Zambrero South Yarra - Rated: 7/10

Zambrero

374 Chapel Street, South Yarra

"Well, sometimes you need the fields to lie fallow in order to gain nutrients" - Cheech Marin

Having met my parents in Prahran after picking up tickets for our trip to Fiji from the travel agent, we thought we would have a walk and see if there was anywhere to have a casual bite to eat. We discussed the traditional LoC (Lamb on Chapel) but that had been done before; granted about 15 years ago, but we were sure there would be more interesting and inviting options to choose from in this cosmopolitan Mecca that is Chapel Street. We found that not necessarily to be the case. As expected the footpath was bustling with people going in and out of shops and bars and restaurants all of which were way too trendy for us to enter without feeling like we obviously didn't belong.

We decided another kebab place might fill the gap between something different and the traditional Chapel Street eatery in the LoC, but the place we walked into wasn't really what we would call up to standard. I am not going to name the place, but all the ingredients in the glass cabinet which would eventually end up on the kebab were old and stale. The julienne carrots were shrivelling before our eyes and the lettuce was collapsing in on itself. We told the man behind the counter that we had changed our minds and left in a hurry, four cockroaches the sizes of rats and a shoulder of lamb scurried out after us in shame.

Walking a couple of hundred meters down the street we thought we found what we were looking for. Zambrero is a modern Mexican restaurant. Very clean (especially compared to the last place we attempted to walk into) and designed with a rustic interior as you expect from these new chain restaurants that claim to serve a "healthier" interpretation of each other. I still can't work out if they understand the difference between healthy and fresh, they are definitely fresh, but I can't imagine healthy. We ordered a nice selection from the menu, mindful not to appear prejudice to a specific animal. Dad ordered a beef burrito, Mum ordered a burrito with slow cooked pork as did I and my wife ordered a lamb bowl.

The restaurant is setup like a subway sandwich bar and moves quite swiftly too. Start by telling them what sort of wrap you want and then move along from there. You have a choice between white or black rice, then the meats as mentioned above, the standard Mexican bean paste and then an assortment of salads and sauces to top it off. This all gets tightly wrapped into a reasonably priced burrito for your inhaling pleasure.

From a dining perspective I thought it was great. A fantastic meal with beautiful fresh ingredients, and a nice part of Melbourne to sit out front and watch the traffic trickle by. I am sure at night the rev heads come out and play havoc in the streets like we used to 10 years ago. Playing their loud techno music and revving their petrol guzzler engines for the restaurant patrons to be annoyed by, but on a Saturday afternoon everyone just seems to get out there and enjoy the shopping and atmosphere. A great way to enjoy a burrito. 
If we were going to compare this establishment to a more popular location and obvious adversary in Salsa's, I would say Zambrero wins hands down.

The most impressive thing about this business; other than its fantastic food, is their affiliation with the Plate 4 Plate initiative. This initiative means for the purchase of every burrito or bowl, a meal is donated to those in a developing world via their partner Stop Hunger Now. A fantastic way to give back to the community I would say, and something we should all be inspired by.

Rated: 7/10

Below images sourced from www.zambrero.com