Saturday 17 March 2012

Mesa Lunga

When I was in kindergarten almost 15 years ago (wow, time really flies, doesn't it?), my dad brought me a bookshelf of educational books from the 80's previously owned by my very distant cousin. The books varied wildly in topic, from classical literature to sex education. Being an obedient Asian kid, I actually managed to read all those books over and over again, especially sex ed ones... joking!

Among those books, there was a series of 7 books on European countries, about their culture, art,  food, and other miscellaneous things. I read them for years and years. I especially liked the food section of those books. I bookmarked and read them whenever I had time. I would then fantasise about all those exotic foods. Fondue, paella, sachertorte, kebab, scotch whiskey (...well the series featured it as a main Scottish cuisine)... 

In the end, all but one of the books disintegrated and I had to throw them away. I still have the last survivor from that bookshelf though. It's a book about Spain. Even now, whenever I read that book, I fantasise about traveling along Costa del Sol, walking along the streets of Madrid, visiting Antoni Gaudi's creations in Barcelona, and dining in a restaurant in Valencia.

I am fairly sure my years of fantasizing would have influenced my decision when I chose Mesa Lunga as the next restaurant to review. It's not exactly dining in Valencia, I know, but it's as close as I can get with my poor university student budget.

Mesa Lunga is located at the intersection of Gouger Street and Morphett Street. You might find it slightly difficult to locate the restaurant because even if it has a big sign up, its visibility is not that great. It could have been more eye catching if the name on the sign was bigger or if they had used a different colour scheme. Hopefully this picture will help you when you are looking for Mesa Lunga.





Like many other Spanish restaurants, Mesa Lunga also functions as a very comprehensive bar. This is because many Spanish restaurants in Australia have tapas as their main selling point. Since tapas originally started as small accompaniments for alcoholic beverages in a Spanish region called Andalusia (tapa means 'top' or 'lid' in Spanish. It is thought that tapas dishes were placed on top of mugs or glasses as lids when being served to customers of the bar), alcohol is an essential aspect of tapas.







I am not sure what this restaurant's name means. After some googling, I found out that lunga means 'long' in Italian. Since mesa means 'table' in Spanish, I think Mesa Lunga is supposed to mean 'long table'. That makes sense, as the restaurant was divided into a bar section and a restaurant section by a long table in the middle. Apologies for not taking a photo of the whole restaurant. It was too crowded to take the photo while waiting to be seated.

The interior of Mesa Lunga was warm and cozy. Exposed bronze pipes, wooden chandeliers, and orange lighting gave it a steampunk vintage atmosphere. Utilisation of a brown, black, and white colour scheme made the restaurant seem warm and cozy. Jamons hanging from the ceiling and Arabic tile decorations (Muslim influence was prevalent in Medieval Spanish architecture) defined the restaurant well.  However, I found the table allocation of the restaurant slightly disappointing. Not much space was allocated to the customers seated at the long table. I (Male with 180cm height) found it a bit uncomfortable to move around in my seat. The restaurant was fully packed with people and it wasn't helping either.






We ordered;
  • 2*Sangria Clara - Cava (Spanish sparkling wine), lychee and green apple liquor, brandy and apple juice with fresh mint, apple and lemon ($9 ea)
  • Cerdo ('pork') - Twice cooked crispy pork belly ($12)
  • Paella de Mariscos ('seafood paella') - Bomba rice, sofrito, mussels, clams, prawns, lemon ($48 for 2)
Ordering sangria and paella in a Spanish restaurant was something I had always wanted to do. Like ordering tom yam kum in a Thai restaurant (done), xiao long bao in Shanghai (not yet), and margherita pizza in Naples (not yet). We also ordered crispy pork belly as a side dish, but we ended up having it as an appetiser.

Because the weather was extremely hot when we visited Mesa Lunga, it was really nice to have water provided. It was not filtered, but it was still cold and refreshing. Service regarding water was very nice. There were 2 waitresses going around with water pitchers, promptly filling up customers' empty glasses.






Sangria is a wine punch originating from Spain. Traditional sangria consists of red wine, chopped fruit, sweetener, and some brandy. However, there are many other variations nowadays.

In my knowledge, white sangria tastes clearer and purer than the original red sangria. The aroma and taste of Sangria Clara was consistent with my knowledge. Its aroma was very mild, with the aroma of mint being the main contributor. There also was a mild aroma of apple. The aroma of cava, liquor and brandy was not very noticeable, probably because it was very cold. It had an extremely light and refreshing taste, quite easy-going on the palate. I could taste fruitiness from liquor and fruit slices, fizz from cava, and bitterness from alcohol (probably brandy) and mint, but they were all very mild. One could find its aroma and taste a bit too weak for their liking. Hien was quite disappointed with it. I also would have preferred if it was slightly sweeter.





