Sons of
Baja
It’s official. NoHo has reclaimed
its place as food and drink destination. After a couple of months of
‘administration’, Trevor, formerly of Tas Quartermasters, has taken on the lease of
Elizabeth Street Food and Wine.
Doesn’t everybody love una
comida south of the border?
Sons of Baja have reopened
the space and they want you to get the south of the border vibe. It’s full of
light and colour, azul against bright white. This might be the southern-most
Australian capital but why not pretend you’re kicking back in the tropical
warmth of the Baja California? This place is like a giant dose of Vitamin D and
us Hobartians need it. We can’t be living in windowless enclaves all year
round.
The Taco Taco boys are now
cooking somewhere more conventional. This makes for a fun menu to match the
aesthetic – snacks of grilled corn, chipotle mayo and parmesan ($10), fried
prawns and jalapeño mayo ($8);
tacos with a difference: spicy cauliflower and peanut slaw ($6) or bulgogi beef
with sesame ($6.50); and three types of ceviche.
First cab off the rank in
our NoHo venue crawl recently, the Lovely Deputy and This Girl were taking it
slow. We shared the hand cut tortilla chips and guacamole ($10) and the braised
lamb quesadilla with pink onion, cheddar, jack cheese and chipotle crema ($14).
Muy rico! And it we didn’t need anything else that evening – appetite like a
bird perhaps? Maybe but they were satisfying plates.
I can’t go by a fair dinkum
cornchip – even if it happens to be a wheat chip…and the guacamole was the real
deal – not adulterated with filler like sour cream. You can taste the avocado.
Similarly, the quesadilla was also really tasty.
Now you might think the
smoked jalapeño chili is old
hat; twenty years ago chipotle was a novelty and now you find it dotted all
over menus everywhere. But it has a wonderful depth from its smoky flavour,
warmth from the chilli and brings a lovely colour to the plate. It’s a personal
fave.
Sangria cocktails come in
three sizes jam jar ($12), 2.4 litre jug ($45) and call an ambulance 3.2
litre mega jam jar ($60). Apart from the jam jar, these babies are just
right for an evening spent with a group. The rest of the cocktail menu focuses
on beer and coffee. Call This Girl predictable traditional, but I went
off menu and drank a margarita on the rocks and a Nocton chardonnay. Drinks
prices seemed pretty reasonable.
It’s fun, affordable and
there’s space. Sons of Baja is going to go down well with a mixed demographic.
Cocktail drinkers, young families out for quick Friday night drink and dinner before
the kids go to bed, business suits, and all sorts will be found here.
We’re also told that the
head chef of Mamasita, Melbourne, is on his way here to manage the kitchen in
the longer term.
Not long ago This Girl
might have had a minor melt down about the predominance of Asian restaurants in
North Hobart. Right now, south of the border is the latest thing. Personally I
love it but I do wonder about how far away it is from overexposure.
In the meantime, Sons of
Baja are worth a visit: good value food, affordable drinks and a lovely space
to enjoy, in a group large or small.
Sons of Baja are also
perfect for a late afternoon rendezvous. They’re open Monday and Tuesday, 3 pm
until late and Wednesday to Saturday, 12 noon until late.
Find them on Facebook here.
Other food from south of
the border – Taco Taco.
Here’s our post on All Thai and an early contemplation on NoHo’s restaurant diversity.
