Besos Latinos translates to many kisses. Este lugar es increíble (or, this place is incredible)!!
Somewhere you could walk past every day for your whole life and not know it was there. Tucked away deep within Elliot Stables is this fantastic Caribbean, South American, Mexican restaurant. We were greeted by nobody dressed in a sombrero and an Argentina football shirt on. To the other side was a poster saying ‘Dia de Muerte’ or day of the dead, is a public holiday in Mexico to celebrate family and friends who have died.
The menu is full relatively small in comparison to other restaurants we have dined at, but what they do have is medicine for the stomach. We ordered a couple of beverages. A Horchata for Tina and an Export Citrus light for me. It was at this point an old tequila bottle filled with water arrived (see image below).
So for starts, we had the choice of numerous delicious tasting starters. From guacamole, tamales and tacos. Tina went for a Venezuelan Arepa; this was a corn cake stuffed with cheese and either chicken or beef. Tina did say at the time, the corn cake itself didn’t have much flavour but with the beef was quite nice.
I had never tried ceviche before and had been told by head chef Louis that it is a speciality of theirs, so decision made. The ceviche was superb. The lime juice that the fish was cured in was subtle on its own. You could taste the quality of the fish, along with the sweetcorn, red onion, coriander and curly leaf parsley.
For mains we had the following along with the notes we took on the night;
Uruguayan Breaded Chicken – $28
- Slightly tough, but that could have been the somewhat blunt knife. As when Tina took mine, it was all right.
- Nice amount of cheese on top of the chicken.
- Was very similar to a schnitzel. But had herbs underneath the breadcrumbs
Argentinian Asado – $32
- The steak was cooked perfectly, as I had asked for a rare piece.
- Was 100% Angus grass fed wagyu beef.
- 2 x 100% pork sausages (with a hit of heat, so not for those with the delicate palette).
- The surprise of the dish was the Empanada. This was super crispy, and the pastry was wafer thin.
- The filling was delicious and was great as it had soaked up some of the steak juices.
Rice & Veg – $4
- If you are looking for al dente rice. Latin America food is not the place to get it.
- Sweetcorn and peas with it
- A slight tomato taste and redness in colour
- Perfect size side for one person. Or 2 of you pig out on the mains and want to have room for a dessert.
We had a great time eating at Besos Latinos but would recommend booking a table. But in the meantime give them some support and follow them on their social media channels. Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
