It was time for another regular catch up dinner with A, and I decided we should try out Mesa Verde – a new Mexican restaurant that has opened up in the last vacancy in the city’s Curtin House, on Swanston Street. It is located one floor below the Rooftop.
Mesa Verde translates to Green Table, and is a new South American bar – that serves Mexican inspired food. Established by Tim Peach (who owns Curtin House and Rooftop) and headed up by Andy Griffiths (Cookie) with Josh Crawford and Sarah Miller.
After travelling all the way up, you are greeted by a dimly lit room where the bar is the first and main focus. The bar is the masterpiece of the room – and is super long – long enough to house the 240 different tequilas! There is a projector near where we sit, that projects a old school movie and we are surrounded by timber tables which are lit up by bottles of alcohol that have a candle atop of them. There is also a DJ set area which pumps out interesting flavours of music. Even though the place is dark; it has a sense of warmth and belonging, partly due to the friendly wait staff and bartenders.
We were seated at our table with clear view of the bar and were handed our menus – which as you opened it are quotes relating to Tequila – after all there are over 240 different tequilas that you can try out here! The Food menu is split into 6 different sections – starting off with Snacks, followed by Smaller dishes, then Tacos (there are 5 different tacos to choose from including an Ox Tongue, Pulled Pork or Prawn Taco), then Larger dishes, Salads & Sides (there are two salads and one side of chips) and finishing with Desserts of course. The menu is short and concise but covers what you would expect at a Mexican Restaurant and then some. There are also specials available that the friendly wait staff will inform you about.
The drinks menu as you can tell is quite extensive but what caught my eye were the Non-Alcoholic Sodas – I decided to order the Jalapeno, Damiana and Horny Goat Weed Lemonade. The combination not only sounded intriguing but the ingredients were something that I hadn’t heard of before and had me google what exactly this Horny Goat Weed was – FYI it is indeed an aphrodisiac but also has some medicinal uses, and has other names such as Rowdy Lamb Herd, Fairy Wings and Bishops Hat. The drink is great! It has a sweet flavouring with chilli hit combined with the fizziness of the lemonade. The chilli from the jalapeno leaves a slight after taste – the first time you take a sip it just tastes funny but the drink grows on you and is quite nice. I enjoyed it!
We decided to get a taco each, and A got one of the specials which was a lamb filled pastry and I got the Smoked Trout Tostada. To share we decided to get the Watermelon Salad as well as chips. We were quite hungry so asked for all the food to be brought out at the same time and the food did come without a lot of waiting. First up was the Tacos – I had the Mushrooms, Spinach, Cheese, Crema, Espelette Pepper on a Blue Corn Tortilla. The Tacos are of a generous size and the mushroom mixed with all the other ingredients mentioned was moist, juicy and tasty. The espelette pepper added a hint of hotness to already flavoursome dish. A enjoyed her taco as well which was the Pulled Pork, Pink Onion Chipotle BBQ Sauce, Radish.
Next up for me was the Tostada with Smoked Trout, Granny Smith Apple, Avocado, Pickled Cucumber. This was a fantastic dish that I thoroughly enjoyed – from the crispness of the tostada to the tanginess of the apple paired together with the fresh smoked trout finished with the smooth creaminess of the avocado – simply delicious!
The Watermelon salad came with Beets, Pomegranate, Mint, Seeds was a colourful and bright looking dish with a flavour to match. The flavours were fresh and really did work well together. Following all our main dishes we were quite full despite it not looking like we had ordered that much but decided to share a dessert – I mean how could you look past the churros? The Churros (there are 5 per serving) comes with a Chocolate Sauce and is sprinkled with cinnamon sugar and is super tasty. The Churros were crunchy on the outside and soft and delightful on the inside.
Overall, Mesa Verde is another restaurant in Melbourne that serves great Mexican food with the added incentive of a huge variety of drinks (especially drinks – did I mention over 240 types of tequila?). The place has a funky and vibe to it from the great music playing down to the cutlery which has been repurposed courtesy of local jeweller Marcos Davidson – and is shaped and marked with the MV trademark – funky! Get yourself along and check out Mesa Verde – trust me the 6 levels you need to pass to get there is definitely worth it!
Rating : 4 Pandas
Price: $$
Menu –
The different menus can be found at http://mesaverde.net.au/mesa-verde-menus/
This includes the drinks menus, food menus as well as dessert menu
Fullness: 100%
Atmosphere / Ambience: Funky, Super Cool, Vibrant and Fun! Great to meet up with some friends and just hang out and catch up.
Standout Dish: Tostada, smoked trout, granny smith apple, avocado, pickled cucumber
Service: Friendly, Helpful and Fun
Online Booking: No
Note: Refer to http://mesaverde.net.au/bookings/Bookings
Bookings are encouraged to reserve a table in our main dining area. This area can accommodate groups of up to 10. We have a private dining space that can accommodate groups of 10-20. We offer set menu options for groups of 8 or more. A credit card deposit is required to confirm all larger group bookings.
For Events: Mesa Verde is available to accommodate bookings for daytime events for up to 175 guests. Please contact us to tailor an event to your needs.
Restaurant Details and Location:
mesaverde.net.au
Level 6 (Curtin House)
252 Swanston Street, Melbourne
Tel No: 9654 4417
Opening Hours:
Tuesday to Sunday
Bar:
5:00 pm – 1:00 am
Kitchen:
Tuesday to Thursday: 6pm to Late
Friday: 5pm to Late
Saturday: 6pm to Late
grazing panda 