At the Canadian Red Cross “Red Carpet Soiree” at Blue Water Cafe + Raw Bar

2011 Follow Me Foodie Favourites & Yearblog

Happy New Year! Welcome to my Follow Me Foodie Favourites & Best of 2011! This is a recap and yearbook/yearblog of the BEST Follow Me Foodie (FMF) Food and FMF Foodie Moments in 2011.

I wrote a Follow Me Foodie Favourites & Best of 2010, so I decided to do another one this year. I don’t even know where to start. It’s been a crazy year, and I’m so grateful for everything that has happened with this blog. I’ve loved every minute of it (even the parts where it hurt to laugh because I was so full) and I’m so happy to have shared these delicious moments with you. Thank you for following me foodie and cheers to another year of gastronomic indulgence!

NOTE: IT’S NOT NECESSARILY “THE BEST“, BECAUSE FOOD IS PERSONAL AND I CAN ONLY DISCOVER SO MUCH IN A YEAR. THESE ARE JUST SOME WORTH MENTIONING IN MY BOOKS… OR BLOG? BLOG. IT’S MORE OF A 2011 RECAP/SUMMARY. ALL EXPERIENCES ARE FROM 2011 ONLY.

Top 20 Most Memorable/BEST Restaurant SAVOURY Dishes & Food in Vancouver!

Cobre Nuevo Latino – Maple Chipotle Tamarind Glazed Wild Boar Belly

The list is limited to what I tried this year. Again, not necessarily “the best”, but very memorable.
Listed in no particular order. Based on the menu item, not the restaurant.

1. Be ‘Wiched Cafe – Chain Gang Chili, Apple Pie Stuffed French Toast

2. La Belle Auberge – Seared Foie Gras with Apple Tart Tatin, Pork Belly Spring Roll

3. Café Régalade – Braised Short Ribs in Pepper Sauce

4. Pair Bistro – PAIR Signature Oysters

5. El Barrio Restaurante – Tostada Carnitas

6. Mis Trucos – Sezmu Beef Flatiron Steak

7. C Restaurant – Parsley Veloute, Northern Divine Caviar

8. Cioppino’s Mediterranean Grill – Pappardelle

9. L’Abattoir – Poached Egg

10. Cobre Nuevo Latino – Maple Chipotle Tamarind Glazed Wild Boar Belly

11. La Quercia – Stinging Nettle Risotto for 2, Gnocchi

12. Hog Shack Cook House – Burnt Ends

13. Hawksworth Restaurant – Confit Pork Shoulder, Yellowfin Tuna Carpaccio

14. Anatolia’s Gate – Iskender Kabob

15. Market by Jean-Georges – French Toast, Sweet Pea Soup

16. The Well – Pulled Pork Eggs Benedict

17. The Apron – Side Stripe Prawn (Change of chefs)

18. EBO Restaurant – Albacore Tuna

19. Mochikas Peruvian Cafe - Chupe de Mariscos

20. Nicli Anitca Pizzeria – Margherita Pizza

Restaurant: Don Guacamole’s
Cuisine: Mexican/Tacos
Last visited: October 12, 2011
Location: Vancouver, BC (Robson Street/West End/Downtown)
Address: 1333 Robson Street
Price Range: $10-20

1: Poor 2: OK 3: Good 4: Very good 5: Excellent 6: Tres Excellent!!

Food: 3.5 – 4 (based on few items I tried)
Service: 2 (friendly, but very inattentive)
Ambiance: 3
Overall: 3.5
Additional comments:

• Mexican owned/operated
• Specializes in ‘authentic’ Mexican tacos
• Home made fillings & salsas
• Extensive menu
• No seafood options
• Casual/good for the game
• Affordable
• Vegetarian friendly
• Beer/Wine/Cocktails
• Patio seating
• Dine in/Take-out
• Mexican brunch/breakfast items available
• Mon-Sun 11am-10pm (Sometimes until 11pm, but depends)

**Recommendations: Lengua (Beef Tongue) tacos, Lamb tacos, Carnitas tacos, Alambre

My one taco visit to La Taqueria turned into a taco binge. I ended up trying TacoFino Cantina, Doña Cata and now Don Guacamole’s in search of a great taco. I can’t really even compare them all because they’re slightly different in styles, especially TacoFino. TacoFino serves Baja (Californian) style tacos that are more like Chronic Tacos, but way better. Anyways, I promise this is my last taco post for the time being, because I don’t know about you, but I need a bit of a taco break.

It’s already been 3 years since Don Guacamole’s opened and I have a feeling the passion and care in the food has dropped a bit. This is just from comparing my photos with some others that were taken in its earlier days, but the difference is visually noticeable. Anyways I can only judge by what I had, and things can change over time, but usually I hope for the better.

I came specifically for the tacos since I was on a taco hunt. I do think it’s somewhat fair to compare them to La Taqueria and Doña Cata since all three places claim to serve authentic Mexican tacos. I won’t go as far as to say whose was more authentic, but I do think there are levels of authenticity. In the end it comes down to which I liked the best in terms of flavour, but authenticity is something I respect.

I’ll just restate what I said in my previous post about Mexican food in Vancouver. It struggles.

Now moving on, I did find these tacos good for Vancouver standards. The meats are actually the most seasoned and flavourful compared to La Taqueria and Doña Cata, but the quality of the meats weren’t as good as the other two. It was just a bit fattier and chewier at times, but it wasn’t the greasiest. The other two offer a lot more home made salsas to dress up your taco, but their tacos are reliant on the salsas and they can’t hold their own without them. I liked the large variety of home made salsas at Doña Cata, but I liked La Taqueria better than Doña Cata. If La Taqueria and Don Guacamole’s hooked up, and took the prices from Doña Cata, there could be something worth bragging about!

Just for quick and easy reference, here’s a Taco chart.

Comparing Mexican Tacos in Vancouver

Doña Cata, La Taqueria & Don Guacamole’s

Note: There are certainly more taco options than this in Metro Vancouver, I just took the three most popular restaurants for authentic Mexican tacos. These places aren’t necessarily the best, but it gives an idea, and my taco hunt is not finished.

