13.5 / 20 How we score Mexican $$ $$ By rights, Hacienda should be a great leap forward for Mexican food in Melbourne. Chef Ross McCombe spent seven years working in Mexico City – including at highly regarded Quintonil – and still operates a couple of businesses there.
At Hacienda, on the first floor of the Southgate development facing the river across from Flinders Street station, he’s not looking to give us the street food that dominates the Mexican food scene here (and elsewhere), but rather to show us what modern Mexican can look like. Mexico City is one of the most exciting places in the world to eat, thanks to its endless markets, food stalls and cafes, but also because modern Mexican and Latino fine dining is better than ever. The cocktail scene there is on fire.
Three Mexico City venues are on the World’s 50 b est r estaurants list (including Quintonil, at no. 7) – a tally surpassed only by Bangkok, which has four. In Melbourne, the past few years have brought a boom in quality tacos and even a few places doing regional specialties.
With the opening of Barra and Morena , Alejandro Saravia is looking to showcase South American flavours in upscale and more casual settings alike. But Hacienda is pointed in its ambitions. On the Southgate website , it warns that this is “NOT your average street food offering”.
McCombe is going so far as to make his own tortillas: an arduous process that pays off – the warm, corn-rich rounds you get with many dishes are fan.
