Dan Zivkovich is, what’s the right word, peeling?, shucking?, deseeding?, dozens of tiny little avocados. There’s something hypnotic about the process, he peels, I ask questions, it’s a productive way to conduct an interview.
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The avocados are half the size of the ones you’d see at the supermarket, their flesh is a glorious shade of green and despite their size he assures me the flavour is spot on. Like little strawberries are way tastier than the monster-sized ones you get in supermarkets? I ask. Something like that. And it doesn’t matter what they look like if they’re just being mashed into guacamole does it, he says.
At Taco Taco they go through about 260 avocados a week, making kilograms of guacamole to serve up with tacos and beans and rice and other surprises that appear now and again.
Zivkovich tells me they come from Andrew and Belinda Burnett’s Burnbar orchard, located in Dalwood, NSW, up near Ballina on the Far North Coast.
“They do the Canberra farmers markets on a fortnightly basis and deliver to us when they are in town,” he says.
Zivkovich could talk about produce all day.
“I don't think I'm as good a chef as I am a person who enjoys being around producers,” he says.
“I really like being able to talk about produce as much as, or more than really, technique. Developing relationships with producers is the most important thing. It's like a family.”
That seems to be the underlying philosophy of Zivkovich and his mates Duncan Turner, Sam Burns and Nick Smith, with the Barrio connection, and now with Taco Taco.
Zivkovich says one of the main aims of the place is to provide somewhere where other hospitality workers could afford to eat.
“We can’t afford to eat in our own places sometimes,” he says, still peeling.
They found the most popular food items at Barrio were the ones that were less than $10, and quick to get on the plate.
“We started Barrio three years ago in Braddon and we ended up doing a lot more food than we thought we would,” he says.
“The tacos were a big hit and we thought maybe it was something we could do in a dedicated space without coffee chewing up the whole kitchen.”
When the space in No Name Lane, just off Alinga Street, came up everything just fell quickly into place.
They’ve bought in chef Jeff Shim, formerly of XO and the Chairman Group, who’s given the menu some polish. It’s Mexican street food inspired but with Asian and European touches. There’s breakfast and lunch on offer, from 7.30am til threeish, a great drinks menu, (try the gin and purple lime soda), and a cool, casual vibe.
Dinner plans at this stage revolve around special event nights, there was a burger night a week ago, and they’ve looking at wine pairing nights with local vintners, nights where the service can be a bit slower than the crazed lunch rush they’re dealing with now, making about 1500 tortillas a week.
And as Zivkovich frantically continues with those avocados, you get the sense that it’s all about slowing down, about getting back in touch with where the food comes from, about the people that produce it, about taking a moment to stop and enjoy, even if it is a quick bite.
We love it that the menu has the supplier list. Vannella Cheese, Hillside Pastured Farm, Gundaroo Growers, Majestic Mushrooms, Aztec Foods, just to name a few.
It does make it all seem like you’re surrounded by family, and isn’t that the best way to eat good food?