On the table:

Complimentary Chips & Salsa

• Doña Cata serves complimentary chips and salsa too.
• Salsa Roja – spicy red chile tomato salsa. This was the spiciest, but it wasn’t hot. It was medium spicy.
• Pico de Gallo – or salsa fresca, fresh salsa with chopped tomatoes, jalapenos, onions and cilantro. It had some citrus lime juice and spicy heat.
• Green Tomato Salsa – or salsa verde, this was actually a bit spicy and I’m used to it being mild.
• All of the salsas actually carried a decent amount of spice which surprised me. They weren’t hot, but a mild-medium to medium spicy.
• They don’t have as many home made salsas as La Taqueria or Doña Cata. The salsas here weren’t anything special, but the meats are more flavoured than the other two, so it didn’t require them.

**Birria (Lamb) Tacos – 3.5/6

• Marinated steak (or your choice of meat) with green peppers, onions and bacon. Served with 5 tortillas. Chicken $12, Arrachera $15, Grilled steak $14.50Vegetarian $11.50. add cheese +$2.75. I special ordered mine with al pastor (slow roasted marinated pork) for $15
• I asked my Mexican server what his favourite was, not the most popular, but what he would eat. He said his option wasn’t really on the menu. It was the alambre with al pastor instead of grilled steak. I requested his dish and it wasn’t problem.
• I never requested the extra cheese, but when the bill came it was added for an extra $2.75, not a big deal, but I didn’t request it.
• Alambre is supposed to refer to a shishkabob of grilled steak, so this version wasn’t traditional.
• Anyways this was a very hearty and greasy dish and it almost reminded me of Chinese stir-fry meets fajitas, but with melted oozy gooey cheese on top. It might sound odd, but it worked because the sauce was obviously Mexican, and not Chinese.
• The portion is generous and it would be enough for 2 for lunch.
• It was really oily, greasy, and saucy, but it tasted pretty good!
• The layers of melted cheese throughout just made it that much more rich.
• There were more fried onions and sweet green bell peppers than pork, but the pork that was there was quite tender although very hard to find since everything was so diced up.
• The al pastor (slow roasted marinated pork) just tasted like baked pork chop, but I couldn’t taste its marinade under all that sauce.
• Al pastor is supposed to be cooked in chilies and pineapples, but I lost that aspect in this context and there were no pineapples or spice.
• I would have preferred larger chunks of al pastor, but since they were using the al pastor for the tacos, it was all minced up. It ended up being almost smaller than the vegetables.
• On another note I’m not sure if the tiny pieces of really fatty pork was the bacon… ? Regardless, the bacon came unnoticed especially having it with al pastor, and I had no idea it was in there.
• The sauce was quite smoky and earthy and reminiscent of adobo sauce. It had some garlic and paprika, but it wasn’t spicy or bitter. I liked the flavour and it had a slight acidity which I thought was from a tomato base, but it’s likely from a touch of vinegar.

• It was served with 5 individually grilled tortilla shells and I could have eaten it with or without the tortillas. I could have eaten this with nachos or even rice.
• Meat + gravy + cheese… you can’t really go wrong with that combination… did someone say poutine?
• If they let me choose my own meat, next time I’d possibly order this with carnitas, but it is traditionally supposed to be a steak kebob.

Restaurant: Doña Cata Mexican Food
Cuisine: Mexican/Tacos
Last visited: October 11, 2011
Location: Vancouver, BC (Kensington)
Address: 5076 Victoria Drive
Price Range: $10 or less

1: Poor 2: OK 3: Good 4: Very good 5: Excellent 6: Tres Excellent!!

Food: 3 (3.5 if you use the salsas and based on tacos only)
Service: 3
Ambiance: 2
Overall: 3
Additional comments:

• Since 2011
• Mexican family owned/operated
• Specializes in authentic Mexican food
• Popular for tacos
• Homemade/Homestyle
• Home made salsas
• No seafood options
• Very casual/quick
• Budget friendly/cheap eats
• Vegetarian/Vegan friendly
• Cheap drinks/sangria
• Good for watching soccer game
• Dine in/Take-out
• Mon-Sat 11am-7pm (Sometimes until 10pm, but depends)

**Recommendations: Must use their salsas with tacos. Longaniza (cured sausage) tacos, Carne Enchilada tacos, and the horchata and mole sauce is good.

Gaahhhh!! I have such a love hate relationship with our Mexican restaurants in Vancouver, BC. Actually it’s not even a love/hate, it’s just a frustration because of the lack of selection for it, and I just know it gets better. I guess we win in other areas like Asian and Japanese cuisine though. Anyways this week I’ve been posting about tacos, and this is another popular choice for authentic Mexican tacos in Vancouver.

It’s another hole in the wall eatery, right by the other hole in the wall Mexican eatery El Caracol Mexican Cafe. The area is known for dive-ish looking restaurants and it’s full of hidden gems. Both of these places are supposed to fall into that category and are popular with neighbourhood locals and the small Mexican population that exists in Vancouver. I’ve been meaning to try Doña Cata Mexican for ages now since the only time I’ve tried them are at catered events. Well I stopped waiting!

Doña Cata Mexican Restaurant & Taqueria rivals the other popular and well known taco joint La Taqueria. I hate saying this, but I find both are good in the context of Vancouver, but outside of Vancouver, it just falls short. Due to the lack of selection for this type of cuisine, they both become the “best tacos in Vancouver”, and I can’t say I feel too good about that theory either. It’s like if Hon’s was the only Chinese restaurant in Vancouver, then of course it could be “the best”… but if you put it relative to everything else, it can get so much better.

I actually found this part the most charming! The pull down projection screen that plays the soccer (or as they call football) games. The place has cheap drinks and it attracts a young local Mexican crowd on game nights. It just made the place feel so legit.

This was the other highlight for me. The large variety of home made salsas which I really appreciated. It was something to show off and I loved that it was self serve and complimentary. Just like La Taqueria, the tacos are reliant on the salsas to give it flavour, which actually kind of bothers me. I do want the meats to be able to carry their own flavour too. Regardless, it’s a bang for your buck kind of place, but if you’re going to go into detail, then they might not rise to your expectations for authentic Mexican tacos.

