With its rattan screens and peach terracotta walls, you’d be forgiven for thinking nothing’s been done to upgrade the ‘little house’ formerly known as Gringo’s. Wrong – this place has been impeccably thought out. It’s the offspring of Fleet’s Josh Lewis and Astrid McCormack, after all. Dishes are simple in execution, yet complex in flavour and texture thanks to quality ingredients, a custom-made wood fire and Lewis’s vision. The ahogadas de camarones torta with marshmallowy bread and crunch-coated Clarence River school prawns is the ultimate sandwich. The menu promises it’s “drowned with tomato and crustacean oil”… you’d happily be submerged. The beef taco is smoky, nutty and blanketed with salty, fried kale. The slow-cooked lamb tacos come with crispy skin and a little bowl of lamb juices that you’ll soon be licking off your wrist. The smaller meals are so satisfying and tasty that it wouldn’t be a bad thing if the menu ended after the tacos. Mains like the carnitas con frijoles (beans with ham hock) aren’t quite as exciting or affordable. But locals already know what works here. Many are just grabbing tortas and tacos as they work their way through the drinks list. La Casita is mad for mezcal, while the Astrid Arriba, a house beer specially made for them by Yulli’s, gives powerful punches of coriander, pineapple and chilli (have it with the sausage and cheese-stuffed jalapeños to start strong). There’s brave Mexican food coming out of this little house. It’s got the charm of Abuela’s kitchen and the inventiveness of Fleet, and the locals already love it, rattan fences and all.