Mexico Mi Amor Takeaway, Glebe

Make Friday nights in lockdown fun with Mexican food! Mexico Mi Amor is the new takeaway offered at No 92 GPR in Glebe. Think Baja Fish or Cali burritos all washed down with a Hibiscus Margarita or Coconut Negroni!

No 92 GPR's chef Alejandro Huerta hails from Mexico City and while No 92 GPR has a modern Australian menu, he tapped his Mexican heritage to come up with the options for Mexico Mi Amor (Mexico, my love). No 92 GPR's owner Angela Kasimis says, "We had talked about coming up with a back up plan in January this year after the Northern Beaches lockdown and the team talked about a little Mexican offering suited to take away. I prepared a little brand document but then we pretty much forgot about it and thought it was shelved forever. When the lockdown was called we brought out the document, chef Alejandro whipped up the menu, Eduardo designed the margies and we threw it altogether."

Alejandro says, "Galia (my partner and sous chef) and I are from Mexico and we’ve always loved our food culture. We’ve always believed that Mexican food is very approachable and its something that people look for, aiming to bring an offering that could be at an attractive price point but with good flavours. Mexican influence seemed like a no brainer."

So are burritos Tex Mex or Mexican? "Most people think burritos aren’t Mexican but they’re very traditional in the northern states of Mexico (Sinaloa and Sonora for example). We make them a bit different in Mexico and are more like a bigger taco but I just think that there are no rules or boundaries to what you can do as a burrito, as long as its tasty and you use the best possible ingredients then that’s all that matters," says Alejandro. In fact his favourite burrito of the new Mexico Mi Amor menu is the KFC with Fried Chicken and kim chi.

His perspective on integrating food stems way back. "My grand mother (my mothers mom) loved cooking, I think she would have loved to be a chef. Every single Sunday until I was about 19 years old we use to go to her house and the whole family would be there. She would make a big feast and make sure everybody was happy, from traditional Jewish (her family fled Poland during WWII) to some recipes of her own. She was so proud and happy when I decided to study culinary arts."

Alejandro continues, "Since then I kind of fell in love with cooking and it wasn’t until I worked with Enrique Olvera at Pujol that I became a bit addicted to the fast paced kitchens and the adrenaline that involves every single service, then working at restaurants like Quique Dacosta or Noma really helped in thinking outside the box and making sure what we do is as tasty as it can be interesting."

Customers order Mexico Mi Amor's takeaway online or by phone and pick it up at the window on the Mitchell Road side of No 92 GPR. They also offer takeaway of No 92 GPR's regular menu and free delivery to the following suburbs for orders over $75: Annandale, Camperdown, Chippendale, Glebe, Forest Lodge, Leichhardt, Lilyfield, Petersham, Pyrmont, Stanmore and Ultimo. Burritos are $15-$16 each and there are fries and cocktails available too. Make sure to try the Hibiscus Margarita which is fantastic or negroni lovers will love the Coconut Negroni.

Unable to choose, I go with the three most popular burritos. My favourite burrito is the Cali burrito which is filled with marinated flank steak, fries with melted cheese, guacamole and pico de gallo. It has a good balance of flavours and textures. Usually burritos are quite dense and with a similarly textured filling but I loved the flavour of the flank steak and the tasty marinade of beer, lime juice, vinegar, coriander, roasted garlic and onion.

The baja fish burrito has crumbed fish, fries, cabbage, pico de gallo and baja sauce (a sauce made with mayonnaise, sour cream, coriander, lime juice and pickled jalapeños). I would loved a bit more baja sauce on this as crumbed fish can be a bit drier than battered (some baja dipping sauce on the side would be awesome, just sayin') but it's also good. A word of warning though: these burritos are very filling and often half is enough for me. Do not underestimate how filling these are.

Alejandro says, "The KFC it’s my current favourite, its not a traditional burrito whatsoever but it tastes Mexican in an interesting way, the chicken is deep fried with a flour we make in house with some Mexican chillies and spices, then the gochujang mayo, some kimchi with carrots, ginger and a bit of habanero powder to give it a kick and the Mexican red rice". The chicken is crispy and you get an intriguing sourness from the kimchi and a hit of spice from the gochujang mayo and crispy shallots.

There are a couple of types of loaded fries, one with meat and a vegetarian version. We try the veggie fries which are fries topped with black beans, melted cheese, guacamole and pico de gallo. It's a substantial serving and I'd recommend this if you're going to share it because the burritos themselves are also filling.

There are also two types of dessert,a chocolate dessert and a guava tart. Mr NQN loves guava so he wolfed this guava custard tart down. It's not overly sweet which is nice and comes with a spiced crumb and fig leaf cream on top.

So tell me Dear Reader, how many times a week did you get takeaway or delivery while in lockdown? What do you have planned for this Friday night?

Mexico Mi Amor

92 Glebe Point Road Glebe NSW

https://no92.square.site/mexico-mi-amor