I always say that one of the worst things you can do is visit a new restaurant in it's first month or so while they're trying to find their footing. More often than not, you'll leave feeling confused, underwhelmed or generally unfazed. I guess that's what happened to me when I first visited Big El's Latin American Fusion. But then returning there recently as one stop on a Food Loose Tour, I could see that things had changed and I was curious to see if my suspicions were correct.
My opportunity to return came when foodstagrammer Perth Eats invited me to join her at Big El's for a complimentary dinner with the owner, Logam and staff member Ying. Since it had been awhile since I'd last seen her I happily accepted the invitation and we set a time and date. I love having meals planned since you get to look forward to the company and to the food that awaits you.
When we arrived at Big El's on the night in question we take a seat in a booth with Logam and Ying, introductions quickly followed by our first cocktail for the evening. Logam's ordered us their most popular cocktail, 'The Genie' ($18.00). Delightfully served in a lamp, it is a green fairy (absinthe) sour with lychee and twin Alize.
It's my favourite drink for the night and I can easily see why it's the popular choice amongst diners. It has just the right balance of sweet and sour, with the taste of alcohol evident but not dominant. I like the playfulness of this drink so much! I also want the glass for myself!
Much to our appreciation, Logam orders a selection of dishes for us to share which come out quickly. It's refreshing to leave the choice in the hands of someone else, and we know that the dishes we'll get to eat our his favourites.
The first dish we tried was the tortilla corn chiplets with chilli con queso ($6.00). I'm a big fan of chilli con queso... I mean, you can't really go wrong with cheese and chilli in my opinion! Big El's version has a nice smooth texture and is just spicy enough to get that satisfying tingle in your mouth. It's just what I felt like to kickstart what turned out to be an epic meal.
As we munch and crunch and dip away, we get to learn more about Big El's and the journey the restaurant has taken since opening. Since this is Logam's first restaurant, you can see it's been one of lessons and trial and error, like all things in life. But through determination and refinement, it seems like Big El's is finding it's groove with most Friday and Saturday nights being fully booked, and other nights attracting decent crowds.
Continuing to chat, we dive into another dish from the acompanamientos (sides) part of the menu. The sweet potato wedges ($7.00) are crinkle cut, steaming hot and come with a creamy garlic aioli. Ahhh sweet potato, how I love thee! These wedges are cooked perfectly in my opinion - the darker parts offering an even sweeter taste with little crunchy edges. While not necessarily what I would think of as Latin American in flavour profile, they were tasty!
Our third dish is the Peruvian style ceviche ($21.00) which is comprised of sashimi grade white fish pickled in citrus, herbs, chilli and served with avocado, red onion and crispy tostaditas.
Ceviche is always a crowd pleaser in my opinion, but you do need to like your citrus flavours as it's a dominant flavour. The fish is light and delicate, offering freshness and vibrancy. The avocado is creamy and fatty, and the onion sharp. The dish is on the small side, but it's a nice fresh change to the others.
The last of our smaller dishes is the elotes callejeros ($15.00). Mexican street corn is high on my list of loved items and Big El's version comes dusted with their special spice mx and cheese.
I remember the days of travelling to Melbourne with my boy and munching away on the corn at Mamasita. This version is actually quite similar, though there's definitely more of a kick to Big El's - you can really pick up on the added chilli which is embedded in every bite.
Our plates are cleared once we've made a semi decent dent in those first four dishes, with even more food coming our way. I'm starting to feel at that moment I'm going to have to roll myself home that evening!
As soon as my eyes lock onto the heaving mound of tex-mex heaven, otherwise known as Kelly's Box ($18.00), I get a little bit excited! I recently tried this dish on a Food Loose Tour and the combination of beer battered fries grilled with pulled beef, cheese and topped with potato's companion sauce and chipotle mayonnaise is what I can only describe as the perfect hangover food.
Apparently the origin of this menu item is that a customer (named Kelly) one day suggested that since they serve nachos on the menu, they create a version that uses beer battered fries instead of corn chips. Thank you Kelly, I'm clearly a fan of your work. And the serving size for this, it's pretty damn big indeed which suits the price set for it.
One of my favourite dishes we tried was the Salvadorian pupusa ($16.00), a dish described as Big El's fusion crispy handmade dumpling "El Salvador Style" with traditional masa harina, pulled beef, black beans and cheese trio topped with chipotle mayonnaise.
Using the masa harina has created a nice crisp dough, the beans inside filling and flavoursome. It's similar to a quesadilla but the texture is very different and I have to say, I like this version much more. It's a very different dish to what I've seen at other South American or Mexican restaurants. I know with this style of food and a menu as big as Big El's, you can easily suffer from echoing flavours from dish to dish, so while this one demonstrated many of the flavours we'd already had, the 'dumpling' was a nice changeup in flavour and texture.
The tempura jalapeño poppers ($12.00) are mulato dusted and stuffed with a trio of cheese, garlic, chilli, sundried tomatoes and are served with more of that tasty chipotle mayonnaise. It seems like I'm the only one at the table other than Logam who's game for chilli, so the others sit back and watch as I dive into my first bite.