It’s definitely not as Americanized, but in the cateogry of “authentic Mexican tacos” it can taste better. In Vancouver it’s considered excellent, but on the grand scheme of things (even just comparing to places as close as Seattle, not even Mexico) it’s considered mediocre. In short, Doña Cata Mexican Restaurant & Taqueria is a Mexican owned and operated eatery, but it just looked and felt more authentic than it actually tasted, at least for the tacos. I was rooting for it and actually really wanted to love it too.
Just for quick and easy reference, here’s a Taco chart.

Comparing Mexican Tacos in Vancouver

Doña Cata, La Taqueria & Don Guacamole’s

Note: There are certainly more taco options than this in Metro Vancouver, I just took the three most popular restaurants for authentic Mexican tacos. These places aren’t necessarily the best, but it gives an idea, and my taco hunt is not finished.

On the table:

**Horchata – 4/6

• A refreshing homemade rice and cinnamon based drink lightly sweetened with sugar $2.50
• I love this drink, and it was pretty good here, but it was a bit sweeter than I like.
• It’s sweeter, slightly thicker and richer than the horchata at La Taqueria. It’s also a bit stronger in cinnamon flavour, but it’s not spicy or anything.
• It was almost custard like compared to others, and it’s sweet and refreshing drink that works well with all the spices from the salsas.

Complimentary Chips

• It’s free and appreciated so no complaints really, but if you want fresh corn tortilla chip nachos, I would also recommend the nachos from El Caracol Mexican Cafe (see here) just a block away.

Homemade Salsas (Left to right)

• I loved the variety of self serve complimentary home made salsas.
• I just wish the tacos weren’t so reliant on the salsas to give them flavour.
• Green Tomato: It was actually quite sour, but not necessarily sour with lime juice. It had an aftertaste I wasn’t keen on.
• Regular Tomato: This was just a simple puree of stewed tomatoes. It could have even been a base to marinade meat.
• Chile: This one was my least favourite and I found it spicy, very bitter and very smoky, but the flavour wasn’t pleasant.
• Peanut: I loved this because it was different! It was made with lots of ground peanuts and it seemed more Thai than it did Mexican to me. It was a citrusy peanut sauce with a bit of heat. I liked it with the nachos, more so than with the tacos though. It works well with the chicken.
• Chipotle: I knew this would be my favourite, and it was. It’s sweet, tangy and spicy and it just had the most well rounded flavours to me. I felt the same way about the chipotle salsa at La Taqueria.
• Mexicano: This was a classic fresh tomato, onion and cilantro salsa. It was refreshing and not spicy.
• Avocado: It was really thin and not a guacamole, but an avocado sauce. It was quite refreshing with lots of lime juice and I used it a lot for the tacos.
• Jalapenos and Onions: They were what they were.
• Very Hot Salsa: It was quite hot, and the spice gradually builds and lingers. It was thick and pasty, a bit mustard like and quite bitter. It’s not particularly my favorite hot salsa.

Original Tacos

• $2.00 each, with cheese $2.50
• Since I was on a taco mission, I only tried their tacos. I give it the benefit of the doubt that the rest of the menu could be better.
• I didn’t not like the tacos, but I was expecting more from them. I found them very okay to good.
• I found the meats generally a bit dry and under marinated and under seasoned. I couldn’t taste the flavours from the cooking techniques either like roasting or braising.
• I understand that the salsas are meant to give it flavour, but it was very reliant on the salsa and alone the meats were almost bland.
• The tacos were very greasy, but not as flavourful with meat juices, it was more so just oil.
• They’re double corn tortilla shells, as they should be, and I liked how filled each taco was, but the meats just seemed quite ordinary.
• These are authentic Mexican in style, but in terms of flavour they were lacking. They just tasted the way they looked…
• In the end for $2/taco it’s a bang for your buck.

Barbacoa de Borrego (Lamb) – 3/6

• Slow-braised lamb loin in a secret house blend of chiles and spices $2.00 each, with cheese $2.50
• The lamb was bland and I couldn’t see or taste any chiles or spices, but it was tender and well shredded, but not juicy or very moist.
• It had a slight gamey aftertaste, but it wasn’t overpowering. If you’re extremely sensitive to game, you’ll probably still taste it in this.

Carnitas – 3/6

• Succulent pieces of slow roasted pulled pork and herbs $2.00 each, with cheese $2.50
• This is my favourite kind of taco, so I have higher expectations for it.
• It usually is oily because it’s roasted pulled pork fried in fat, but this one was oily without the flavour.
• It was dripping with oil, but it wasn’t flavourful pork juices, it just tasted like shredded pork in oil.
• The meat was slightly dry and brittle too, and if anything this one should be the least dry.
• I like carnitas with pickled onions on top so I prefer the one at La Taqueria – see here, and although different, I strongly recommend trying the Tostada Carnitas from El Barrio – see here.
• Just for reference, the most authentic carnitas taco I’ve had is from Riviera Maya Mexican Cuisine.

Al Pastor - 2.5/6

• Marinated pork loin, slow-roasted with spices, chiles and pineapple $2.00 each, with cheese $2.50
• The pork loin was marinated in a tomato base with a mild heat and this one actually had some flavour without requiring salsa.
• It was braised with the pineapple and I actually like it when they also top it of with fresh pineapple like they do at La Taqueria, however that method isn’t really authentic. I just like that extra pop of flavour when it’s fresh.
• I liked that it was pieces of pork rather than the crumbled pork they have at La Taqueria though.
• I couldn’t taste any pineapple in this one and the pineapple flavour had disappeared from even the pineapple pieces.
• The pork was lean, so it was naturally drier, but it was quite dry regardless if it wasn’t for the marinade.

**Carne Enchilada - 3.5/6

• Shredded pork loin bathed in a chile sauce $2.00 each, with cheese $2.50
• This one had more flavour than the Al Pastor and it had a meatier bite.
• The meat was quite lean, so naturally a bit drier, but it was also just a bit dry too.
• It was marinated in a slightly spicier chile sauce so this one had flavour without the salsa as well.
• I wanted some more seasoning and spices and I just missed juiciness. It was already the second most flavourful though.

