AFTER recent refurbishing, adding a licensed bar, South Beach Tacos has a totally new image. Near the beach in South Fremantle, this is a casual, family friendly restaurant / café with an alfresco area, also catering for business lunches.

You won’t leave South Beach Tacos hungry. As customers are seated and welcomed, cold water is brought to the table, along with complimentary corn chips and two house made salsas – Salsa Verde and Salsa Roja with a Mexican bite.

There are a variety of tacos on the menu. We tried the Fish Tacos served with a thinly sliced cabbage salad and a light creamy dressing. This will be a family favourite for sure. The fish is cooked in a light beer batter – a fresh, light and really delicious dish.

According to café owner Gavin Bower, Slow Roasted Barbeque Ribs is the house specialty, and when I tasted them I could understand why. The ribs are slow roasted overnight for 14 hours – Gavin sees to that himself. By cooking them overnight, they will be cooked without interruptions such as oven doors being inadvertently opened during the cooking process. I was not disappointed when the ribs arrived, with a great smoky flavour and the meat falling off the bones, served with signature Mexican fries.

It’s good to see WA coming into line with the Eastern States, with more cafés opening longer and adding licensed bars. This is an added bonus, enabling customers to have a casual drink and a light meal, or a more substantial meal with a bottle of wine. There will be specialty drinks available (margueritas and tequilas) as well as imported Jarritos – real fruit flavoured soft drinks. It’s an ideal opportunity to have a relaxing drink and a bite to eat with the taste of Mexico.

You can also enjoy some memorabilia – old newspaper clippings and photographs of Fremantle football clubs from days gone by, one in which Gavin’s grandfather played.

Gavin is very customer-focussed, and spends a lot of time talking and listening to his customers. “I listen to the customers, what they like and don’t like, and people just want honest food and decent portions,” he said.

Also on the menu, are some yummy breakfasts like Pancakes Americana – served with crispy bacon and genuine Canadian maple syrup.

A special traditional Mexican dessert you may like to try is Pastol de Tres Leches (three milks cake), a popular dessert made with full cream, condensed and evaporated milks. Gavin said it’s believed to have been invented by dairy farmers in the 1950s wanting to sell more milk. It’s made from sponge cake, soaked with the milk mixture like a syrup cake, and topped with meringue.

“It’s a popular dessert and one you won’t find in too many places in Australia.” Gavin said. Being a sweet dessert, we thought it would be an ideal way to finish off a meal with coffee and a liqueur.

Previously That Little Mexican Place, South Beach Tacos has much more to offer customers now, with the new bar, and a variety of new dishes on the menu. After talking to people, and getting a good idea of what people want, Gavin says it was time to move on and diversify.

The café is open seven days a week for breakfast, lunch and dinner during summer. Winter opening hours are Monday to Thursday for dinner, with breakfast, lunch and dinner available Friday, Saturday and Sunday. On Thursday nights, enjoy live music as you sip cocktails and watch the world go by.

By Ingrid Rickersey

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