Baja Cantina, Glebe Pt Rd, Glebe

Baja Cantina, Glebe Pt Rd, Glebe
Wednesday 22 August, 2007

Tonight my dinner buddy and I went Mexican. I honestly can't recall the last time I ate Mexican - maybe 10+ years ago? So, tonight we arrived at Baja Cantina with an open mind and empty bellies.

deGroots profiled this joint back in June with the following review,

"Don’t you hate it (or love it) when you go to a restaurant and the food is so good and the servings so large that you eat way beyond your stomach capacity? Although this happens far more regularly than I’m prepared to admit, the last occasion was during a visit to Glebe’s Baja Cantina.

The culprit was their massive taco supremo which is way too big for one person and way too good to leave any on the plate. A huge, open, lightly crisped flour tortilla sits on the plate and bears resemblance to a giant clam albeit one that is absolutely packed with tasty portions of refried beans, lettuce, salsa, guacamole, cheese, sour cream and your choice of shredded beef or chicken, chipotle prawns or steak. Luckily the menu has excellent sangria and margheritas to wash it all down.

The airy and spacious interior is reminiscent of a beach side bungalow with whitewashed walls, honey-coloured floorboards, huge windows and high ceilings – an idealised version of a Mexican tacqueria, although the sophisticated atmosphere provides no hint of the stuffing you are about to receive. Uncomfortable wooden chairs will dissuade you from lingering – which is a good thing, because after all that food you’re going to seriously need a walk."

I'm certainly not a connoisseur of all things Mexican so we welcomed the assistance of our friendly waiter. She was very accommodating and recommended a few dishes by describing them in some detail. We took her advice and after starting with fresh, authentic guacamole and corn chips ordered the following:

- Chimichangas - deep-fried burrito that originated in Sonora, Mexico. This was served as folded flour tortillas filled with a wide range of ingredients such as refried beans, rice, cheese and shredded chicken. They were then deep-fried and accompanied with salsa, guacamole and sour cream

- Fajitas - is a generic term used in Tex-Mex cuisine, referring to grilled meat served on a flour or corn tortilla. The chicken was cooked with onions and peppers and came with a separate plate of condiments including sour cream, guacamole, salsa, cheese, and tomato.

I had great fun making up my fajitas and trying a variety of fillings. Three corn tortillas came wrapped in foil and I was invited to order more as I needed them. I had never heard the term chimichangas before but according to a legend, Monica Flin, who started the restaurant El Charro in 1922, accidentally dropped a burrito into the deep fat fryer. She immediately began to utter a Spanish curse-word, but quickly edited herself to say chimichanga, the Spanish equivalent of thingamajig.

The servings were so large that we barely made a dint in the plates of food in front of us. The variety and quality of the food was really good and the spicy kick of the fresh jalapenos was outstanding. Washed down with a couple of beers I was impressed.



Baja Cantina - 43-45 Glebe Point Road, Glebe - (02) 9571 1199