**Longanitza (Cured pork sausage) – 5/6

• Cured pork ground sausage with chili and spices $2.00 each, with cheese $2.50
• This was easily my favourite taco of the night!
• It had the most flavour and it was so obvious compared to everything else.
• It was like bland, bland, bland, FLAVOUR! I could have eaten this meat by itself.
• The meat had a good amount of fat (being cured pork sausage) and it was moist, and juicy and well seasoned.
• I don’t know if everything else just seemed ‘meh’ that I was so impressed by this, but I would order this again.
• The meat was already salty being cured, and it was also well marinated with spicy chilies and spices throughout.
• I would have rather had 6 of these than one of everything.

Pollo (with Mole sauce) – 1.5/6 for the chicken, 4.5/6 for the sauce

• Chicken poached with Mexican herbs & shredded $2.00 each, with cheese $2.50
• Doña Cata’s family recipe for mole rojo boast over 25 ingredients including Mexican chocolate & five different dry chiles.
• This was a special request because it’s not offered as a taco, but I wanted to try the mole sauce. They had no problems with the request.
• This chicken was all white meat and it was the driest of them all. It wasn’t only because it’s white meat chicken, but it was just overcooked and hard to chew and swallow.
• The chicken was very bland as you can see too.
• The mole sauce on the other hand was fantastic! It had so much flavour and it required no salsas.
• The sauce wasn’t as sweet and chocolatey as the mole sauce at La Taqueria. This one was more sophisticated, dark and smoky rather than sweet.
• The mole was very thick and creamy and very well textured with ground nuts (?) and seeds used to make it.
• It wasn’t really spicy, but bold and robust with flavour and I loved the grainy paste like texture it had which made that fresh home made quality really stand out.
• From what I’ve tried, it was the second best mole I’ve tried next to the Pollo En Mole from El Barrio.
• One thing is that I do wish the chicken was cooked into the mole sauce before serving and not just poured on top like it was.

Beans – 2.5/6

• $2.00 each, with cheese $2.50
• Originally I had asked for the Bistek (chopped steak) taco and they ran out of it and gave me this without telling me. I don’t mind, but a heads up would be nice.
• The beans were creamy and savoury, but it wasn’t anything different than what you’ve likely had before. It was refried beans.
• I ended up eating it with a side order of cactus.

Nopales (Cactus) – 2.5/6

• Tender cactus paddles $4
• This was a side order. I’ve had it once before, but it is texturally somewhat acquired. For what it is, it could be excellent here, but for me personally, it’s not something I’d order again.
• It’s a bit slimy, slightly crunchy, but tender and it’s a cross between a pickled poblano pepper and stewed okra. I like both, but this one was a bit sour for me.
• It’s quite sour rather than sweet and smoky, but it didn’t really do anything for me.
• It’s great for vegetarians and vegans.

Restaurant: Riviera Maya Mexican Cuisine
Cuisine: Mexican/Tacos
Last visited: September 1, 2011
Location: Bogota, NJ (Teaneck)
Address: 252 E Fort Lee Rd
Price Range: $10 or less

1: Poor 2: OK 3: Good 4: Very good 5: Excellent 6: Tres Excellent!!

Food: 4.5 – 5 (based on couple items I tried)
Service: 5
Ambiance: 1.5
Overall: 4
Additional comments:

• Opened summer 2011
• Mexican family owned and operated
• Authentic Mexican
• Homestyle/Home made food
• Lots of variety
• Hole in the wall
• Very casual
• Popular to Mexican locals
• Couple chairs/counter seating
• More for take-out/delivery
• Pay at cashier
• Mini Mexican foods store
• Budget friendly/cheap eats
• Eat in/Take-out/Delivery
• Free delivery minimum $15
• Mon-Sun 10am-10pm

**Recommendations: Carnitas Tacos, Chile En Nogada

I know, I know. What the heck? New Jersey? How random! Yes it was, but I am so glad I tried this place. If you’re in New York it’s not necessary to make the 30 minute trip out here just to try it (unless you’re a hardcore foodie), but it has opened my eyes and taste buds to another level of what “authentic Mexican food” really is.

It’s a little hole in the wall in a densely Mexican populated area of Teaneck, which is a very small town. It’s family owned and operated (sons helping out and all) and it’s not really a dine in restaurant as much as it is for take out and delivery. There’s only a few chairs and a tiny counter if you want to eat inside, and I have confidence that it’s a solid dive despite only being able to try a couple things.

I must say that it just topped the stereotype off by operating as a mini Mexican specialty store. It kind of brought me back to memories of hole in the wall Mochikas Peruvian Cafe in Vancouver, BC, which is also a restaurant/mini Latin food store located in a car wash!

Anyways, regarding the food, if this is what an authentic Mexican taco is, then I haven’t had one until this day. Oh my. It was so different than anything I’ve had before and it just had authentic written all over it. Nothing was dumbed down and it was just one of those places you know is legit.

I recently blogged about TacoFino Cantina Taco Truck (Baja style tacos) and La Taqueria (authentic Mexican tacos) in Vancouver, and this was just in a whole new category. Any place I ever considered authentic suddenly didn’t seem authentic at all. I use that word lightly, but I do think it’s fair to say there are different levels of authenticity. However, just because it was more authentic it doesn’t necessarily mean I enjoyed it more, although I certainly appreciated it!

I feel really strongly about this restaurant and I feel even more deprived of real Mexican food than I did before. Being in Vancouver, we don’t get much of it, and this just showed me what exactly I was missing out on!

On the table:

**Carnitas Tacos – 4.5/6

• $7.95
• I repeat, “if this is what an authentic Mexican taco is, then I haven’t had one until this day”. I mean it!
• Even the way they served it was different! It came with 2 home made salsas, raw radishes, and 2 deep fried chives, which were freaking delicious!
• The chives were very oily as expected, but soft and sweet rather than crispy and I’ve never had tacos served with them before.
• It came with 3 tacos and each had the double corn tortilla shell, as they should, but they were a bit larger than the traditional ones we’d get at places like La Taqueria or Doña Cata Mexican Food in Vancouver.

