Masa Mesa Brings Pupusas, Parrilla and a Taste of Latin America to Nedlands

Masa Mesa is a deeply personal project for chef Erick Martinez and his wife Lara Martinez. The menu draws from his Salvadoran heritage and her Argentinian roots, while also folding in flavours they’ve encountered travelling through Latin America.

The star of the show is the pupusa – a dish that, in El Salvador, carries the weight of national pride. At Masa Mesa, the thick masa tortillas are stuffed with pork (cooked in its own fat, rillette-style), black beans and a trio of cheeses (“Cheddar, mozzarella and feta, which is the closest trio that replicates the flavour of the traditionally used quesillo,” says Martinez), then pressed flat and grilled until the filling melts into the dough. They arrive at the table topped with curtido, a sharp, lightly fermented cabbage slaw that cuts through the richness.

“Pupusas are really the national dish of El Salvador,” says Martinez. “The curtido brings tang, a bit of spice and a lot of freshness.”

There are other ways to eat masa here, too. Pastelitos – El Salvador’s answer to empanadas – arrive as half-moon turnovers filled with chicken, corn and smoked queso, deep-fried until the shell is shatteringly crisp and served with a punchy sauce of roasted pineapple, chilli and lime.

Then there’s choripan, the Argentinian street classic: grilled chorizo with molten provoleta and chimichurri on bread. Baked Argentinian empanadas take a more indulgent route, filled with short-rib asado and cheese before being brushed with a bright green chimichurri. And crisp cassava – fluffy inside, golden outside – channels the kind of snack you might find at a Salvadoran football match.

Martinez has spent years moving through Perth kitchens including Tiny’s, Duende and Andaluz before most recently cooking at members club Lawson Flats – but opening his own restaurant has always been the goal.

“We’ve always loved hosting,” he says. “In our family we’re the ones who bring everyone together to eat, so we wanted to create that same feeling here.”

If tacos appear on the menu, it’s partly because diners expect them. But Martinez is keen to broaden the conversation.

“There’s so much more than just tacos. There’s incredible food across South America, and we’ll keep introducing more of it. We want to be as authentic as possible and bring real South America to Perth.”

With Perth’s Latin American community growing quickly, Martinez thinks the timing is right. The goal isn’t just to cook the food – it’s to share it.

Masa Mesa

45B Hampden Road, Nedlands

0487 190 217

Hours:

Mon to Thu midday–8pm

Fri & Sat midday–9pm

www.masamesa.com.au/

@masamesaperth