LOS VIDA - CROWS NEST, SYDNEY

Los Vida
419 Pacific Hwy
Crows Nest, Sydney

As you approach Los Vida their dark windows evoke mystery.

When you enter - the venue is very alive!

You see a huge area with several split levels and a wonderfully lit wall with colourful memorabilia of all things Mexican. It's a real eye catcher.

This wall really is amazing. It doesn't stop there!

Take a look up - and you will see one of the most artistic ceilings. It looks like something Michelangelo may have done - the artist not the Ninja Turtle!

We really enjoyed just sitting there and looking around at such vibrant colours and detailed décor.






















Mlady started with a Salted watermelon cocktail. Elegantly presented, this consisted of tequila blanco, aperol, fino sherry, watermelon, lemon, bitters. Mlady's initial reaction - Oh that's nice - lovely refreshing flavours. Sir had a Tommy's Margarita - tequila blanco, agave syrup, lime - a - twist. Sir enjoyed this and found it a refreshing cocktail as well.





















We started with a mandatory Guacamole - with Totopos.  this was made up of - avocado, lime, coriander, garlic, chilli, paprika, jicama with pomegranate and totopos.We have had quite a few Guacamole's in our time and this one with the addition of that wonderful, vibrant and crunchy pomegranate made this a very yummy dish!





















Next we had a Tuna Ceviche. Sir loves ceviche.

This was tuna fillet, leche de tigre, chipotle mayo, ciamato, infused tapioca, cucumber, chives with avocado and pistachios.

This was such a fresh flavoured entrée and the combinations were delicious!

The Artichoke and spinach dip was goat and creamed cheeses melted, artichoke, mushrooms with spinach and fried flour tortillas.

It was like a spinach pie - lovely! Nicely flavoured cheeses - not overpowering the spinach.


We love croquettes and could not go past the crab croquette.

It was made up with fried jalapeno caper and anchovy salsa with avocado mayo.

Make sure you combine the tasty croquette with the anchovy salsa - for a really great taste sensation. Loved this dish!


Los Vida is famous we the beer battered Taco - so we had to try this.

It was described on the menu as plain flour tacos with Los Vida famous fish beer - battered Barramundi and also had zesty lime, cabbage slaw with three styles of jalapeno and chipotle mayo.

Such wonderfully bold flavours. No wonder this is famous.

We also tried the plain flour taco with chipotle, prawn, poblano chilli, refried beans, avocado, red onion with corn kernels and chipotle sauce.

This was yet another great flavoured Taco with a good "bite".

We can very easily see why taco's here are popular!



Mlady had a nice red - Rocky Gully Cabernet Malbec from Frankland River, Western Australia.

Oh next were the Beef ribs.

This was beautifully braised beef with chipotle glaze and Latin pickles.

This was so tasty with tender beef and such a beautiful sauce - bar-be-quey sweet - with a nice bite to them - YUM.





The chicken breast was our next dish.

It was pan-fried and served with lashings of quinoa, mango and achiote salsa with habanero dressing.

Such a winning combination with the quinoa and mango.




We then had the Tamales - corn semolina, pibil mushrooms, pipian, mole verde and crema fresca and black sesame seeds.

This was a very fragrantly flavoured dish and such a good sharing plate.

It was an unusual dish, but one we thoroughly enjoyed.

For dessert we had - Chocolate tequenos which were chocolate filled. OMG - Oh yum - hot chocolate just oozing. We both loved this - especially Mlady being a bit of a "chocoholic". The other dessert we had was Grandma Elena's recipe - corn semolina, red wine reduction with candied pepitas and fresh lime. This was a lovely dessert with interesting combinations.

Los Vida is a real gem - serving great Mexican food in vibrant and lively surroundings.

The drinks are worth having too and the service is fast and friendly.

Sir and Mlady dined as guests of Los Vida. Thanks to Brie, Masiel, Taylor and Claire for looking after us on the night. Special thanks to Octavio Gomez-Haro, Co-founder and Marketing Director of Los Vida, for the invitation.

