If there is one thing my friends alert me to as soon as it's announced, it's a tequila bar. As much as it bewilders almost everyone around me, tequila is my alcohol of choice.
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It's a great time to be a tequila lover in Canberra right now as there bars dedicated to the spirit are slowly taking over the city. We've already seen gin have its moment - the gin-aissance if you will - and this tequila lover is keen to see a new spirit come to the forefront.
This is all to say that when Paloma's announced it was taking over a spot on Lonsdale Street I was well notified about it.
The fact that it also dishes up Mexican food is the cherry on top. We're a city in the process of working out how Mexican food fits into its hospitality scene. Will Paloma's be the best taco in town?
Kicking off this evening we start with a couple of cocktails - the Casa Margarita ($20) and the Paloma's Paloma ($20). We may be here for a food review, but I want to test their tequila.
The margarita is always going to be the obvious choice. Made with Olmeca Altos Reposado Tequila, Cointreau, fresh lime and agave there is no hiding with this one. It's crisp, with the salty rim mixing perfectly with sour lime and the hint of sweetness of the agave. It's a classic for a reason and also well balanced in this case.
But the bar's namesake is a highlight for me. With a large wedge of grapefruit balancing on top, this cocktail is Olmeca Altos tequila with peach, lime and Mexican grapefruit soda. The peach is an unusual choice for a Paloma but it works well against the bitter sourness of the citrus, adding a touch more sweetness than the usual simple syrup or agave.
But it's time to get some food into the mix. We kick things off with the tuna tostada ($22, two pieces), the corn ribs ($16) and the cauliflower ceviche ($17).
With sashimi grade yellowfin tuna, guacamole and sesame seeds, served on crunchy corn tortillas, the tostadas are a great little morsel to kick things off. The guacamole is bright and fresh, spread thickly on the tortillas - luckily, because I love guacamole on pretty much everything. The tuna is super fresh and just melts in your mouth. The finely chopped jalapeno sprinkled on top adds some heat.
We opted for the cauliflower ceviche because we wanted to see how they approached a vegetarian dish traditionally made with fish. The cauliflower has been marinated in mandarin oil and lime and then served with avocado, corn and pepitas, with corn chips and Valentina's hot sauce.
The bowl is massive - definitely one you can share with a few people. The marinade was fresh and bright, but the cauliflower didn't seem to take on the flavour very well. It almost felt like it was separate from everything else. I am glad they added the hot sauce on the side though. They are not lying when they say it's hot sauce - best not to be too heavy handed with this one. That being said, the dish overall benefited from the spice.
The corn ribs, on the other hand, were the best dish of the night. The twice-cooked corn ribs, with chipotle crema, manchego cheese and lime have been living in my head rent free since. The corn was cooked perfectly, and the sweet burst of the kernels paired so well with the cheesy crema. Even if you're not going to Paloma's for dinner, grab a plate of these to have with drinks.
But it's time for the main event - the tacos. With a few different options to choose from we've opted for the beef birria with consome ($18, two pieces) and the chorizo tacos ($18, two pieces).
The slow-braised beef is paired with guajillo, ancho chillies, Oaxaca cheese, onion and coriander, and served with a braising consome and tomatillo salsa. This is quite a rich take on a taco. The meat was super tender and would have been falling off the bone. And I liked the idea of the consome, but didn't have enough impact to make a dent in the flavour profile. I think what was missing was something to cut through the flavour of the meat - maybe a pickled onion or something along those lines.
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The chorizo was better balanced, however. With spicy chorizo, caramelised onion, a salsa, hot sauce and Oaxaca cheese, the heat paired with the sweet onion really was a match made in heaven.
We finish the evening with a serve of the churros dusted with cinnamon sugar, chocolate ganache, vanilla ice cream and praline ($16). It's pretty hard to go wrong with fried dough, with chocolate, cinnamon and vanilla ice-cream. It's relatively simple but it's delicious and will never get old.
But is Paloma's the ultimate taco trip? Not at the moment, but that's not to say there isn't something great here. The cocktails alone will have me coming back for more, and there are certainly a couple of gems on this menu that will have me wanting to know what they do next.
Paloma's
Address: 2/5 Lonsdale Street, Braddon
Phone: 6109 0130
Website: palomas.bar
Hours: Tuesday and Wednesday, 4pm to 11pm. Thursday to Saturday, 4pm to 1am.
Chef: Shyaanita Mudaliar
Noise: Could be loud with a crowd.
Dietary: Plenty of options