Eating Mexican in Sydney raises a question that’s of primary concern in David Chang’s new Netflix series, Ugly Delicious. What is authentic, and does it even matter?
For what we’ve been offered to date has not always been true Mexican, at least not pulled from the push carts, street stalls and restaurantes of Mexico, but fragments of the cuisine piled onto little plates and topped with Australian flourish. And a lot of it has been wonderful.
Bar Patrón by Rockpool, at least for the large part, is what you might really call auténtico. It’s what you find in the country’s colourful homes, food shacks by the beach and at bustling markets. The food is also surprisingly ugly, as a lot of ethnic or home cooking can be before chefs deconstruct, stack and ‘reimagine’. It epitomises ‘ugly delicious’, as Chang dubs it.
Rockpool Dining Group partnered with global tequila label Patrón for the brand-sponsored restaurant and bar. Neil Perry, the group's culinary director, is known for his reverence for Australian produce, quality and, as far as multicultural goes, authentic food. Still, the particularly homely, comfort quality of the dishes here is wonderfully refreshing.
Chilaquiles are red salsa-drowned corn chips and cheese. Source: Bar Patron
Take the coctel de mariscos, a seafood cocktail of prawn, octopus and crab doused in a sweet, vinegar-spiked tomato sauce (as in ketchup) and served with packet white crackers, just as you’d find in its hometown of Veracruz. Or the carnitas, a mess of slow-cooked pork, red rice and black refried beans to share, partnered with warm corn tortillas to pile it onto. The dish reminded me of so many meals I ate during my year abroad in Mexico – flavour-rich, fuss-free and finger-licking good.
A large swathe are direct descendants of the dishes chef Pamela Valdes’ grandmother, aka “nanny”, would prepare and at the risk of sounding cliché, you can taste the love in them. Chile relleno – jalapeno stuffed with an escabeche of apple, raisin, nuts and herbs – harmoniously blends sweet and savoury, while the flan napolitano, enriched with cream cheese and sauced with Patrón Silver tequila, should come with a warning: creme caramel on steroids.
Sadly, I didn’t get to try the lunchtime-only tortas but the mere fact it graces the menu is a boon. Still to climb the global culinary ranks, tortas are Mexico’s answer to a sandwich or burger, but to call the rolls jam-packed with refried beans, guacamole, salsa, meats and cheese either would be an injustice.
Ceviche-rojo (marinated seafood) is served with plain crackers. Source: Bar Patron
Chiles rellenos en escabeche are stuffed pickled jalapeños. Source: Bar Patron
“The chicken cemita milanesa is my favourite,” says Valdes. “It reminds me of when I was a student as we were able to buy these at school, but you could pretty much get them everywhere – every shop or restaurant had their own variation.”
Meanwhile, Perry is perhaps most proud of the tortillas, made in house daily from masa (flour produced from dried corn that’s cooked and soaked in limewater) and the salsas – the Mexican litmus test in his book. Five salsas – adobo, molajete, chiltomate, chile seco and pineapple habanero – ranging in heat, smoke, acidity and freshness are served as starters with totopos (fried tortilla triangles – not corn chips).
The Flan Napolitano is best described as a Mexican creme caramel on steroids. Source: Bar Patron
A host of others wind their way through the menu, beguiling tastebuds with exotic chillies and, as Pamela describes them, “a multitude of lovely ingredients”.
Formerly Café Nice and Ananas Bar, Bar Patrón makes the most of the iconic site’s 5am liquor licence and recalls the restaurant-bars of Europe, where the two are given equal weighting and DJs hit the decks near midnight. Tequila, of course, is flowing, with the star attraction the Millionaire’s Margarita (priced as such at 100 large each) but the regular margies are equally special.
Chicken frijoles with adobo, crema, and queso fresco. Source: Bar Patron
As expected by Perry, the fit-out bucks the usual Mexican trend for rich tan leather and marble. It’s cowboy luxe, set off by the striking, slightly gritty views of Circular Quay through the train tracks next door.
“There’s no Tex-Mex or anything Americanised here,” says the veteran restaurateur, who discovered the talented Valdes just a week after she landed in Australia on holiday from Mexico.
That’s not necessarily a bad thing. Actually, this is really good.
Sun - Wed 12pm-3pm and 5:30pm - midnight; Thur - Sat 12pm-3pm and 5:30pm - late (bar menu from 11pm).
2 Phillip St, Circular Quay
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