El Sabor by El Cielo
500 Victoria Street, North Melbourne
03 9329 9477
Mexican
$$$
Food
- Nachos
- Tacos:
- Pollo Pibil (Chicken)
- Pescado (Fish)
- Pastor (Marinated Pork)
- Tinga De Res (Slow Cooked Shredded Beef)
- Carnitas (Slow Cooked Pork Belly)
- Gringas (Al Pastor Meat)
- Mole Degustation:
- Mexican Rice with Red Mole
- Enchilada with Black Mole
- Chicken and Rice with Green Mole
- Churros
The Good
We started off our meal with a signature Mexican entree – Nachos. Light in flavour with an airy yet satisfying crunch, it was topped with a flavoursome mixtures of beans, cheese and sour cream. Surprisingly fluffy, the sour cream was light yet carried good flavour. However, could’ve definitely done with more of that melted cheese. Coupled with the intensely spicy green salsa, this was one appetising starter.
Progressing to the Tacos, we found them universally delectable no matter the filling. Each and every taco was built on solid foundations, with a light and delicate corn tortilla that in turn supported the unapologetically bold flavours of the various toppings. The tender and well seasoned protein made for a difficult choice to pick our favourite, but the Carnitas, which is the Michoacan slow cooked pork belly, definitely left a lasting impact as it exhibited the strongest flavour.
Mole is a sauce that was originally created to preserve food and can contain anywhere between 20-30 ingredients, one of them being chocolate.
The Red Mole was the highlight, which exhibited a spicy sensation with a pastey texture and served with Mexican rice in a tortilla bowl. With an intense pungent and fermented aroma permeating throughout, it was definitely an acquired taste, one that would take some getting used to.
We also sampled the Black and Green Mole, both of which delicious in and of itself, but proved to be much less of an offense on your senses.
We completed the evening with some Churros. Fried to a nice crisp, without being overbearingly hard, the churros had an aptly crunchy outer with a slightly doughier inner. Served alongside a mildy sweet chocolate sauce that had a smooth watery consistency, we found this to be the perfect accompaniment and didn’t overpower the churros. Hands down the best churros we’ve sampled to date.
The Mediocre
Nothing.
The Bad
Nothing.
The Verdict
An increasing number of Mexican joints are now popping up left and right in Melbourne, but none are more traditional and authentic than El Sabor. Overall it tops it as the best authentic Mexican cuisine we’ve sampled to date, and we attribute that to it’s superbly executed corn tortilla base.
Would Penguin Eat Again?
Most definitely. This is THE place to get your authentic Mexican feast on.
Penguineats would like to thank El Sabor by El Cielo for inviting us.