3 Gringos, 30 Burton Street Mall, Vincentia (next to Vincentia Bi-Lo), Australia

3 Gringos, 30 Burton Street Mall, Vincentia (next to Vincentia Bi-Lo), Australia

30 Burton Street Mall, Vincentia (next to Vincentia Bi-Lo)

+61 (0) 2 44416651

Another recommendation (Stonehouse ? Smokehouse?) opposite the 3 Gringos was full, so with little hope of gastronomy heaven, we popped in here. Neither of us are Mexican food fans, and the $23 three course meal, the location (in a mall, next door to the Bi-Lo supermarket), the formica tables and Christmas parties of families wearing paper hats led us to believe we'd get something pretty unmemorable to eat.

Hah! We got the Aussie version of everything. It is remarkable what a difference good, fresh ingredients make. L's Prawn Enchilada had dirty great fresh antipodean prawns, doused in a fresh chili and lime, and my Veggie Quesadilla was recently made with fresh ingredients. Everywhere else I have ever eaten "Mexican food" the meal has never been prepared from scratch - always factory made and bought in.

We each ordered fillet steak: L's medium, and mine rare. For the first time in living memory they arrived together at the same time, each cooked as requested. The tenderest steak, with an avocado sauce, beautifully presented with crisp julienne vegetables, and a small jacket potato with sour cream and black pepper. And finally a fabulous chocolate pudding each. Was this really the $23 special ? That's less than 10 quid each. Like many Australian restaurants, it's BYO, and we had brought a good bottle of red to wash it all down with.

I have no idea what is going on at the 3 Gringos, but they seem to have hired a chef who takes a real pride in his/her work, using the best ingredients and transforming tired old dishes - this is Mexican food as it is served nowhere else. One of the best - and cheapest - meals we have had for a long time. The service was great too - could not fault a damn thing.