 

THE TWO WOLVES: COMMUNITY CANTINA - CHIPPENDALE, SYDNEY

The Two Wolves: Community Cantina
202 Broadway
(Cnr Broadway and City Rd down Grafton Lane)
Chippendale, Sydney

The Two Wolves is a volunteer-driven social enterprise eatery & bar. Everyone is welcome here and you certainly do feel this.

There is a great vibe about the place and also a "warmth". The décor is bright and quirky.

Take the time to look around as there are some really amazing pictures that show you a history of what the people at The Two Wolves contribute to. It is bright and feels as if the place has been there a while.

The food here really is fantastic and plentiful and they feature many different dishes in their rotating menu. It is also affordable, hearty and authentic.

The menu is simple street food that has been derived from their network of friends around the world.

We started with Pope Francis's spicy empanadas that lived up to their name and these stuffed pastries were packed full of flavour. They were accompanied with a tasty colourful salsa. Sir loves empanadas and had quite a few of these.

Next was Sister Hien's bun thit nuong which is a tasty pork and noodle salad dish.

Being great fans of all kinds of noodles - and these were rice vermicelli noodles -  Sir and Mlady thought that this was a good healthy, hearty and very tasty dish.

It was packed with flavour and extremely vibrant too. 

The Vietnamese Chicken, lemongrass and sweet potato curry was a really flavoursome meal. Everything about this dish was just so yummy.

The combination of the sweet potato - and being in a curry with the Vietnamese Chicken - yummo!

Mlady had quite  few servings of this.

The Korean Fried Chicken had an OMG and WOW factor. How many Korean Fried Chicken's are too many for a person to have? Mlady had 4. Sir had - well quite a few more than that. This was a very popular meal. A lovely carafe of sangria was also on the table. The Sevenhill Inigo Grenache 2013 and Sevenhill Inigo Riesling 2014 also went extremely well.

Then it was on to aloo gobi
masala. This is a spiced cauliflower and potatoes vegetarian dish.

We do love a great vegetarian dish - especially Mlady.

It had great flavours and spices which makes it fragrant and mouth-watering.



All these wonderfully flavoured and tasty dishes were accompanied with  a generous serving of Steamed Jasmine Rice. This went really well as we all know that Jasmine rice is great for soaking up delicious sauces.

For Dessert we had black sticky rice with mango and coconut.

What can we say about this? Seriously this would have to be one of best desserts EVER! Mlady has a passion for this and having the dessert teamed with mango - one of her favourite fruits - Mlady unabashedly finished the plate it was served on!

Eton Mess was our next delicious dessert. This dessert always conjures up a group of Eton scholars walking with a pavlova, dropping it and then frantically trying to put all the pieces back together again. How good does an Eton mess look and how good does it taste? Sir and Mlady thoroughly enjoyed this. Sir even had seconds!

The Two Wolves: Community Cantina is very much about community. Their dishes tell a story of the communities where their volunteers serve - places such as Thailand, Mexico, Micronesia, Cambodia, Ecuador, Nepal and Vietnam. It's the first commercial venture of The Cardoner Project which was founded by Fr David Braithwaite SJ - who we chatted with on the night. He's a pretty cool guy and clearly passionate about making a difference. Most of the staff here are volunteers. If you're interested in helping out by joining the Wolf Pack then Click Here for the volunteer form. 

The Two Wolves: Community Cantina is a relaxed, comfy place with great affordable food and a great feel to it.

They have a decent bar list too - so it needn't be a dry night. Come along, eat good food in a great place, help a great cause and leave satisfied!

Sir and Mlady dined as guests of The Two Wolves: Community Cantina but made a donation to this very worthwhile not-for-profit project when leaving.

Big thanks to The Cardoner Project as well as Carla Monforte of Wasamedia for the invitation - and they donated their expertise as did so many others to help this project.