From Oaxaca to Coolangatta – Clay Cantina dishes up an authentic taste of Mexico with laneway vibes
It’s said that travel is the only thing you can buy that makes you richer. While it might sound a little bit like a faded bumper sticker you’d find plastered on the back of an ageing VW van, it’s a sentiment that has proved true for Kristal Smith. Having spent more than 13 years travelling back and forth to Mexico, Kristal possesses an incredible love and deep-seated respect for the people of Latin America alongside the rich culinary traditions, and the unmistakable flavours and techniques of Mexican cooking. Over the years it’s become a second home for Kristal, as she delved deep into regional cuisine, learning directly from the cocineras and home cooks. Thankfully, Kristal also has an affinity with the Gold Coast and always brings her newfound skills home. Clay Cantina is a way for Kristal to share her knowledge and experiences with people, and connect them to Mexico through food. The venue will still host regular cooking classes, including a three-hour Cooking Social as well as a more extensive five-hour masterclass, because Kristal believes that food is a conduit for bringing people together. A large island bench forms the beating heart of the space, with the day’s ingredients splayed out before your eyes. A servery window opening out to the laneway breaks down the traditional barrier between chef and customer, encouraging jovial interactions as your food is being created. Kristal’s vision for Clay Cantina was never to be a polished restaurant, rather, it’s as though you are walking in to a Mexican home kitchen and dining room or chilling in the lane on a stool. It’s unpretentious and exceptionally authentic, right down to the paper plates.
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As for the succinct menu, it’s intended to evolve to further explore different regions of Mexico as well as tie into the upcoming cooking class. Grab a margarita and a starter of guacamole with totopos (corn chips) to munch while you decide where to go next. The venue’s speciality is sopes, which is a thick corn base that is the perfect combination of crispy-yet-soft, layered high with toppings such as chipotle chicken (tinga de pollo), mushroom (hongos) or pulled pork (cochinita pibil) with black beans, pico de gallo, queso and crema. There are three street-style tacos to choose from including the al pastor (pork belly with pineapple, onion and coriander), barbacoa (lamb, onion, coriander and lime) and poblano y corn (flamed poblano pepper, creamy corn, queso and pico de gallo), as well as a couple of flautas (chicken or potato), which are tortillas that have been stuffed, rolled and fried to crisp perfection. It goes without saying that everything that every morsel that makes its way onto a plate has been prepped, cooked or created from scratch. There are no shortcuts here and, in case you were wondering, there’s really no elegant way to eat tacos that are dripping with juicy goodness – you just have to go all-in with both hands and devour. There are vegetarian options as well as vegan-friendly adaptions. Thirsty folk can sip on a house-made horchata, Jarritos Mexican cola, or for something a little harder, crack a tin from Young Henrys, a Laneway margarita or a Paloma Fizz. There’s also a small selection of natural wines on the way as well as a dedicated retail nook that will stock traditional marinades, handmade salsas, hard-to-find ingredients, dried chillis, tortilla presses and ‘molcajetes’ – much like a mortar and pestle – which is said to be the key in bringing out the true flavours in the cuisine. There are no bookings here, just roll up and take a seat. If that sounds like your kind of place, roll over to our Stumble Guide for opening times.