Cantina
172 Hardgrave Rd, West End
Most of the restaurants reviewed on this site are orientated towards a particular national cuisine, so it’s good to find an inner suburban cafe with no particular leaning beyond that of being modern. Vegans will gravitate towards the red lentil and vegetable pie, in which the ingredients come mixed together in a parcel, with a side salad of tomato, cucumber and onion and a red spicy dip with a sweet undertaste (orange?) For vegetarians the Spanish omelette which comes with a solid piece of bread is strongly recommended, all its ingredients being beautifully fresh. For others there is a wide selection of dishes. The frappes, available in such combinations as raspberry and apple and lemon, orange and mint, are excellent. I guess ‘contemporary Western’ would be as good a description of the cafe’s cuisine as any, so that for people who may be disconcerted by an non-Western menu, and reports suggest that such folk may still be found even in these multicultural times, the range of dishes here will be most welcome, while for those of us happy to eat ethnic it provides a welcome reminder of how satisfying mainstream Western cuisine can be.