Previously these were crumbed poppers, but one of the previous staff members used to work over at Nine Fine Food and suggested one day that they change the batter to tempura. Apparently ever since then they've sky-rocketed in popularity.
These poppers definitely have some heat behind them, with the creamy filling offering a tiny respite but the relief is fleeting - the chilli punch builds! But it's not intolerable at all, and I enjoy munching away and appreciating a night of indulgence where fried food is plentiful! The next day's bout of guilt led me to an extra long bike ride, but it was worth it.
After the poppers came the Peruvian lamb cutlets ($26.00) which somehow in my haste to taste I missed out on snapping a pic! They came out as our spice crusted lamb cutlets with lime, garlic and assorted herbs in a chimichurri style salsa. On the side is a creamy scoop of garlic and bacon mash. These were cooked to perfection! Tender, juicy and flavoursome, they're what we call lamb lollipops at home, I think the mash is tasty but it is a western side dish that I think might have been better served as a Latin American one.
Our final savoury dish for the evening is the aptly titled (and positioned in the menu right above Kelly's Box), Kelly's rack ($23.00). A stack of chipotle glazed baby back pork ribs sit glistening, waiting to be dunked in chipotle mayonnaise.
The fresh meat at Big El's is from Torre Butchers in Northbridge, with their dried meats coming from the butcher my family and I actually go to! Adrian's in Mirrabooka is the place for chorizo, kransky and black pudding in my opinion, so I was really pleased to hear that Big El's are a happy customer of theirs too. The quality of your produce says a lot about your respect for food and patrons.
The ribs are delicious and finger licking good. Meaty, just lightly fatty and flavoursome. You can never go wrong with ribs in my opinion. The serving size is what you'd expect for a share dish, however if you're expecting a full plate ala Tony Romas, you will be disappointed. This is more of a tapas dish to build into a meal than a main event.
It's hard to believe after all that food that we could actually manage to eat dessert. But like I always say, dessert is another stomach, and it really just acts like cement, seeping down and filling in the cracks of what's in your tummy. I like to tell myself such lies to excuse my often occurring bouts of greed.
Before we dive into the dessert dishes, we're given another cocktail - the 'Expecto Patronum' ($18.00). As a self confessed Harry Potter nerd, I knew immediately I would love this before even trying it. It's a crazy looking concoction, with the menu poking fun via a playful description: 'Parents died while protecting you from a noseless marauding wizard? Are evil spirits giving you a hard time? Is your best friend a ginger? Well then this is for you! Cast away all the bad things in your life. A vodka fire engine floated with vanilla ice-cream, blue curaçao and pop rocks.
Pop rocks in a cocktail... enough said. I happily enjoy the snap crackle and pop of these sugary treats, while sipping away at the spider like cocktail. It's very sweet, but when it comes to cocktails that's my kind of drink, and I particularly love the colourful cloud gathered on top - it definitely has an air of magic right out of Hogwarts.
The stack of apple pie nachos ($15.00) look crazy but the combination of sugar cinnamon tri-coloured tortilla chips topped with stewed apples, cream and ice-cream is actually oh so tasty. The cinnamon flavour is strong, a lovely pairing with the apples. There's creaminess, crunch and spices - a seemingly strange dish but somehow it is really good. A playful twist for sure!
Our other dessert is the Patron XO Cafe dark cocoa fruit fondue ($18.00) which is a chocolate tequila fondue served with fresh strawberries, banana, pineapple, mango and marshmallows. Liquor in a fondue makes this an adult version of what's happening over at San Churros and the smooth hit of Patron is welcomed. I'm not a big dark chocolate fan but having it with fresh, zingy fruit lifts the flavour and offers some sweetness.
While we could have (and should have) stopped there, Perth Eats spots that they have flavoured beers on their menu so us girls share a glass of the gingerbread beer ($9 for 330mL). It tastes like Christmas! Spiced, frothy and the flavour sits somewhere between beer and gingerbread. I think I want to go back and try the chocolate chip cookie beer next time!
Finishing up the night I have to admit that I was ready to burst! The team at Big El's were so incredibly generous and great hosts, giving us the opportunity to try more than our fair share of what's on offer. And to think we only ate a fraction of what's on offer! Their giant menu has something to please everyone.
While I enjoyed the meal and drinks for sure, I think what I like most of all about Big El's is that they just don't take themselves seriously. Logam is armed with friends as co-workers and a cheeky menu that just makes you want to party all night long. It's no wonder this is a place that attracts big groups of diners who either order off the menu or let the team at Big El's choose for them. And with cocktails, beer and shots, you've got all the makings of a fun night out.
So what did I think of my return to Big El's? Well I can definitely say it's improved significantly, with a great focus to continually rising. I personally usually hate big menus the size of theirs because I prefer places to focus on a smaller number of dishes to get it right, but in their case I think it works. It's a relaxed style of dining and if you're clever in the way you order - choosing dishes with different flavour profiles (since you can run the risk of the same ingredients in many of the dishes), you can find yourself enjoying a diverse menu.
Ay caramba, what a food adventure this night was!