The team behind Ripponlea’s Cali-Mexican hotspot Mission District have crossed the river for their second venue, Santito, taking the concept of a taqueria to the next level in Melbourne.
You’ll find Melbourne’s new taco temple in the former Hotel Jesus site in Collingwood, and while the bones of the venue remain the same, things are done differently in the kitchen. The team are getting technical with the tortilla, leaning on the traditional process called nixtamalisation to turn the humble wrapper into a winner. The menu, meanwhile, takes a less is more approach with several tacos stealing the show – including the Mexico city staple al pastor and a sleeper hit vegan cauliflower number – plus a molten cheese-topped queso fundido designed with good times in mind.
Here’s co-owner Jenna Davies on what’s hot at Santito.
Santito chef Sandra Martinez says “the tortilla is everything”. Tell us more.
We’re using locally grown white corn to make our tortillas from scratch. The corn is soaked overnight in an alkaline solution which is a traditional process called nixtamalisation, and then the next day we grind it on volcanic stones in our molino, creating the masa, then handpressing the tortillas and cooking them to order. The fresh corn tortilla really enhances the overall flavour of the taco – it becomes a part of the whole flavour of the taco rather than just being a vehicle for the protein.
Santito marks an exciting new chapter for the Smith Street site. How does that look on the plate compared to Hotel Jesus?
For us it was really important not to reinvent the wheel but instead focus on doing a handful of things really well. The iconic Hotel Jesus space harks back to a 1970s Mexico City taqueria, so having now spent considerable time in Mexico City, it made sense to us to focus on our favourite, and some of the most iconic, dishes found in taquerias and street vendors there. We decided pretty early on if we’re going to be taco-focused, having amazing tortillas was key and nixtamalising, grinding and pressing in-house has become a fundamental part of our identity.
We’ve also made some changes to the physical space. Downstairs we have renovated and created a private dining room that seats up to 20 people, and we have reinstated the dedicated takeaway entrance which we will be opening soon.
Which dish best captures the Santito vibe?
It has to be the al pastor taco. Al pastor is one of the staples found on the streets of downtown Mexico City. Some of those taquerias sell north of 100kg of pastor a day, and so it was essential that we included it on our menu. We also love our queso fundido topped with our housemade longaniza – it’s delicious and a fun thing to eat, who doesn’t love molten cheese?
I’m here for a good time, not a long time.
The guacamole comes out quick so I’d nibble on that while looking over the menu. We’d suggest a selection of tacos and a Margarita, either our Al Pastor Marg or the Watermelon Coco Jalapeño. Our churros conveniently come in a takeaway bag so if you need to run you can take them with you.
Got anything light and fresh?
I’d suggest either tuna tostada. Fun fact, did you know the tuna tostada originated at Mexico City restaurant Contramar? They’re an Italian-Mexican fusion seafood restaurant famous for a Japanese-style dish. Otherwise, look to our snapper ceviche for something light and fresh.
How about if I like tasty food but don’t eat animals?
Both of our quesadillas are vegetarian and can be made with vegan cheese – the flor de calabaza (squash blossom) quesadilla is a must try. We also have a cauliflower taco which is vegan and our whole roasted eggplant, also vegan, with cashew crema, green tomato, salsa macha and tortillas is an absolute show stopper.
What if we really want to go big and go crazy. What have you got for us?
Our feed-me menu is the way to go. It’s made up of guacamole, esquites, our tuna tostada, pastor taco, the rajas poblanas quesadilla, lamb barbacoa main served with tortillas and condiments. It’s finished off with churros and can be adapted for dietaries and requests.
And to close?
Perhaps a shot of mezcal or agave if you’re feeling adventurous and our spiced cheesecake with dulce de leche and choc crumble.
Santito, 174 Smith St, Collingwood, open 5pm-9pm Tues-Thurs, 5pm-10pm Fri, 12 noon-10pm Sat, 5pm-9pm Sun, santito.com.au, @santitomelbourne