Perth Voice Interactive

WA Day was a bit of a miserable affair.

It was bitterly cold and God had unzipped his fly and let rip all over the state.

When I drove into Leederville – swerving past a mini ocean on the road – there were only a handful of eateries braving the conditions and open for business.

After traipsing up and down Oxford St a couple of times with my young kids in the pelting rain, we took refuge in Hermanos En Tacos.

Situated at the Leederville Parade-end of the cafe strip, its bright decor and neon-lit bar emerged from the gloom like some Mexican beacon.

Unfortunately it wasn’t that warm inside as they had an open frontage and the gas wall heaters weren’t on (the young boy serving behind the counter was wearing a bubble jacket).

But the Tex-Mex deserved brownie points for being open while many other cafes and restaurants were shut.

The large laminated menu had a wide range of chicken, beef, pork and fish tacos including the Texas Red with pulled beef brisket, the Dos Caros with hand battered fried shrimp and the Señor Incredible with Jamaican Jerk Chicken.

There was also a range of “VIP” tacos, quesadillas, tossed salads, nachos and specials like Texas Brisket with chips and southern slaw.

Much like a parmi is the acid test for any self-respecting Aussie pub, we decided to get some tacos to test Hermanos’ mettle.

Unlike some taquerias where you get three small tacos in one serve to facilitate sharing, it was one big taco per serve.

My daughter’s Red River Jack ($9.25) certainly looked the part – a large soft flour tortilla piled high with marinated grilled beef fajita, grilled onions and peppers, and a mound of cheddar jack cheese.

It was a bit of a tricky one to lift up and eat, but she managed to get her choppers around it.

I had a sneaky taste and there were plenty of tender cubes of beef, which went well with the pico-de-gallo and chipotle sauce.

It was a gooey, rich affair with lots of flavour and sauce.

“It’s a bit hard to eat, but tastes really nice,” said my daughter.

My sons’s Stagger Lee ($9.25) had a large marinated chargrilled chicken fillet plonked in the heart of a fresh flour tortilla with grilled onions and peppers, pico-de-gallo and cheddar jack cheese.

The single fillet looked a bit odd in a tortilla (the meat is usually shredded or pulled) but it was a decent slab of chook with crispy skin and tender flesh.

My son wolfed it down no problems and enjoyed the cheesy, indulgent mix of flavours.

These tacos were a good choice for young kids as they weren’t spicy.

The eatery was nicely laid out with a giant fluffy white lampshade above the counter, some Day of the Dead art adoring the walls, and bright lights and funky bottles of spirits.

It looked like a fun place to have some drinks and tacos at the weekend with friends, before heading off to some bars and a nightclub. 

The lady behind the bar was smiley enough, but the young boy looked like he had been badgered into working WA Day, despite the 15 per cent holiday surcharge.

My chicken quesadilla ($10.95) was crammed with soft green peppers, onion and mounds of gooey cheese.

The long thin slices of peppers were really tasty and complemented the tender chicken.

It was an enjoyable if rather unremarkable quesadilla, but good value at under $11.

Like my quesadilla, Hermanos En Tacos was solid if unremarkable and I’ve had better Mexican food in Perth.

Probably best experienced with a group of friends as an accompaniment to tequila and drinks, instead of a standalone meal.

Hermanos En Tacos
106 Oxford Street, Leederville
Tuckerfox.com.au
0410 102 962

by STEPHEN POLLOCK