Mouthwatering carnitas from the Flying Taco

Given I seem to eat lunch at La Cholita or dine at Zambreros on a weekly basis, it's pretty obvious I adore Mexican food. And I'm not talking the cheesy, greasy kind but rather I love the enjoyment that comes with beautifully flavoured meats and fresh salads. And if there's guacamole present, then I'm definitely sold!

Currently I'm working on my best friend Carly's hen's night with the other bridesmaids, and we're throwing her a Mexican fiesta night. It's going to be hopefully amazing, with actual decorations from Mexico, lots of succulents and Mexican food, drinks and cocktails.

Part of the preparation for this has been tracking down some jarritos (Mexican sodas) for those who aren't going to spend the night at the bottom of a tequila bottle. It's been a little tricky, but finally I managed to track down a case of mixed flavours at a discount through The Flying Taco. Hooray! So Jeremy and I set out there one Saturday afternoon to pick them up, then decided to stay for lunch after.

When it comes to Tex-Mex, The Flying Taco is one of the originals for Perth. It's been around for what feels like forever, and when you go inside you can see the walls lined with awards and articles praising the simple but delicious fare.

The setup is quite easy to follow - choose your style of food (burrito, bare burrito, quesadilla or taco), your filling (steak, pork, chicken, mushrooms or potatos & zucchini), and then your salsa (pico de gallo, salsa verde or salsa chipotle). And then it's cooked up fresh for you - about five minutes later you'll be chomping away.

As a newcomer to The Flying Taco, Jeremy scans the menu briefly before choosing the Burrito ($18. It's a flour tortilla rolled and filled with rice, beans, cheese and lettuce. He opts for the carnitas as his meat filling, which is a traditional, slow cooked crispy pork with grilled fresh pineapple, and the chipotle salsa.

The burrito is more expensive than other Tex-Mex places, but it is huge and jam packed with meat. Too often we'll grab a casual lunch and they've been stingy on the fillings, which is really disappointing. Here it's another story, and to make it even better the pork is absolutely moorish. Succulent, crispy in some places, fatty in others. The pineapple makes it sweet and juicy - and with the softness of the tortilla, it hits the spot (I'm told!).

I decide to go for the Bare Burrito ($18), which is as it sounds - the burrito minus the tortilla. I also pick the carnitas (pork) and chipotle salsa. I add on guacamole ($2.50) because what is Mexican without avocado! 

It comes out as a bowl of ingredients, layered and looking like a salad. I'm actually overwhelmed by just how much the bowl contains - like the burrito there is so much meat, so much rice and beans. I love it. The pork is addictive, the avocado creamy and fresh. There's a great combination of textures, flavours and ingredients which all makes this a delicious lunch. Yummy!!

I can't finish the bowl, so Jeremy kindly steps in to help me - and when we're all done we both are stuffed to the brim. Yes, this place is more expensive than say your Zambreros, Mad Mex, Salsas etc but I have to say I think it's worth it since lots of them don't sell pork, which is a big draw to me - one of the meats I could never give up. And after a great meal here, it's easy to see why this place is still one of the best around.