• Each taco was generously filled with lots of carnitas (slow roasted and shredded fried pork).
• I saw the cook fry the carnitas meat which was soaking in oil, but it was probably one of the most tender carnitas I’ve had.
• It was huge chunks of juicy and tender pork and almost equal amount of fat.
• I’ve never seen a taco served with so much fat, but I have a feeling this is how it’s authentically served in Mexico. They certainly didn’t bother “dumbing it down” for North American palates.
• It was super blubbery, but it was so well roasted and braised that the fat was 100% creamy and tender and not chewy at all. It literally melted in my mouth, although I admit I didn’t eat all of it. It was just way too rich and greasy for me.
• This was almost 100% pork’s belly rather than pork shoulder or pork butt. It was oozing out pork oils and juices, not just grease, and it had a ton of flavour.
• It had some cilantro, onions and tomatoes, but I wanted some pickled red onions or something to cut the immense amount of fat.
• Although it was authentic, my Westernized taste buds did prefer less fat.
• I give it an “A” for authenticity, but an “F” for my arteries.
• It was almost like how they serve duck in Asia… SUPER fatty over there, but in North America it’s less fat, and that’s how the majority of people prefer it here.

**Chile En Nogada - 5/6

• Chilies in walnut sauce $15
• This was the special of the day and chances of finding it in Vancouver are slim, but they do exist throughout certain States and of course in Mexico.
• It’s a traditional Mexican dish that’s popular for Mexican Independence Day as it resembles the Mexican flag. The green part is the pepper, the red is the pomegranate seeds, and the white is the walnut cream sauce.
• It was a gigantic poblano peppers stuffed with shredded meat and topped with walnut cream sauce and pomegranate seeds.
• It was a very substantial, oily and rich dish, but I loved it.
• This was considered quite a gourmet version too and it was very impressive coming from a place like this.
• This wasn’t even that authentic, and it came with a bit of a twist because the sauce was made with cheese which is not traditional.
• It was served with black beans, Mexican rice, fresh guacamole and shredded iceberg lettuce, which was the salad.

• Originally it came with shredded or ground beef, but I requested carnitas just because it was so delicious in the tacos. It’s popular to be served with pork too.
• The pork for this dish should usually have cinnamon, nutmeg and cumin seasonings, but because the pork was from the carnitas, it didn’t.
• The giant pepper was roasted until it was blistering, charred and caramelized with smoky and sweet flavours. It’s not a spicy pepper.
• The pepper was then deep fried and stuffed with a very generous amount of canitas.
• The carnitas was just as soft, tender, juicy and melt in your mouth delicious as it was in the tacos.
• It was a tender smoky pepper with savoury and juicy roasted fried pork and onions.
• It was covered in a sweet walnut sauce that was made with some combination of evaporated milk, cream, port, and four kinds of cheese.
• The walnut cream sauce was made with some blue cheese, goat cheese, Mexican Cotija cheese, and another type of cheese I couldn’t pin point.
• It was a salty and sweet sauce but the cheese was very subtle, so it was more sweet than cheesy, and again the addition of cheese is a modern twist.
• It wasn’t as nutty as I wanted it and I couldn’t tell there were blended walnuts in the sauce at all. I’m quite sure the sauce can get better.
• I was hoping for it to be topped with some actual walnuts and almonds as well. Traditionally there are some almonds used in this dish.
• Eating the pork with the pomegranate seeds was almost like having turkey with cranberries.
• The whole thing was quite greasy and creamy, but the flavours worked well together, especially if you like sweet and savoury combinations.

Mexican Drinks

• The owners were really sweet and they gave me samples of their Mexican drinks.
• Hibiscus Tea – This was more like a hibiscus juice and it was served cold. It wasn’t particularly different than other ones I’ve tried before, but it’s still good. It’s not as sweet as it looks since it is tea based.
• Agua Fresca De Tamarindo (Fresh Tamarind) Drink – This drink is also served cold and it’s made from fresh tamarind pods. It’s a sour drink and it kind of reminded me of sour plums. That’s the flavour of tamarind anyways. I think it was sweetened with a little bit of honey too. It was nice and refreshing and went well with all the greasy food I was having.

Pistachio Popsicle – 3.5/6

• They had a couple home made flans, but I decided to purchase something from their “supermarket”.
• I love pistachio so I went for a classic brand of a Mexican style popsicle.
• It’s more like an ice milk bar and it reminded me of Indian Kulfi ice cream.
• It’s dense and quite thick and there’s isn’t a whole lot of real pistachio, but I did get some pistachio nuts in it. It was pretty good for $1!

Restaurant: TacoFino Cantina (Food Truck/Cart)
Cuisine: Californian/Mexican/Tacos/West Coast/Fusion
Last visited: September 29, 2011
Location: Vancouver, BC (Downtown)
Address: Howe Street and Robson Street
Price Range: $10 or less

1: Poor 2: OK 3: Good 4: Very good 5: Excellent 6: Tres Excellent!!

Food: 4.5
Service: 3
Ambiance: n/a
Overall: 4.5
Additional comments:

• 2 food trucks
• Californian-Mexican (Baja) style tacos
• West coast influence
• Busy/line ups at lunch
• Fresh ingredients
• Made from scratch
• Healthy options
• Seafood/meat/veggie
• Budget friendly/cheap eats
• Biodegradable dishes
• Catering available
• Mon-Fri 11am-3pm
• Weekend times vary

**Recommendations: Fish Tacos, Pork Gringa, Tuna Ta-Taco, Chocolate Diablo Cookie

It only opened early summer this year and it already has its second truck located on Burrard and Dunsmiur! It may be new to the Vancouver food scene, but it’s not actually new. TacoFino Cantina started two years ago in Tofino and now it has made its way into the heart of downtown, and I welcome it with a thumbs up!

