Having recently driven to Brisbane from Sydney, my wife and I stopped in for a meal at the curiously named The Coughing Gherkin restaurant.
Located in the country town of Armidale, The Coughing Gherkin is a Spanish / Mexican restaurant serving an array of Spanish tapas while also providing a variety of traditional Mexican dishes.
On arrival we were pleasantly greeted by a waiter who found us seating for two. Having just finished driving for six hours I was famished and eager to take a peek at the menu. My wife and I ordered a mixture of tapas and Mexican dishes. She order the Gherkin's sweet corn fritters while I opted for caramelised pork Gherk's nachos for entree. Most importantly though, being a Spanish restaurant and sticking to tradition ordering a carafe of Sangria was a must.
Gherkin's Sweetcorn Fritters
While a relatively simple dish my nachos were up there with one of the best I have tasted, it had a nice balance of flavours with no one element in the dish standing out to overpowering the other.
The restaurant was relatively quiet when we arrived, from memory it was around six o'clock on a Saturday evening, however within half an hour this all changed when the reserved tables started filling up with small groups of people to celebrate birthdays, anniversaries and with an open bar, a pleasant ambience and friendly atmosphere it seemed an ideal choice for local university students, the place had a certain buzz about it.
The Gherks' Nachos
For mains my wife ordered the beef Fajitas while I decided on Enchiladas. The meal consisted of three generously filled Enchiladas smothered in tomato salsa, and melted cheese. What can I say other than they tasted great with plenty of flavour. My only complaint was that there was too much and I wasn't able to eat the entire meal. I also had the chance to try the Fajitas which was quite nice as well. My wife certainly gave it the thumbs up. I'd be happy to order either dish again and more than likely probably will next time I stop over in Armidale.
Beef Fajitas
If you are just driving through the town like me or are a local, I'd strongly recommend dropping into this restaurant with a very distinct name to enjoy the friendly service and most importantly a great bite to eat.