Crispy pork seems to be something of a global cuisine to me. Wherever you go, if people eat pork, you will find pork belly dishes with crackling. The crispiness of crackling and soft juicy meat seem to have global appeal. Big thanks piggies, for providing us with such a tasty body part.

My first impression when our crispy pork belly was served was that it was very small. It was as wide as my fork, but it was smaller in its length. With the price tag of $12, it didn't feel that appealing to me.

The crackling was very nice and crispy. However, I felt that the meat was a bit dry. The seasoning was a bit too salty, but was not too unpleasant. The sauce served with it was full, sweet, cheesy, creamy, fruity; almost tangy. When the pork was had with its sauce, the sauce complimented its saltiness nicely and provided some juiciness that I felt that it needed. However, as I prefer a dish that can be eaten without its complementing sauce, I would have enjoyed this dish a lot more if it was less salty.  





Paella originates from Spanish region called Valencia, on the east coast of Spain. Regardless of its variations, all paellas are common in the sense that they consist of sauteed meats/seafood, simmered rice in a wide shallow pan called paellera and spices such as saffron. The traditional form of paella consists of sauteed meat (rabbit, chicken, and duck), land snails, green vegetables, beans, seasoning, and white rice simmered in broth. Popular variations of paella includes seafood paella and mixed paella.

I was not aware of it when we were dining, but thinking about it now, the menu was very misleading. There were lots of other ingredients added in the actual paella we were served, such as chunks of chorizo sausage, squid ink, and green peas. There was no lemon provided despite it being listed on the menu as an ingredient. The added ingredients made the identity of dish unclear. I think it was more of a mixed paella than seafood paella as it was written on the menu.

Our paellera was as big as a medium-sized frying pan, about 30cm in its diameter. When I tried the paella, I could detect the strong umami taste which must have come from the seafood broth that was used to cook the rice. The seafood and chorizo chunks were well cooked. I found the seasoning pleasant, not too salty but not too bland either. The texture of  rice was quite soft due to its cooking method, but it was not soggy or sticky. There was nice socarrat (crust of rice that forms at the bottom) which I enjoyed. However, I found the bitterness of squid ink unpleasant, especially because I was not expecting it to be used as an ingredient. I couldn't smell the aroma of the spices either, though they must have been used, judging by the colour of the rice.





I felt that the overall price of dishes in Mesa Lunga were expensive compared to other restaurants in Adelaide. For example, Tapas on Hindley sells three tapas dishes and paella for $30 per person (minimum 2 people). I don't think the amount and the taste of the food served justified the price either, as I was disappointed with the portion of crispy pork belly and the misleading ingredient information of paella de mariscos. The restaurant had a welcoming interior, but the tables were uncomfortably packed. As much as I like Spanish culture, I don't think I will be visiting Mesa Lunga anytime soon.

Hien's note:
As you all know, when it comes to reviewing food, I'm not particularly good at it. So I will be blunt and straightforward with my opinion.I was quite excited to taste the sangria, because of the enticing description on the menu. Alas, the description was actually a little misleading, because I could not detect some of the flavours I had expected to taste. The flavours were washed out and weak, which ultimately resulted in disappointment.
The pork belly was not too bad in my opinion, but I agree with Ju Sung that it was too salty. I found the sauce to be extremely overpowering, and I did not like it.
The paella was not to my taste at all, and I did not enjoy it. The bitterness from the pan it was cooked in and the squid ink was the main negative factor about this dish.
Overall, Mesa Lunga was a disappointment for me. The value was not great at all, and the service wasn't the best. I don't think I will make a return to Mesa Lunga. 




Food: 2/5
Menu was misleading, unpleasant bitterness of paella, too strong seasoning of pork, bland sangria.

Value: 2/5
Generally overpriced compared to other Gouger Street restaurants & other Spanish restaurants. Crispy pork belly was too small considering its price.


Service: 2.75/5
Delay in table allocation, could not find booking manager. However, water refill was prompt.

Ambience: 3.5/5
Extraordinary interior design. Warm, vintage atmosphere consistent with the food being sold. However, it was overcrowded.



Mesa Lunga
140 Gouger Street
Adelaide
South Australia, 5000
Ph: (08) 8410 7617