The Milpa Collective are behind some of Sydney’s top Mexican eateries, and the group has confirmed plans to launch three new concepts before the end of the year.
Calita, Carbon, Taqiza, Sonora and Caribbean-inspired cocktail La Palma will be joined by Casa Merida in Potts Point, Londres 126 in the Quay Quarter and Santa Catarina on Clarence Street in the CBD.
“Milpa Collective is a celebration of the beauty and vibrancy of our home country, Mexico,” says Co-Owner Pablo Galindo Vargas.
“It is a rich tapestry of unique cities, flavours, people and experiences. We want to honour that by representing a different part of Mexico in each of our venues.”
Casa Merida will be the first of the three new venues to open on 8 September and will centre around Mayan cuisine from the Yucatan Peninsula.
The space will have room for 70 diners, who are set to enjoy everything from ceviche to infladitas and cochinita pibil (Yucatan braised pork).
Rare Mexican spirits will form the foundation of the drinks menu that will cover mezcals from Oaxaca and venue-exclusive tequilas alongside Clase Azul Ultra, 3-4-5 and Casa Dragones.
Local wines, Chablis, Sancerre, Champagne, classic Latin American cocktails and ritual Mayan beverages sak’a and balch’e will round out the beverages.
Mezcal bar Santa Catarina will hit the CBD in late September. The 100-seat venue will hero Oaxacan cuisine, with dishes including mole madre and tetelas set to feature on the menu.
“We have sourced ancestral mezcals distilled in clay alongside rare and premium tequilas as part of what we call our ‘mezcal cazadores de sabores’ approach (‘mezcal hunters of flavour’) and we’re very excited to share them with our community,” says Co-Owner Liber Osorio.
“We have a great respect for the indigenous producers of Oaxaca, and are committed to representing fair trade, sustainably sourced products through all of our venues, and our beverage offering is a huge part of that.”
Londres 126 rounds out the offering and will open its doors in the Quay Quarter precinct in late October.
The concept will see a selection of flexible set menus and a beverage list anchored by mezcal and tequila, classic cocktails with a Mexican twist and a wine offering revolving around Australian and French drops.
Images: Trent van der Jagt