Mesa Barrio Restaurant & Bar is a groovy little place we found in Lawson during one of our house hunting expeditions.

Mesa Barrio has firm roots in Catalonian alleyways, Greek tavernas and Italian enoteche.

The menu at Mesa Barrio emphasizes local produce, most notably, vegetables from Blue Mountains producers First Farm Organics, Epicurean Harvest and fresh fruit and vegetables picked up daily by Vegie Patch in Blackheath. The seafood arrives fresh daily from Fish and Fowl and all meats are free-range from Deli Ham and Crack Willow Farm.

As Filipino with Spanish heritage, I understand Mesa Barrio to translate to "Village Table." Which seems fitting as there always seems to be some sort of family gathering there.

For weeks, we'd find ourselves at Mesa Barrio after a morning/afternoon of inspections to unwind and discuss the houses we've seen.

We had always walked past it before but never had the time to stop by and really have a look.

I'm glad we did.

From the outside it has a very industrial modern feel with only it's name hinting to the possible delights on the menu.

Inside you see the exposed concrete, pipes and timber on the ceiling giving the place so much depth and texture, while keeping the over all design crisp and simple with it's black, white and timber theme.

The only pops of colour come from the copper pendants that ties in beautifully with all the timberwork.

One of the reasons this was our go to place for a while was this.

The bar has an ever-evolving wine list, representing some of our favourite local producers from the Central Ranges, as well as other great Australian and international vignerons. Also featured are local and international small batch liquor producers, with a strong focus on providing well-crafted cocktails, to match the quality of food.

I, as most of you know, like my red wine, shiraz to be exact. Hubby, however, is a beer guy.

And this place has some of the nicest beers apparently.

That 'White Rabbit' must be good because he went and bought a 4 pack of that not long ago.

Aside from their great selection of drinks, they also have a simple yet effective menu. I won't lie, I would love for them to have more vegetarian options, but they had fish.

When I have no other options I do conveniently turn pescatarian which has, I'm sure, saved me from being a total dinner pariah.

This is the only dish we have ever ordered on the menu.

Beer battered Ling with zucchini braised in tomato and chili with aoili.

This is the first time we had it and the only time it came battered.

This is the second and other times.

Different, but still delicious! Whatever he does to that zucchini and tomato 👌 It's so more-ish.

And rightly so!

I had a bit of a sticky beak at their website, and found out their Chef has quite the resume.

Check this out!

Head Chef, Will Cowan–Lunn has created a dynamic menu formulated through traditional Mediterranean influence and modern technique. Will’s impressive resume includes a Head Chef position at Rockpool Bar and Grill, Melbourne, as well as many hatted restaurants throughout Sydney.

And Oh My God - It totally shows!

The fish dish is so clean and the flavours are balanced beautifully every single time.

There were a few houses that came up in the area within walking distance to this restaurant that we seriously considered simply because it was close to this place lol

Yeh it's pretty special.

If you're up in the Blue Mountains come check these guys out. They're in Lawson which is halfway up from Penrith to Katoomba and perfect for that much needed pit stop.

❤ Arly

Photos taken with my Samsung Galaxy Note 3
Source credits http://mesabarrio.com.au