Blanca Mejia and Blanca Perera, the mother-daughter team behind Olotl on King Street, join the new wave of chefs reshaping Sydney’s understanding of what’s possible with salsa, corn and chilli.

While the casual set-up (tacos served on paper liners, staff spooning salsas and ingredients from an open counter) makes the menu accessible, it doesn’t convey how much effort goes in. Nopales tacos are filled with cactus paddles that have been dethorned, hand-chopped and cooked with caramelised onions. The mole verde includes 31 ingredients, adding macadamias to the many nuts (pecans, almonds, pine) that are roasted and blended for the sauce, while staying true to the family recipe’s source code.

The sauce typically flavours a chicken taco, or you might also find it in a tortilla with shreds of shiitake mushrooms. Beef birria has a five-chilli buzz, while an enchiladas special comes slathered with a herbaceous poblano chilli sauce that may keep you scooping until there is nothing left to spoon.

Good to know: The tamales require so much work that only 14 are made every Saturday and Sunday.

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