A few weeks ago I was invited to a Blogger Fiesta dinner at El Loco at the Slip Inn, which is now a permanent fixture. Considering the fact that I have never even been to the Surry Hills one before, you could say that I was very much delayed in trying out the infamous tacos from El Loco and hence I was super duper excited! Looking at the image below, you can conclude that my excitement was valid - it was a truly tantalising feast of mouth-watering dishes that left me in one massive food coma afterwards.
Upon arrival, mini margheritas were offered and immediately I knew it was going to be an awesome night. I even managed to make a friend, the lovely Retrodaze from The Food Book. We were both lost and luckily I braved the courage to ask her if she was a food blogger and thank god she replied with a yes :D
Throughout the night, we sampled so many delicious cocktails from the menu that we momentarily forgot it was only a Thursday night and that it was not the weekend just yet...
How awesome does this Passionfruit Batida Cocktail look?! It's made with Espolon Bianco tequila and shaken with apple and lime juice, fresh passionfrut and Agave syrup.
The Pink Cuco Cocktails consists of El Loco's house slushy of Espolon Tequila with pink grapefruit and lime juices, homemade coriander and raw ginger syrup. Although the ginger scent was a tad strong for me, it was a fun and pretty slurpee that kept me cool and refreshed.
To kick start the tasty evening, we were offered a selection of tacos to try out and my favourite one was definitely the Baja Fish with Chipotle Mayo and Salsa Verde. There were so many tasty flavours happening at the same time that all I could do was gobble it all up.
All tacos include cabbage, coriander, spring opnions, salsa verde and pico de gallo and are priced at $6 each. Additionally, all tacos can be substituted for a lettuce leaf instead of tortilla. Personally I liked both options - the former felt more light and crisp with many comparing it to a san choy bow whilst the latter was equally delicious but seemingly more filling.
I think it was safe to say that no one could possibly eat these tacos in an elegant manner. I was definitely struggling...but come to think of it, who needs elegance when they taste that good?!
Just when I thought how could anything top those tacos...Dan Hong decides to wow me again with his famous hot dogs. The El Loco Hot Dog with house-made frank, pico de gallo, mustard relish, jalapenos and mayo queso fresca was beyond delicious. Served on a soft hot dog bun (quite literally the softest bun I've ever had), each bite was extremely juicy and flavoursome. And look at all that stringy cheese!
I loved the Chipotle Fries served with Chipotle Mayo - it reminded me of my beloved spicy sauce from Hungry Jacks, except the chips here were even more seasoned and addictive. The Corn Chips with Guacamole and Salsa were also a fun side to share with a group of people.
The Char Grilled Baby Corn and Heirloom Tomato Salad with Popcorn and Ranchero Dressing topped as one of my favourite dishes of the night. A creamy salad dressing with crunchy bites and sweet scents here and there - simply fabulous and a must-order!
The Cobia (Black Kingfish) Ceviche Salad was packed with fennel and lime dressing, Vietnamese mint, green apple and coriander. The thing is...I was too busy eating all the other dishes to have tried this properly...
How crazy does this Roasted Pork Belly look? Unfortunately there was a limited order with this dish and we didn't actually get to taste it - but hey we got a photo! :P Served with mexican rice, crackling, apple and cucumber salad with pineapple salsa, god it looked so delicious!
I ordered the BBQ Chicken as my main and PLEASE DO NOT BE DECEIVED BY MY POOR-QUALITY PHOTO. It may look like it's burnt but in reality, it was char grilled to absolute perfection. The chicken meat was deliriously tender and tasty from the seasoned marinade and it was the perfect match with the addictive chipotle mayo. Additionally, it also came along with salsa roja, radish and fennel salad as well as the mexican rice. Please note, the serving size of this was humungous and so prepare your stomach for it.
The Grilled Minute Steak didn't look too bad either! A juicy-looking 200g scotch fillet with radish and fennel salad in addition to chipotle fries and pico de gallo.
The Grilled Fish was another stunner of the night. It was perfectly cooked and the fish meat dissolved in your mouth with ease in all its creaminess. Also served with salsa verde, radish and fennel salad and mexican rice. I would probably order this myself next time.
By now we were seriously stuffed but how could we possible resist dessert, especially when it's Churros with Dulce de Luche Dipping Sauce? No we really couldn't resist and so we had one each. Crazy crunchy churro sticks with an oozingly creamy sticky sauce - it was the perfect sweet ending to the night.
Overall, I really enjoyed my night at El Loco - not only was the atmosphere buzzing with people and live music (the DJ was awesome), the food was truly amazing and delicious. The ambience was oh so relaxed and chilled with the cool outdoor setting and the pretty lights. The great thing about this new fixture is that there are now mains as opposed to just tacos - so it's essentially a great place to check out with a group of friends after work for some yummy cocktails and food to share.
Service was friendly and attentive and serving sizes for the mains were impressive. You won't leave here hungry for sure.
I would definitely return here with a group of friends for a fun and casual night out.
Thank you to SBPR for inviting me - I had a great time trying out the food and meeting some new people :)
El Loco at Slip Inn
111 Sussex Street
Sydney NSW 2000
9240 3000
http://merivale.com.au/el-loco-at-slip-inn
Labels: Mexican, Tacos
