El Sabor

 Whilst the Mexican food trend is 'so yesterday', to me, a good Mexican restaurant will never go out of fashion. El Sabor, a Mexican Cantina located in North Melbourne, is one such restaurant.

Reservations at El Sabor are possible, but definitely not necessary - for a Thursday night the restaurant was practically empty. This, of course, was a concern at first - I mean, if this place was any good, where were all the people?? But luckily the food didn't disappoint.

To eat we shared the large nachos with beef, white and blue corn chips, cheese, guacamole, sour cream and salsa brava ($16), the chicken fajitas ($25), the beef enchiladas with Mexican rice ($22) and the quesadillas with cheese, chorizo and mushroom ($15).

Nachos can often look incredible but taste disappointing - El Sabor seemed to have the opposite problem. Whilst the nachos came out looking quite grey and dismal, they were actually bursting with fresh and vibrant flavours.

The enchiladas and the fajitas suffered from a similar infliction - a far cry from a Mexican fiesta, the dishes came out looking dry and lifeless.   But just as with the nachos, each element of these two dishes (down to the Mexican rice beneath the enchiladas) were just bursting with flavour and the proteins were cooked well.

The biggest disappointment of the night was the quesadillas.  Whilst none of us could put our finger on the strange taste which had engulfed the rest of the flavours, it almost tasted like gas and ruined the entire dish.

Located in the perfect spot for a quick dinner before heading to the Comics Lounge, El Sabor is definitely worth returning to.
 

Food: 4/5
Décor: 3.5/5
Service: 4/5
Total: 11.5/15
Verdict: Love - get around to trying it soon