COULD Willagee be the next Beverly Hills?
That’s pushing it, but the suburb has undergone a rebirth over the past few decades and is now more Location, Location, Location than The Beverly Hillbillies.
Recently the first house sold there for more than $1 million and there’s a burgeoning food scene and a growing range of amenities (The Dance Collective on Winnacott St is prartluclaly cool).
Whether gentrification is good or bad is a debate for another time, but it feels like the suburb is on the up. One of the best and most exotic venues in the ‘New Willagee’ is Pantano Bar.
Situated on Archibald Street, it’s part of a nice row of shops and eateries that includes an IGA and Slowdough Pizzas.
Pantano specialise in Latino food and their menu has a large range of mains and share plates including empanadas, tajadas, tequenos, burgers and arepa.
They also have a kids menu, specials of the month, and desserts.
But at the core of their menu is the arepa – a type of open sandwich made from “corn dough” – which is a staple in Colombia and Venezuela, as well as Bolivia and El Salvador. So I decided to get a selection of them for the family.
I kicked off with the El Vegano ($23).
It was overflowing with a vibrant and colourful array of veg.
It was a delicious combo that included grilled eggplant, lettuce, tomato and roasted capsicum.
The pickles gave the dish a piquant hit and I loved the little cubes of juicy beetroot.
The sandwich was rounded off with some nice tomato relish.
The all important arepa was a bit like a crispy potato cake and was extremely filling.
I initially balked at $23 for effectively a sanger, but it was substantial and the fillings were top notch.
Across the table, my wife was busy tucking into her pabellon arepa ($24).
“It’s intense and dark,” she said.
“The shredded beef is crammed with flavour and the black beans add another strong punch.
“The feta gives it some creaminess and the hogao has a nice tomatoey tang.
“One for the meat lovers who like bold flavours.”
My second-favourite arepa was the parrilla ($24) – a gorgeous mix of marinated beef, grilled onions, feta and salsa de la casa.
A quirky touch was the string fries, which added some texture. The marinated beef was tender and had good depth of flavour.
Decadent
Last off the rank was the Maluma Baby ($20).
This was a messy number and like a burger on steroids with grilled chicken, bacon, lettuce, pineapple sauce, salsa de la casa, and melted cheese.
My young son wolfed it down and it looked like he had dunked his face in a vat of cheese.
I had a sneaky taste and it was moreish with the bacon, chook and cheese a decadent trio.
Back in the old days, I used to stay clear of bar-style food – it was always expensive and disappointing – but in recent years the quality has sky rocketed and is often restaurant quality.
Initially I thought the arepa were a bit steeply priced – for effectively a sandwich – but they were super filling and super high quality, so definitely worth it.
Pantano also do specials and midweek offers.
Pantano Bar
4/60 Archibald St, Willagee
pantanobar.com.au
by STEPHEN POLLOCK