El Loco at Slip Inn, Sydney CBD

I was ecstatic to hear that there's an El Loco around Wynyard, as the one in Surry Hills is too far for post-work catch-ups. The downside? Food at Slip Inn is a tad pricier than at its Surry Hills counterpart.

It was a Friday night and I was worried we'd have a hard time finding a table - which was true to a certain extent. The interior was about 75% full, so our group of 5 could still locate a table that would accommodate us comfortably. Venture outside to the courtyard below, however, and it's absolutely swarming with people.

In protest of the higher prices, my companions refused to order the $6 tacos. Instead, they went with a torta each and shared a plate of ribs. As a self-professed germaphobe, I don't share food unless there are serving utensils. Since there were no such contraptions, I only split food with the boy, which was a highly offensive act apparently. "Our saliva isn't good enough for you?!" they cried indignantly.

There was an interesting selection of cocktails, which my eyes kept gravitating to. Eventually I requested a passionfruit batida, consisting of tequila, apple and lime juice, dollops of passionfruit and Agave syrup. To be honest, I was really keen to try something with Agave syrup, but I couldn't taste anything distinctly different. Upon its receipt, I felt a little let down by the fact it was served in a small plastic cup, though the generous amount of liquor inside made up for it (a little bit). It was fruity, sweet, refreshing and I just wish there was a tad more...

Passionfruit Batida ($14.50)

 Despite its humble appearance, the pork torta (a Mexican/ Spanish sandwich) was really satisfying. The pork filling tasted like it had been mixed in Vietnamese lemongrass marinade, while the bun was so so soft (bread snobs stay away - it's white bread, after all). The vegetable you see there is cabbage with mayo and pico de gallo (salsa). Considering I tend towards the diet of the carnivorous, they were pretty tolerable, but made it necessary to consume the bun swiftly before it turned sloppy.

Pork torta ($12.00)

 Not a frankfurter fan, but the quantity of cheese shaved on top of the hotdog added a fluffy texture. Other than that, it was pretty ordinary.

El loco hotdog ($10.00)

The chipotle mayo and jalapenos were what made the quesadillas so outstanding. That sauce was so good I spread the excess on my hotdog. It was a little spicy, so it took a lot of restraint pacing myself.

Chorizo quesadilla ($7.00)

For those curious about the lamb, here it is:

Rack of lamb ($26.00?)

It seemed to be hard to eat - using fingers was a messy task but knives and forks were cumbersome. Nevertheless, my friends felt pretty positive about it overall.