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In Mexico, cheese is more of a lesser-seen garnish than a glue, and to leave it off a taco is far from heresy. But when Timmy Forster, the chef and co-owner (alongside partner Lilli Willoughby) of McLaren Vale’s Italian hit Joe’s at Sabella, says his new Mexican offshoot will have no cheese, it might sound a little sacrilegious to Adelaide diners. Especially since it’s opening in the courtyard of a century-old church.
“It’s Mexico style – no cheese, no flour – I don’t even think I saw a flour tortilla in Mexico. Just corn, open fire, and wood-grilled meats and veg,” he says.
After living and cooking in Mexico for a year, Forster fell for its simplicity and purity – food that’s “fresh, light, zingy, and full of flavour.”
Later this month, he and Willoughby will channel that experience into Taco Jose’s, a 40-seat kiosk offshoot of Joe’s at Sabella serving what Forster calls “a bit of a Mexico City street food vibe,” cooked entirely over a parrilla grill.
“It’s the kind with a crankshaft so you can raise and lower the grill plate, smoke things, hang things,” Forster says. “It’s the anchor of the business.”
The spot will operate from the former soup kitchen, with open-air dining and a casual, here-for-the-food experience.
“It’s kind of in and out – not a hang-around, linger restaurant vibe,” he says. “It’s simple, it’s cheap, you can get three tacos for $20 bucks.”
The menu keeps things tight. Rice and beans, a ‘not-a-nacho’ dish made with blue corn chips and spice that can be topped with hot meat, and tacos with wood-grilled proteins like brisket, chicken, and a rotating vegetable feature. Opening night’s will be a whole cauliflower, charred and hung over the fire. “It’s a bit of theatre,” he says.
While Taco Jose’s will be casual, the food doesn’t cut corners with details, which makes sense given Forster’s culinary background spans across South East Asia, Mexico, and even a stint as the first executive chef at Brisbane’s Modern Mexican, Baja.
“We’ll use Australian blue and white corn in our tortillas, made from a Mexican-born company that have a traditional maker,” he says.
He laughs recalling how he got the recipe for the chicken dish. “I had to do a lot of gardening with my shirt off for my Mexican friend’s grandmother to get it out of her.”
“It’s a two day process – you burn the chooks whole on a fire, then simmer them in a pot with chipotle and about 40 other spices – it’s pretty magical,” he explains.
And then there’s the mezcal, straight from the source of course. Forster has been collecting small-batch bottles for years through Mex Trade, a mate’s importing company, that will act as the base for a lineup of refreshing Margherita and mezcal slushies. “I’ve got all these weird and wonderful bottles building up,” he says.
There’ll even be a chilli shrine, a nod to the sacred setting. “We’re a bit nuts about chili.,” he admits.“Sauces will be always changing, all made in-house and cooked over the coal, so they’re an essential element to the cooking process. We’ll bottle some and retail them too.”
The opening of Taco Jose’s comes just weeks after Joe’s at Sabella hit in-print glory, after notoriously hard-to-please Advertiser critic Simon Wilkinson gave his dining experience a near-perfect 15 out of 20. So while the idea of pared back no cheese Mex might sound like sacrelig to dairy devotees, Forster’s not worried – and neither should we.
“Maybe it’ll be a bit of an educational thing,” he says. “You come in looking for a combination burrito with a ladle of sauce, you’re gonna be disappointed. But if you come open-minded, you’ll love it.”
“We’re taking amazing wood-grilled proteins, beautiful sauces, everything made in-house and local – and giving people a real understanding of authentic Mexican food.”
Taco Jose’s opens later this month in the courtyard of Joe’s at Sabella, bringing the smoke, the mezcal, and a touch of the divine to McLaren Vale.
What: Taco Jose’s
When: Slated to open October 31
Where: 133 Main Road, McLaren Vale
@taco.jose.taco
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