Barrio Chino, Potts Point

Taco's and Tequila - Barrio Chino would always be a place after this girls heart.

Continuing the birthday celebrations, I decided to take the little familia out for a mexican fiesta at this cool new place at Pott's Point. I was lucky enough to visit Barrio Chino on opening night and got my first taste of their potent margaritas and delectable dishes, I was certain that the place would be perfect for a celebratory dinner.

And what a celebration it was! Mexican beers was came in from every direction, and on a warm night the Tecate was quite popular on our table. I've tried this before at Mamacita's with the other half, where they laced the can with salt. I much prefer the light flavour with just the lime. We were adamant that Tommy's Margarita ($16) had to be present that night. After knocking back a few during the opening, I was craving that deliciously sour and potent tequila hit. The drink menu spells it out in the description "No Shitty Tequila. No Sour Mix" can't say no to that! I also tried the Barrio Mule ($16) Herradura reposado tequilla, lime and ginger beer - hands down better than any vodka mule by far

Barrio Chino can be found in the heart of Pott's Point, or King's Cross rather and taking up the old site of Zachary's. Its a great new addition to what is now becoming my new favourite eating strips. Could it be the old age? I'm now dining on Bayswater road instead of stumbling out in the footpath? We'll see.

Okay amigos, now for the food. There is plenty to cover so for the sake of your mexican cravings I'm going to keep this easy and brief. I am loving that the BBQ Corn Cob ($6) is so present in Sydney at the moment. I'm finding that it's the dish I have to order if its on the menu. The Bario Chino version is light on the mayo creaminiess (which I quite liked) but the spicy flavour hits you good. Its not buried under a ton of cheese either so you can enjoy the sweet and smokey corn kernels.

Another dish to kick things off was the Pulled Pork Tostada's ($12). These were banging! They arrived in a flash so its the perfect dish to line the stomach if you're going to be ordering rounds of Margarita's. The pulled pork had a nice sweet and smokey flavour and what better way to seal that than with a crunchy tosta. Four in a serve so there was no need for a family throwdown for a piece.

We are then given squeezie bottles of sauce with varying degree's of heat. Little brother of course decides to try the super mega fire in your mouth chilli sauce and could hardly handle it. I wasnt allowed to even try the mild green sauce because because it had coriander and my silly allergies made me fear asphyxiation.. As far as birthday dinner's go, I always loose to coriander - BUT NOT THIS YEAR!

Taco Time! At $6 each we definitely tried to cover as much of the menu as we could, ordering the Baja Fish, Carnitas, Carne Asado & Chicken Barracho Tacos.

The Carnitas were definitely the overall favourite of the evening and we just kept going back and forth ordering this from the kitchen. Braised pork in all its tender glory, so good!

The Fish Taco was the safer option for me as it didn't have a trace of coriander. Seriously, I must go to places to tempt allergic fate. The cumin lime cream added a tangy hit and with a little bit of lime, it's like being back in LA again (yes, LA mexican food is the closest I've had to the real deal) There was not a hint of over-battering or oiliness in this taco, crisp to perfection and so so freaking moorish! Fish Taco by the dozen por favor!

When you see Quesadilla Tres Queso on the menu, you simply cannot say no to the awesomeness that you could potentially miss out on. Topped with caramelized onion and a tangy mayo it was superb!

Sweet corn kernels were inside the Quesadilla as well, giving some pops of crunch. Speaking of said Corn.. Another BBQ Corn Cob manifested so what better way to keep testing the chilli sauces on offer.

Addictive? You bet!

Now what better way to end a birthday dinner than with sparklers in your dessert! Not only did the food and friendly service rock - they were awesome enough to get in the celebration spirit!

And what better cake to have than a Traditional Mexican Flan! This made my night..but theres more..

I am a serious churros fiend and honestly all my birthdays rolled into one when a plate of this came around. With a dulce de leche and chocolate dipping sauce it was the best end to the birthday night. I know churros isn't hard to come by in Sydney- but finding a good, fluffy and awesome cinnamon sugar dusted one sure is! I found chocolate gratings in the coating too which was a great touch.

Unfortunately Barrio Chino does not take booking but the fam and I were smart enough to get there in the first hour of opening. As we finished our meal the place was slowly filling with other hungry diners.

There is such a great atmosphere in this awesome new place - the food is packed with flavour and the service is super friendly. The food was shared, the drinks were awesome so I can forsee a few more fun nights to be had at Barrio Chino. Definitely making friends with that tequila bar - because I am older, and not necessarily wiser, but at least I know where the good tequila is at.

Barrio Chino - www.barriochino.com.au
Open Tuesday to Sunday for Dinner til Late

And BEFORE YOU GO...

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