I first noticed it when I was having lunch at Gallery Cafe at the Vancouver Art Gallery. The crowd of people and long line had me convinced that I was missing out. Yes, I am easily convinced of needing to try something, more so than I am easily convinced of it being good. Regardless I had to try it.
First off, these are not authentic Mexican tacos. Comparing them to authentic Mexican ones like the ones from La Taqueria, Doña Cata or Don Guacamole’s would be like comparing apples to oranges. It’s not even close.

TacoFino tacos are Baja-style tacos or Californian-Mexican style tacos, so you have to appreciate them as that. Texas has Tex-Mex and California has Baja and what do we have in Vancouver? Well not much, until now! Baja-style tacos are extremely popular in Southern California, especially in San Diego, but this is the only place that’s really offering them at the moment. I guess Chronic Tacos does as well, but I’d much rather have these!

What I like is that TacoFino not only incorporates the Californian flavours into their tacos, but they also put a little Vancouver flavour into them by incorporating some Japanese and Asian twists. Yes, I consider Asian ingredients very much a part of Vancouver flavour.

Anyways for a food truck, these tacos are impressive and it exceeded my expectations. Sure things could get better if they were operating at a restaurant level, but they’re not, and they’re doing just fine. Everything was obviously fresh, homemade, simple and yet a bit gourmet for a food truck, but perhaps not for a restaurant. The prices are reasonable and since it’s located right by the Vancouver Art Gallery, there’s plenty of seating… as long as you don’t mind concrete steps… just watch for hemorrhoids in the winter (you’ll get that joke more if you’re Asian). Other than that, get here early (the Diablo cookies can run out) and enjoy!

On the table:

**Fish Tacos – 4.5/6

• Tempura battered ling cod with chipotle mayo, shredded cabbage and salsa fresca on a fire toasted flour tortilla $4.50
• A San Diego staple! One taco is a snack, 2 is lunch, 3 is for bigger appetites at lunch.
• I really enjoyed these and it was generously filled with fish.
• It was crispy fish, crunchy cabbage, juicy tomatoes in a warm tortilla shell.
• It was big pieces of lightly battered and fried fish that was moist, flaky and well seasoned with salt. There weren’t any other apparent seasonings I could taste.
• The batter was almost puffy, but not floury or doughy.
• It was very crispy and light, and I loved that the fish chunks were substantial enough to actually taste under all the other ingredients.
• I found the chipotle mayo quite mild and thinned out from perhaps yogurt, but it did have a bit of a kick, tang and spice.
• It was quite saucy and it got a bit watery especially with the fresh tomato salsa fresca, but overall it was well enjoyed.
• I missed the guacamole and I didn’t notice I could order it for an extra $2, but I think it should be included. I’d take half the salsa for some guacamole.
• There was nothing particularly special about this, but it was simple, made with fresh ingredients and well done at a fair price.
• I liked them better than the Cactus Club ones which used to be very good, until other fish tacos started popping up and made them okay.

**Tuna Ta-Taco – 4/6

• Lightly seared sesame-soy albacore tuna with wasabi-ginger mayo, shredded cabbage, mango salsa and seaweed salad on a fire toasted flour tortilla $6.50
• One taco is a snack, 2 is lunch, 3 is for bigger appetites at lunch.
• For a Japanese inspired taco, I actually liked it better than the Fish Taco at Hapa Umi – see Albacore Tuna. On the other hand I still prefer the Ahi Tuna Tacos from Joey’s, but they’re completely different styles.
• This could have been so much more, but for $6.50 at a food truck it delivered more than okay, especially for a non-Asian place.
• This was quite watery, but at least the tortilla never got soggy, but it was a drippy taco.
• It was a refreshing, light and tangy taco and it was very West Coast, and even more summery than the fish taco.
• I could see the ahi tuna and bite into the soft texture, but I couldn’t really taste it and it did get lost.
• The ahi tuna would have been great crusted in sesame seeds so I could detect when I was eating it.
• It just needed to be seared at a hotter temperature and marinated for longer in the sesame-soy so that its flavour would stand out under everything else.
• I loved the mango salsa giving it a sweet aspect and some added red peppers would have been great in the salsa. There could have been some, but I couldn’t taste them.
• The fresh seaweed was very unexpected because I thought it was going to be dried shredded seaweed.
• I like fresh seaweed, but it does have a crunchy, slimy and fishy flavour reminiscent of the salty briney sea, so just be prepared if you’ve never had it. It was also marinated in a bit of sesame oil and seeds for aromatic and nutty flavour.
• I also wanted much more wasabi-ginger mayo. I almost wanted to bring this over to the Japadog food cart just to use their self-serve wasabi mayo! I was desperately craving that in this.
• It was well stuffed, but I wanted a little more mango, wasabi and stronger presence of ahi tuna, and I would have loved this!
• It might have helped if the crunchy cabbage was marinated in a sesame-soy ponzu sauce, miso mayo, or even coconut milk as well.

**Pork Gringa – 5/6

• Spicy braised pork in a grilled 6” flour tortilla with melted cheese, sour cream and mango salsa $4.50
• One is a snack, 2 is lunch, 3 is for bigger appetites at lunch.
• This one was my favourite and partially because I just love pulled pork.
• This was almost like a Pacific Northwest inspired pulled pork quesadilla.
• It was simple, but fresh and well seasoned and executed again.
• I found the fish taco more worth it since this was pretty small and wimpy looking, but the flavour sure delivered and I loved it!

• I loved the warm crispy tortilla shell and the inside was filled with spicy pulled pork, a good amount of melted cheese, sweet mangoes, juicy tomatoes and tangy sour cream. Cheese, sour cream and pork? Sign me up!
• This was incredibly juicy and saucy and the pork wasn’t too lean and had a good amount of fat to keep it moist and juicy.
• The pork was really well flavoured and I just wanted more of it.
• Every single meat strand had absorbed the chili based marinade, so it wasn’t your typical Mexican or Southern style pulled pork. It was almost Asian.
• I’m pretty sure the pork was marinated or braised in Sriracha sauce and I loved that tangy and spicy heat it gives.
• It was the spiciest item of the 3, but not hot, just mild-medium spicy. I like spicy and I found this just right and I could taste all the other flavours still.
• It would be great marinated in Gochujang sauce if they’re going to go for the Asian fusion root too though.
• I loved the added sour cream, which really came through and balanced out the spiciness.
• The mango wasn’t that obvious, and it was a nice switch up from pineapple, but I could use a bit more.
• Pork goes well with lots of fruit, especially apples, peaches, and pineapples (al pastor). I’ve even had it with strawberries – see Strawberry-cinnamon glazed baby back pork ribs.

