in a rectangle plate. The warm soft tortillas were on either side of a radish, fennel, coriander and tomato salad. The tacos had prawns, Mexican rice, refried beans, sweet orangey tomato, buttery avocado and chipotle mayo which definitely had KICK! I did the unthinkable and licked my fingers! It’s appalling when someone else does it and now I’m a hypocrite. Please forgive me!!! (esp Olleh). I could easily blame the lack of sleep and eating jelly and food from a can these past days due to illness but no…I just had a terrible urge to commit that shameless food act of lust. Silly me…I even tried to hide the fact by using the thick black napkin and prissily wipe my fingers one by one but I was just fooling myself. Maybe it was the crucifixes that were making me guilty LOL.

I also got a Flat white $3.50 (Lavazza) when I craned my head around the corner and had a good look at the bar and saw a coffee machine. My coffee was a tad watery or maybe skinny milk was used but at least it was the right temperature, nice tight foam and the right amount of caffeine hit that I need for the arvo.

Bonus points for the nice staff that were glad to help me with my questions about the food, skulls in the toilets, large Catrina guarding the door and for not making me bloaty afterwards.

Chance of returning: High – Medium…I want to take my fellow Space Cowboys along to this place and pretend we’re Antonio Banderas and Gael Garcia Bernal on a drinking mission.

*Macabre – I always read this as ‘macrame’ LOL