Fonda Mexican
She says
It seems like we’re running with a bit of a Mexican (or seemingly Mexican) theme recently but it’s a complete coincidence, I promise. When I saw that Fonda Mexican had opened a week or so ago on Swan Street I couldn’t wait to try, certainly not long enough to make it look like I don’t have some sort of strange mexican obsession. I’m glad I didn’t wait because I loved it and if I’d waited it would have just been that much longer until I can go again.
I should probably say up front that one of the reasons I wanted to visit Fonda was that Tim, one of the co-owners, and I went to uni together. When I say we went to uni together, we were doing the same course at the same time and have a few mutual friends but I personally barely know him so there’s not really anything for this review to be biased by, just putting it out there anyway for the sake of honesty.
Fonda is in a little pocket of Swan Street by the corner of Church Street (also home to Union Dining) that definitely seems to be on the way up at the moment with more and more shops being refitted and taking on a new life. The fit out here is young, colourful and fun. There’s also a compact courtyard at the back. I’m looking forward to going back on a sunnier day and hopefully getting a seat in the courtyard or by open street windows.
The food was exciting. The menu is small but has a good selection and the overwhelming impression I got from all the dishes that we tried was one of freshness. Everything tasted fresh, particularly the tortillas pressed used the cafe’s very impressive looking Doughpro tortilla press imported from the US.
The service was efficient when we visited, our food came out freshly made in the open kitchen within about 10 minutes of ordering. I should mention though that Fonda has been open for less than 2 weeks and they are apparently still in the process of getting all their systems set up, so if there are delays in the next couple of weeks I’d put them down to teething problems.
I can’t wait to go back and try more dishes, next time I think I’ll be going for a burrito – as much as I love tacos I’m also a big fan of good burritos and they are pretty hard to come by at trendy Mexican places, they’re a notable exception from menus at Paco’s Tacos and Mamasita. Luckily I should be able to get back soon because Fonda Mexican is open for lunch and dinner 7 days a week (also open for late night snacks until midnight Friday and Saturday). I’m told that they’re hoping for the liquor license to come through next week so you’ll soon be able to enjoy some grown up beverages with your chipotle. Perfect.
He says
So we seem to have a terrible penchant for Mexican food, which is now almost bordering on an addiction. It’s said that the first step in overcoming your addiction is to admit it, and that’s what I’m doing here. Unfortunately, if the quality of Mexican food in Melbourne continues to follow the trend exemplified by Fonda Mexican, it’s going to take a while.
The menu was beautifully simple, with a good variety of burritos and tacos; there was even an Australiana inspired Kangaroo Burrito. The only blight on the menu for me, which is probably more a commentary on my uncouthness than anything else, was a lack of nachos. The closest substitute was the chipotle & aioli covered fat chips, which were a great substitute, but there is something just deliciously cheeky about corn chips covered in cheese.
I’m really just nitpicking, Fonda Mexican was wonderful. The food swiftly appeared and was quickly demolished in a frenzy of silence and finger licking. I’m still thinking about the beef burrito now. And now. And now.
We ate
Colin Hill and I had a taco each – I had the braised pork taco with pineapple, onion, coriander and lime ($5, on the left in the photo below) while Colin had a fish taco with chipotle aioli, pickled carrot, pickled onion and cabbage ($6, on the right below). They were both delicious. The pork in mine was juicy and delicious and there was just enough pineapple, best taco I’ve had in a long time. The fish was great and so fresh, I can see why it’s apparently their most popular taco at the moment.
After the tacos we shared a chorizo quesadilla with queso fresco, jalepeno and salsa roja ($10). Again this was fresh and a great mix of flavours. It was quite spicy though, a little too spicy for Gerard.
Gerard had the chopped beef burrito with beef and pork burger, black beans, salsa roja and chipotle aioli ($13.50). Gerard really liked the burrito which was pretty sizeable. The only thing that could have improved the burrito was for the chipotle aioli to be inside the tortilla, while it looked great on the top, it sent the messiness factor through the roof.
We shared a couple of sides, starting with the fat chips served with chipotle aioli ($5). The chips were fresh and a little crispy and worked really well with the ubiquitous chipotle aioli.
We also tried the charred corn with chipotle aioli, ricotta salata and lime ($3.50). The corn probably wasn’t as good as the version at Paco’s Tacos or Mamasita, but for about half the price I was still a happy camper.
In the end
Fonda Mexican is fresh, fun, smooth and very professional for a place that’s been open for less than 2 weeks. If you’re as much of a taco fiend or quesadilla craver as we are you’re going to love this addition to the more-authentic side of Melbourne’s Mexican scene.
