Towering plates of nachos and cheesy quesadillas have a place in many a heart. While this writer will always sport a soft spot for Tex-Mex, that’s just the tip of the culinary iceberg when it comes to this colourful cuisine.
is the new Kings Cross eatery from Peter Lew and Nicole Galloway, the restaurateurs behind now-defunct institution Barrio Chino. It’s less interested in identikit dishes than it is in showcasing the flavours of a country that’s home to 31 states and seven regions — each with its distinct culinary stamp.
“There are so many different regions of Mexico and they are all famous for different things,” says Lew. “When we think of Mexican, we just think “Mexican” — we don’t think of Oaxaca, the seafood and fish tacos of Baja… When Barrio Chino shut down last year, we started travelling a lot to Mexico, LA and San Francisco. We were looking for a site for Chula in Sydney and we were excited when the space came up.”
At Chula, you won’t find chicken burritos but you will find an array of subtler dishes that nod to a country that’s as shaped by desert and mountains as it is by jungle and sea. Take aguachile, a type of fiery Mexican ceviche conceived in the northwestern state of Sinaloa. Chula’s version is topped with scallop, prawn or market fish and spiked with red onion and jalapeño-lime juice. It has all the makings of a summer classic — especially when washed down with a Curado, a mix of mezcal, lemon, blood orange and sparkling water. Elsewhere, the - crisp, corn masa tortillas topped with black bean puree, roasted vegies, prawn or LP Quality Meat’s chorizo - are a love letter to the street vendors of Oaxaca, a UNESCO-approved culinary heartland.
Chula is plating up Aguachile, a fiery Mexican ceviche spiked with jalapeño-lime juice. Source: Kai Leishman
“Tlayudas are an Oaxacan street food but even when I was eating at Oaxacan restaurants in LA, they get their tortillas flown in because they’re so difficult to make,” says Lew. “They’re referred to as Mexico’s [answer to] pizza. And although we’ve had to adapt the recipe, they’re really popular.”
Sometimes, though, you just crave a good guacamole. And thanks to Chef Alvaro Valenzuela who hails from Mexico City, the more adventurous elements of Chula’s menu don’t override the comforts of a side-dish that survives every trend.
Tlayudas are Oaxaca's answer to pizza, and Chula are putting their own spin on them. Source: Kai Leishman
“We have an amazing chef, Alvaro, and I basically just said to him, ‘I want you to cook what you would cook back in Mexico’,” says Lew. “The guacamole that we serve is very home-style, with onion, coriander, tomato. At the end of the day, it is pretty simple food. But I just wanted the flavours to feel authentic — and he’s doing a great job.”
Shop 7, 33 Bayswater Road Kings Cross
