United Latino Cocina

My sister had just finished her 8th grade violin exam so I took her to lunch at United Latino Cucina! We'd heard lots of great reviews so we were pretty excited to finally be able to try it out.

ULC is tucked away, just off Rundle Mall on Francis St. I overheard many people walking past saying "wow, I never knew this was here"!

Pre-made quesadillas 

Menu

Jarritos Grapefruit Soda $5 (?)

Feature Taco $6.90

Grilled chicken & caramelised onion, chipotle, creamy slaw, lettuce & salsa Mexicano

SO good! The slightly spicy, deliciously seasoned grilled chicken pieces were balanced very well with the slaw and lettuce. Also, such great value for $6.90. I would definitely recommend this, but avoid it if you're not a fan of spicy food! 

Habanero Chicken Tostada $14.90

Slow cooked chicken pulled with fresh habanero, dry cheese, refried beans, lettuce, crema, green onion, cilantro & salsa Mexicana

This was also delicious! Lots of lovely flavours which all complimented each other very well. The chicken was so soft and tender and was well paired with the textures of the crunchy corn chip and lettuce. It was really filling because of how much chicken there was, so thank goodness my sister and I were sharing! Again, I would avoid this if you don't like spicy food, but otherwise, definitely give it a go!

I can definitely see why this place has become so popular. The food is delicious and well priced, and the staff were so friendly! I would definitely recommend it for a nice lunch if you're ever wandering around in Rundle Mall, looking for something new to try. 

Overall, 8.5/10



 

Zapatas & St Louis'

On Wednesday night, my year 12 form was invited to dinner at Zapatas by our form teacher. I did some research and found that this is an award winning Mexican establishment, so I was quite excited to dine there! Unfortunately, with a group of just under 20, I only managed to snap a few shots of the dishes closest to me.

 Mexican Hibiscus & Tamarindo $3.90

Drinks to start off the night! My friend and I were curious about the flavour of hibiscus in a drink so we ordered one each. In my opinion, it tasted very similar to lemonade, but had a richer sugary taste.

 Pollo El Salsa de Cacahuate $23.90

A tender piece of chicken breast with a chicken meat and spinach filling, coated in a spicy peanut sauce. Served with rice and salad.

All I can remember about this dish was that the chicken breast was bone dry and extremely difficult to eat! I only ate a few forkfuls of the chicken with the salad but gave up. All my friends agreed with me after trying it.

 

Bistec Ranchero (250 grm) $24.90

Prime fillet steak which has been marinated, then barbecued, served with rice, frijoles and fresh garden salad

I didn't try any of this, but I could see that the meat was cooked to absolute perfection for medium rare!

 Chimichanga $22.90

A golden deep fried flour tortilla with a spicy chicken filling, topped with salsa and sour cream, served with rice and salad

I wish I had ordered this instead. The chicken filling was cooked much better than my own dish, and the flavours were delicious - not too strong and overpowering. I would definitely recommend this!

Special Nachos (Large) $26.90

Crispy hot tortilla chips smothered with melted cheese and crowned with jalapeño peppers with a delicious topping of guacamole, tomato con chilli and sour cream 

The photo honestly does not do justice to the size of this plate. It was HUGE! Even with 4 people sharing this and a few other dishes, we had to admit defeat and left approximately a quarter of it on the plate. Definitely a great dish to share, with delicious jalapeño peppers hidden throughout the toppings, which sat atop a gigantic mound of cheesy tortilla chips. I would definitely recommend it! Visit on a Wednesday night for 1/2 price nachos.

I'd say we had an enjoyable dinner, however I don't think the food was really that spectacular. Perhaps we had just ordered the wrong dishes? If I ever return, I would probably order the fajitas and avoid chicken dishes. The service was okay, nothing too spectacular. We knew one of the waitresses so we were well looked after.

Overall, 7.5/10

After dinner, a few friends and I decided to have a quick stop at St Louis' for some ice-cream to end the night. I opted for the lemon sorbet because I wanted something light to contrast the heavy Mexican food we'd just eaten and it was great! Very refreshing and not too sweet.