My Mexican Cousin + Napoleon @NGV and Internet Dating

Earlier I needed to go to the Melbourne Theatre Company box office and secure tickets for tonight's showing of Queen Lear. I thought I would get around to using a voucher from the Entertainment Book and given the cost of an adult ticket is $95, it is great return on the original investment of $65 for the book. The last Shakespeare adaptation that I saw was Julius Caesar at the Sydney Opera House. I would have enjoyed this more if the schools hadn't forced their teenage charges into attending the show. The teenagers caused such a disturbance you could even tell at a point that the actors were pissed off. So I am looking forward to a civilised evening and being I have never seen a play put on by the MTC before, I am quite excited.

Next to the MTC is an innocuous looking place called My Mexican Cousin. I hadn't eaten anything since my feast of unknown sewerage in the Qantas lounge last night so I was quite hungry and given it was late in the afternoon I was surprised that they were still serving food when I rocked up. Sometimes I have to remind myself that I am in Melbourne which is much more service oriented compared to Sydney so I should not be surprised they were more than happy to entertain us. Some interesting artwork and murals adorn the wall. This place has a creole influenced menu and a bottle of Louisiana hot sauce on each table. The bottle claims that one drop is enough to add sufficient heat and spices to any dish. I ordered a Po' Boy with soft shell crab. It was awesome. I ended up using 20% of the bottle of hot sauce though as let me assure you one drop is not enough. Three "Mountain Goat" bottles of beer were sufficient to wash it down. I will come back again to not only enjoy another Po' Boy, but also try the ribs and gumbo. The service was very friendly and enjoyed having a laugh when I told bad jokes. Decent music played in the background and I thought the place was pretty cool but not in the hipster-trendy way.

My Mexican Cousin
Link to review
Melbourne Recital Centre, Southbank VIC 3006
(03) 9686 3389
http://www.mymexicancousin.com.au
My Rating: 13.5/20
Service: 3.5/5
Ambiance: 3/5
Quality: 3.5/5
Value For Money: 3.5/5
Comment: The bottles of spice are not hot enough



Twitter: @epicurean3006
e-mail: epicureanofsouthbank (at) gmail (dot) com
web: www.epicureanofsouthbank.com

At the time of this writing, My Mexican Cousin has 61% positive feedback on Urbanspoon which is rather concerning because the food, service and ambiance is just so damned good.




Over beers, I reflected on the Napoleon exhibition at the NGV with my dining companion. I attended it on Bastille Day which was fitting and despite it being a very crowded (by human beings) exhibit, I enjoyed the artwork, the maps on display, Napoleon's throne and some of the other relics from such a bygone era. As you travel around the exhibit, your memory is refreshed on French history, including the demise of Louis XVI, the rise of Danton, The Reign of Terror and of course the Napoleonic era. There were some parts of the exhibit that seemed to be filler, but considering the tickets were $10 each since it was Bastille Day, I thought it was worth it. Now I not only want to re-read A Tale of Two Cities but want to indulge in some French food.

Ultimately moving the conversation away from civilised topics like art, food and causing mayhem, we reflected on internet dating as the more Mountain Goat was consumed. One mate that I caught up with briefly yesterday in Sydney seems to be addicted to meeting ladies on eHarmony.com.au. He always has a good story and in fact abandoned me at one point in the Forbes Hotel last night because he needed to meet one of his finds. He goes on dates with new women as often as I dine out and/or drink so that is saying something. I was reflecting that this gentleman tends to prefer to meet women at one particular wine bar that has a large window in the men's toilet. Should he get bored or decide that she is "not the one" he will excuse himself to the toilet and then climb out the window and leave. I would think that telling someone that "they are NOT the one" would be easier, or just be crass and just enjoy each other's company on a physical level, but with this gentleman, nothing is ever that easy. This is why he remains single, and although a successful individual, I am not very surprised. Before he found this "perfect" wine bar and the large window, he was known to escape by going out the front door of a venue commando-style on his stomach almost like a newborn baby crawling towards a shiny object. Pretty amusing stuff if you ask me.