Hola amigos! Prickles in Parap Shopping Village, is as far as I know, the only Texan/Mexican restaurant in Darwin. These guys have been around for ages and have built quite the following, with all tables filled every time I've been there. The experience begins outside the door where there is a big cactus out the front, entering reveals a brightly coloured and decorated interior, although mostly disguised by the dim lighting. It's a popular spot for dinner so you'd better book before hand as seating capacity is limited.

The menu is Tex-Mex, with a section called Not Tex-Mex, which is good because unlike some restaurants around town with an identity crisis, these guys at least know what is authentic to their cuisine and what isn't. The highlight on the Not Tex-Mex side would be the pork ribs which are fall off the bone tender and coated in stickylicous sauce. I've gotten them many times in the past and have always been blown away. Yum!

Our entrées came out quite quickly, the Great Balls of Fire ($9.50), are pure winning in the shape of a ball with a mega cool name to boot. Cream cheese, jalepenos, crumbed, fried and then served with sour cream – how can you beat that? The taquitos ($11.50) and trio of dips ($16.50 - a bit pricey) were also tasty and worked well as a shared dish between three. If I had my way though, I wouldn't have shared any of it. For my main I ordered a beef burrito ($23.50). I figured I would compare it with the one I had in Hawaii a few weeks back, where Mexican food seems to be quite popular. It was quite large and served on a bed of rice with some sides. The beef filling was a little dry, perhaps chicken would have been a better choice and some more of the sauce on top would have been welcomed. Taste wise it was quite comparable to the Hawaiian version with the melted cheese on top being a plus. Overall I was pleased with my main.

The missus had salmon, topped with salsa and fried capers ($23.50). Not pink salmon as one would expect, but a white fleshed version instead. I scabbed a bit and the taste was good, perhaps not fresh from the ocean but good enough for me. The mash potato with sour cream mixed in is a winner – why does evil food have to taste so damn good?

Our friends cheesy steak came out as ordered and looked mouth watering ($29.50). It was given the thumbs up by my mate. I like my steak plain or with a bit of gravy so cheese and steak seems kind of weird. But apparently it works! I thought it could have been a bit bigger for the price however.

Our banana enchilda with butterscotch toffee sauce was a fantastic way to end the night. Sweet and savoury with beautiful presentation. The ice cream was rock solid in the middle, but other than that this was one of the better deserts I've had in a while.

I read some comments a while ago saying Prickles had gone down hill in quality from way back when. I wasn't moonlighting as a food blogger back in those days, but I can say that over the past few years that I've been I have always had a both a good meal and a good time. Service is exceptionally good, so good that I thought they might have been on to me as the dude from Darwin Foodies. The girls there are very friendly, polite and have huge smiles on their faces all the time. I had every reason to be suspicious, but it turns out that I just think too highly of myself. The service is simply damn good.