Vera Cruz... could be better

Seeking a restaurant to fill up the grumbling belly, we took a walk along Military Rd, all the time thinking "mmm pub grub" or "mmm noodles". Who would have thought, we walked pass a fancy looking Mexican restaurant with a SMH Good Food Guide review that gave it 14/20. It didn't serve your usual bean burritos or nachos, but had a list of interesting and/or unfamiliar dishes, so we thought we'd give them a try.

The restaurant was virtually booked out but (I think he was) the manager took us to the bar, where other customers were having a pre-dinner drink (but soon cleared out), and sat us down along the couch. It turned out to be rather comfortable and relaxing as it was away from the main restaurant crowd, so it was much quieter. Many of the entree and side dishes drew our attention so we ended up having a more tapas style dinner with all our orders arriving at once.

I'm going to have to double check the names of these dishes. We started with what looks like a "Mexican dim sum" - duck in deep-fried corn pastry, which was unfortunately a bit dry and bland. I was half expecting a tortilla wrap with duck (like Peking Duck). It wasn't offensive but it wasn't impressive either. Then we moved on to the pork ribs in a sweet and lightly spicy tomato salsa. We both agreed that it was very delicious and appetising - very refreshing, highly recommended. The quesedillas were authentic according to dinner buddy but I found it a bit dry and bland, which I guess would go well with a spicy saucy main dish. Roasted pumpkin was just marvelous - hearty sweet and juicy, sprinkled with pumpkin seed kernels and feta cubes for extra flavour and texture. We left the ceviche with tomato and avacado salsa to last - dinner buddy was comparing this to a previous ceviche experience (which was a cold fish soup with citrus flavour) which was quite different from what was presented to us. This was beautifully presented as a stack, topped with corn chips (which were hard and salt). The fish was light and tangy, the combination was gently spicy with cracked pepper mixed in, and although it was different from what was expected, I still really enjoyed it (I even accepted the avacado bits in there!)

We had room for dessert. Churros were OK but it felt undercooked - the center still felt like batter. And I was very disappointed with the Kahlua brulee because it was curdled. A curdled creme brulee means the chef was not skilled. VERY disappointed. The sangria was quite delicious - probably worth getting a jug if you're in a big group.

Overall we enjoyed the ambiance and the service was generally OK, but with mixed feelings about food. I guess without the desserts I would still recommend (and possibly come back) this place. 314 Military Rd Cremorne.