Last Thursday I was scrolling through social media on my lunch break. I happened to stumbled upon a post mentioning a 100% gluten free restaurant* just a mere five minutes drive from work. Curious, I decided to check out their menu which was filled with a range of gluten free items. I flicked an email over to my co-worker Anita and after a brief phone conversation, I suddenly found myself making a reservation for the two of us for the next day for lunch at La Tortilleria.
*Some of the pre-made drinks that they have on the menu do contain gluten. They assured me that their wait staff are able to assist you with any concerns.
Located at 72 Stubbs road in Kensington this little blue store front is home to a quaint Mexican eatery. They have definitely made the most of their petite floor space by utilizing their front garden to house tables. Due to the few tables available though I highly advise booking. As we finished up there were people lined up waiting for a chance at a seat. Where they all parked though, I’m not too sure as it is only on street parking available.
I was prepared after eating at Mamasitas, to order a lot on the menu and share the items between us. We ended up ordering almost one variety of each type of dish and split the bill down the middle at the end. The Food was perfectly staggered to allow us time to finish the meals on our tiny table before the next arrived. The first dishes and drinks took only mere minutes to arrive.
I decided to start with their Chocolate de Agua ($4.50) which arrived in a terracotta pot. The drink is a thick drinking chocolate with a mild hint of chilli. The longer you allowed it to sit the thicker the chocolate become. The drink also never seemed to end. I would definitely make sure that I order this again.
Anita insisted that we start with the Guacamole and home-made nacho chips ($7.50). Personally I think this was the item that was the most overpriced. While the guacamole was very fresh with a lingering herb flavour and the slightest hint of heat. The nachos were puffed, crunchy and not too oily. The size of the bowls just didn’t seem worth the cost. I would probably for-go this in the future but order Guacamole on the side of one of my other dishes.
Next came the Tostadas and Quesadillas on a large serving platter that we were able to serve ourselves. We ordered a mushroom tostada each ($5.00) and I got a Chicken Tostada as well ($5.50). They were bigger than I had anticipated which when considering the price was a good thing. The Mushroom was a bit watery and combined with the shredded lettuce on top the flavour was weak and water-logged. Putting that aside the flavour I could taste was decent but I probably wouldn’t order it again. It’s just not to my tastes.
I would order the chicken tostadas again. Although it too was topped with the shredded lettuce the chicken itself wasn’t watery and the spicy marinate cut through the crispy lettuce. After eating just that and some of the corn chips with guacamole I was actually feeling pretty full. I began wondering how I was supposed to fit the rest of what we had ordered in.
We ordered three different types of Quesadillas to share. A Frijoles/bean and white cheese ($5.00), Hongos /mushroom ($5.00) and Napoles/Cactus ($6.00). To be completely honest the cactus quesadilla is the only reason we both agreed to making lunch plans so fast. We were both curious as to what it would taste like but I’ll keep you in suspense and leave that one for last.
The bean and white cheese quesadilla was a bit on the flavourless side. You got a hint of bean and a hint of cheese here and there but we both agreed that there no wow factor. This would be a miss for me next time as I enjoy more spice like in my home made frijoles.
Despite my neutral thoughts on the mushroom tostada, the mushroom quesadilla was good. It seemed deceptively hearty with juicy mushroom flavour. The cheese elevated the flavour with added creaminess. It wouldn’t be the number one item on my list but I would definitely order it again if I felt like mushroom.
The Cactus quesadilla; the menu item that brought us to La Tortilleria in the first place was divine. We have already made plans to order this again. It had a sweet pepper type zing and a bit of spice mellowed out by a sweet honey. It was juicy and paired really well with the cheese. I couldn’t get enough of it.
If you think that we should have stopped after all that you’d be right. Instead though we both ordered what is on the menu as a Flauta. However as Flauta as i know it refers to wheat tortillas and what we had were the corn then I’d prefer to call them a Taquito. For those who don’t know a Taquito is a small rolled up tortilla with filling that is then crisp-fried. I ordered the lamb ($6.00) and Anita ordered a potato ($5.00). These are on the pricier side for what you get however they are very filling and two probably could do me for lunch.
The potato variety was delicious. It tasted like a herbed wedge inside a crispy corn chip with a kick of cayenne. This is another item I would definitely order again. The lamb was also good enough to be ordered again with a lovely heartiness and strong flavour of coriander.
The final savoury item was the bowl of what the menu describes as ‘Traditional Nachos’ ($7.50). What arrived at the table was not what I expected. There was a deep bowl filled with house made corn chips and drowning in salsa, spring onion and a thin sour cream. I probably could have only eaten the nachos and nothing else rather than trying one of everything. These will be an easy quick lunch for me to run up and grab if I ever get a craving.
After all that food I was ready to leave but Anita had other plans. She wanted to try the Vanilla Mexican Flan and a Mexican Coffee ($4.50). The coffee was warm and had the flavour of a spiced mulled wine. It’s many different notes worked together to create a warm memorable flavour.
The slice of Vanilla flan ($8.00) was a decent size. It wobbled, had a beautiful vanilla custard essence and was topped with the perfect drizzling of sauce. It certainly didn’t top the Mamasita Chocolate Orange flan, which La Tortilleria also offers. It is however definitely in competition with the Vanilla Flan from Taco Bill.
Before leaving I couldn’t help myself and added a pack of their home-made corn tortillas to the bill. It was $9 for a pack of 22. They are on the smaller side than a wrap but they are perfect lunch size for me and great value too. The corn tortillas are also have the Coeliac Society logo on the side of the box! You can also purchase other grocery items in the store, as well as take away options.
We left weighing far more than when we arrived but with the knowledge that La Tortilleria in our minds is definitely worth a trip back for another work day lunch. They will offer you a doggy bag and take credit card, however there is no disabled access or kids menu, also if you do check their online menu be aware that it isn’t the most up to date version and prices and flavours have been updated.
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Never forget that being a Coeliac doesn’t have to mean the end of flavour or fun; it just takes a little bit more time to figure it all out.
Until Next Time;