**Chocolate Diablo Cookie – 6/6

• Fudgy chocolate cookie with fresh ginger and chili, milk chocolate chunks and salty sprinkles $2.50
• This cookie has a strong following and I can see why!
• I didn’t need the positive comments to convince me to order it since the description sounded delicious enough already.
• I love salty and sweet and I love chocolate and ginger and chocolate and chili, so I saw everything right in this cookie.
• It’s a super soft and tender jumbo cookie and I almost broke it just picking it up.
• It was so soft and delicate, yet substantial.

• It was also nice and chewy and very moist like a fudge brownie meets a chocolate crackle cookie. It’s not cakey.
• The cookies aren’t oily and greasy and I thought they would be. There’s no grease stains on the paper bag it’s in.
• I could taste the chocolate and then a bit of ginger, and the chili doesn’t kick in until the very end and then it gradually builds with lingering heat.
• The ginger and chili are quite mild, but I could taste both of them, although at times I forgot the ginger was in there.
• I could have used more salt and it was sprinkled with sugar crystals and a little bit of coarse sea salt.
• The salt brought out the flavours of the spices and even the chocolate, but I o chili nly got it in selective bites.
• The cookie actually wasn’t that sweet and the ginger made the chocolate taste even more bittersweet.
• The sweet parts were when I got to the milk chocolate chunks which I found were very sweet, but nice and soft.
• Another great chocolate chill dessert is the Chili Chocolate with Lime Coconut Icing Cupcake from Be ‘wiched or the Chocolate Chili Torte from Charm Modern Thai.

Restaurant: La Taqueria Taco Shop
Cuisine: Mexican/Tacos/Organic
Last visited: September 28, 2011
Location: Vancouver, BC (Fairview)
Address: 2549 Cambie Street
Price Range: $10 or less

1: Poor 2: OK 3: Good 4: Very good 5: Excellent 6: Tres Excellent!!

Food: 3.5 (4 if you use the salsas)
Service: 4
Ambiance: 3.5
Overall: 4
Additional comments:

• Since 2011
• Mexican owned
• Specializes in ‘authentic’ Mexican tacos
• Very popular to locals
• Home made fillings & salsas
• Organic/local ingredients
• Natural free range meats/sustainable fish
• Quick/casual
• Long lines/busy during peak hours
• Budget friendly/cheap eats
• Vegetarian/Vegan friendly
• Free water, couple Mexican drinks
• Daily/weekly specials
• Eat in/Take-out/Catering
• Mon-Sat 11am-7pm (Sometimes until 10pm, but depends)

**Recommendations: De Lengua (Beef Tongue), De Cachette (beef cheeks), Rajas Con Crema (poblano peppers and creamed corn) and Horchata. All the tacos are much better with their home made salsas. Use them!

This is such a trippy photo! It was like seeing the La Taqueria logo come to life. The beaming rays of light was reminiscent of the painted Mary mural found on the outside of both La Taqueria locations – see the other Mary mural here. I was already planning on coming here, but had I been just walking by, I still wouldn’t be able to ignore the holy like sign telling me to go inside.This is the new location for La Taqueria that just opened this year. The original location is in Gastown, downtown Vancouver, and that one is much smaller. Peak hours are busy at both locations, but the line up moves quickly so I’d still consider it a quick and casual lunch.

When it comes to authentic or traditional Mexican food, Vancouver has it rough. It doesn’t have the Latin or Spanish population and there just aren’t as many options for it, let alone good options for it. I would say La Taqueria is good in the context of Vancouver, but outside of Vancouver, it would face some serious competition. I’m not even referring to Mexico, but just the States in general (even as close as Seattle) the Mexican food scene is more impressive. I think the taco scene in Vancouver is developing and improving, but La Taqueria is still the most popular and well known choice for relatively authentic tacos, although not necessarily the best or even most authentic.

The meats are prepared and cooked in house, but I found them somewhat plain and bland compared to the real deal. Everything is fresh, but it just seemed a bit mass produced, although I respect the fact that the meats are free-range and sustainable. I found the corn tortillas a bit dry and dense, but they did serve them with two, which is traditional (just a heads up for those who don’t know).

I quickly learned that all their tacos require salsas (sauces) and I kind of wish that wasn’t the case. Yes in Mexico they use salsas on their tacos too, but I don’t think the taco should be reliant on the salsa to give it flavour. It was recommended to use them, but I still wanted well marinated meats and built in flavour. On the other hand, they are very well made salsas, and they took the tacos from being okay to very good, and I’d buy the chipotle salsa if they sold it.

It’s interesting because I just re-read my La Taqueria Gastown post from almost exactly a year ago, and my opinions are basically the same and nothing has changed. I guess that means they’re consistent, but if there’s room for improvement, then I don’t see why it should remain consistent. I guess it has its loyal clientele, but personally I could use an upgrade for some of their recipes.

Just for quick and easy reference, here’s a Taco chart.

Comparing Mexican Tacos in Vancouver

Doña Cata, La Taqueria & Don Guacamole’s

Note: There are certainly more taco options than this in Metro Vancouver, I just took the three most popular restaurants for authentic Mexican tacos. These places aren’t necessarily the best, but it gives an idea, and my taco hunt is not finished.

On the table:

**Horchata – 4/6

• $3
• It’s a traditional Mexican drink made from a combination of boiled rice, almonds, sesame seeds, cinnamon and sugar. I love it.
• It’s milky, but not creamy and it is dairy free. It almost tasted like a more aromatic almond milk.
• This wasn’t as rich, thick or complex in flavours as some horchatas I’ve had, and it wasn’t as sweet either which I like.
• It does have a cinnamon accent, but it’s faint and not that obvious. If you’re sensitive to cinnamon you might not like this, but I found it quite mild.
• This was a bit more watered down, but the flavour wasn’t watery, and it made it easier to drink so I enjoyed it even more.
• Sometimes there’s cocoa in it too – see the Horchata from El Caracol Mexican Cafe.

