**Ensalada de nopales, El Sabor Zapoteco
**
At her cooking school in rural Oaxaca, Reyna Mendoza Ruíz, doyenne of Zapotec cuisine, likes to keep it real, using traditional stone implements. Happily, as this salad of jicama and cactus flavoured with avocado leaves and epazote shows, the hard way usually turns out to be very easy to eat.
El Sabor Zapoteco, Av Juárez 30, Teotitlán del Valle, Oaxaca, Mexico
PAT NOURSE, MANAGING EDITOR
Sweetcorn fritters, Bam Bam Bakehouse
It’s not called Bam Bam for nothing – and these crisp-edged queso fresco and corn fritters pack a double punch. The chipotle-spiked crema clinches the deal, but the egg, avocado and coriander cress don’t hurt either.
Bam Bam Bakehouse, 2519 Gold Coast Hwy, Mermaid Beach, Qld
FIONA DONNELLY, QUEENSLAND EDITOR
Tacos with beef barbacoa, Barrio Collective
Though this snug café is best known for its outstanding coffee (V60s with Ethiopian beans! Honduran flat whites!), it’s no slouch in the snacks department. Tacos stuffed with slow-cooked beef and topped with pico de gallo have enough spice and crunch to convince you to order more.
Barrio Collective, 30 Lonsdale St, Braddon, ACT
SAMANTHA TEAGUE, EDITORIAL COORDINATOR
Veal brain with ponzu dressing, Clown Bar
Of all the Parisian wine caves slinging small plates and vins naturels, Clown Bar might be the genre’s brightest light. This lobe of offal, cooked low and slow till it’s custardy, served in a chilled Japanese-style broth, encapsulates the fun and adventurous spirit in a single Instagram-primed plate. Just don’t call it cerebral.
Clown Bar, 114 Rue Amelot, 75011, Paris
MAX VEENHUYZEN, WESTERN AUSTRALIA EDITOR
