If you didn’t get the chance to experience La Lupita in Canterbury, you’re in for a better opportunity. The pop-up taquería has taken up residence at a new location in Sydney, at the live music venue, The Basement, located near Circular Quay.
Attila Yilmaz, policeman turned street food chef with his popular Al Carbón food truck, has been appointed Creative Food Director of the venue, and as part of its relocation, La Lupita is evolving by adding a musical ingredient with Mariachi Monday, Big Band Tuesday (with Swing Dancing) and World Music Wednesday.
Inside the lower ground premises, the long timber bar leads onto a space designed for live music with a stage, a small dance floor with tables and a raised area camouflaged by painted louvres.
On this Mariachi Monday, Margaritas ($16) are the order of the day, made with Cazadores Reposado Tequila and Cointreau, easy to sip while Victor Valdes (on harp) and his band perform sexy Latin American rhythms.
The food menu is succinct which means you’ll be tempted to try every dish as you sip on a Negra Modelo ($9) cerveza. Choose from Frijoles Charros, or cowboy beans with chiltepil salsa, crema mexicana and corn tortilla chips ($10) or Elote, roasted corn and crema with parmesan and chili lime salt ($10). The Spit Roast Hot Chipotle Hot Wings with smoky chipotle, lime and garlic crema ($10) had run out.
The selection of Tacos Al Carbón ($6 each) includes Al Pastor, spit roast spiced pork with charred pineapple, Carne Asada, spit roast wagyu beef, and Pollo Asado, charcoal spit roast spiced chicken. Add your choice of vegetables (shredded red cabbage, radish, cucumber and onion) and salsas from the hot habanero to the mild creamy guacamole, wrap the soft tortillas and sink your teeth into that delicious taco goodness that made Al Carbon so popular. The standout combination is Carne Asada with charred waguy beef, jabanero salsa, radish and onion – if you can take the heat.
“Unlock” the special dessert ($6) by visiting La Lupita on Twitter or Facebook and the offering is revealed. Tonight’s treat is a delectable coconut panna cotta with chilli chocolate mousse, silky and smooth, a dessert not to be shared even with your other half.
And what does the future hold for Al Carbon food truck? Plans are underway to give it a permanent home upstairs at the Basement. The food truck will Sonora Hot Dogs, a delicious style of hot dog wrapped in smoked bacon and cooked on a grill. The original warehouse venue in Canterbury will remain a space for Attila Yilmaz to develop food ideas and new concepts in readiness for its next incarnation, so stay tuned.
The new La Lupita in the Basement is slowly finding its rhythm, and it’s doing it very well. With a popular and accessible location, a vibrant venue, live international entertainment that reminds you of holidays abroad, some of the best tacos in Sydney and an excellent price point for a city location, it is set to be a popular hot spot in the CBD.
La Lupita, The Basement
7 Macquarie Place
Sydney NSW (02) 9251 2797
Phone: 02 9251 2797
[…] Update June 2013: This pop-up is now closed and has relocated to La Lupita at the Basement […]
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