**De Lengua Taco (Beef Tongue) – 4/6

• Braised beef tongue Meat Tacos: $2.50 each / 4 for $9.50 Veggie Tacos $2 each / 4 for $7
• I remembered the beef tongue being my favourite taco from last time, so I had to try it again.
• Unfortunately it wasn’t as good as I had remembered and I just didn’t find the tongue as tender and soft, but it was still tender.
• Don’t be freaked out by tongue if you’ve never had it, it doesn’t have any bumpy taste buds and it just tastes like very soft beef. There’s no game flavour or “exotic” aftertaste. It used to gross me out as a kid too, but just don’t think of it as tongue.
• The tongue itself just needed more of a marinade and it was a bit bland alone.
• It came with raw onions, cilantro and a mild citrusy salsa verde which had a nice acidity from tomatoes and tang from lime juice.
• I recommend using their house made salsa despite having a sauce on it already.

**De Cachette Taco (Beef Cheeks) – 4.5/6

• Braised beef cheeks Meat Tacos: $2.50 each / 4 for $9.50 Veggie Tacos $2 each / 4 for $7
• I love beef cheeks. If made well it’s extremely tender and almost like braised beef short ribs or beef brisket.
• This one carried more of a beef flavour than the beef tongue and it was very creamy, fatty (as it usually is), and quite tender.
• I did find it a bit oily and it could have used more seasonings and spices because it just seemed like it was braised in its own juices and that’s it.
• This was much better with the chipotle salsa.

Beef Fajita Taco – 3.5/6

• Grilled Canadian beef with onions & peppers Meat Tacos: $2.50 each / 4 for $9.50 Veggie Tacos $2 each / 4 for $7
• It was my first time trying this one.
• The beef was soft and tender and marinated in lime juice, but it wasn’t smoky or juicy.
• I was kind of hoping for medium rare beef, but it was just cooked all the way.
• It almost seemed sauteed rather than grilled and I was hoping for grill marks and smoky flavours.
• The cheese didn’t melt and there were some sweet peppers too, but overall it wasn’t a stand out although enjoyable.
• Again, I recommend using their salsas for this.

Al Pastor Taco – 3/6

• Pork marinated in achiote chili & pineapple Meat Tacos: $2.50 each / 4 for $9.50 Veggie Tacos $2 each / 4 for $7
• This had the smokiest flavour and it was apparent from the very first bite.
• It was very smoky and the pork was marinated in some spices and a tomato based sauce, but it was barely spicy.
• The pork was crumbly, but not as dry as last time so I did like it better.
• It had some diced fresh sweet pineapple on top, but I wish it was made into a salsa or even grilled for more flavour.
• It was sweet and tart, and I love the idea (which I’ve had in Mexican places before), but it still lacked a bit of flavour and needed help from salsas.

Carnitas Taco – 3.5/6

• Pork confit with picked red onions Meat Tacos: $2.50 each / 4 for $9.50 Veggie Tacos $2 each / 4 for $7
• Carnitas is my favourite kind of taco so I have higher expectations for it.
• This just wasn’t as flavourful as the beef tacos.
• The meat is cooked and fried in fat and grease so it tends to be quite greasy. It shouldn’t taste only of grease though and this one kind of did.
• I was hoping for more of that pork flavour to come through, although it was very tender and moist.
• It had some pickled and raw onions on top to cut the grease, but the meat itself just couldn’t compare to some carnitas out there.
• In Vancouver I would strongly suggest trying the Tostada Carnitas from El Barrio – see here. It’s a different menu item completely, buy excellent if you like carnitas.

Pollo Con Mole Taco (Chicken) - 3/6

• Maple Hills chicken with chocolate mole sauce (contains nuts) Meat Tacos: $2.50 each / 4 for $9.50 Veggie Tacos $2 each / 4 for $7
• I used to enjoy this one much more until I tried the Pollo En Mole from El Barrio.
• This one was just very sweet and chocolatey and I prefer a darker, nuttier chocolate as opposed to this sweeter one. Although it was a bit savoury, smoky, and nutty, it can get better.
• I do expect it to be sweet, but this one just didn’t seem as well rounded and dynamic in flavour as other mole sauces. It was a bit dessert like and sweeter than most mole sauces.
• It seemed like melted chocolate sauce instead of ground nuts, seeds and cocoa powder.
• The chicken was very tender, creamy and moist and the meat was well coated.
• In terms of flavour, it certainly had flavour, and I wasn’t expecting gourmet, but I was hoping for a more sophistication mole.

Pescado Taco (Fish) – 2/6

• Grilled seasonal fish with Pico de Gallo Meat Tacos: $2.50 each / 4 for $9.50 Veggie Tacos $2 each / 4 for $7
• It was my first time trying this one. I almost thought this was ceviche (raw) rather than grilled.
• It was a firm flaky white fish, but it was a bit dry and bland alone and I wouldn’t have guessed it was grilled. I just found it a bit plain.
• There was some creamy mayo and a fresh tomato salsa and perhaps some pickled cabbage and fennel on top, but it still lacked flavour.
• I was hoping the fish would be more seasoned and again this one needed a lot of salsa.

**Rajas Con Crema Tacos (Poblano Peppers & Corn) – 5/6

• Roasted poblano peppers with creamed corn, sour cream & Mexican cheese (Veggie) Meat Tacos: $2.50 each / 4 for $9.50 Veggie Tacos $2 each / 4 for $7
• This was actually my favourite and as good as I remembered it. It had more flavour than some of the meat tacos.
• It’s filled with lots of sweet corn and it was crunchy. It was a home made creamed corn, but the kernels were whole and popped with each bite.
• I don’t know if it’s fresh corn though because it’s offered year round and corn goes out of season. Regardless, it’s still good and I actually like canned corn, but I’m not as keen on frozen. In this case, either was good and I didn’t care.
• The poblano peppers are sweet, smoky, creamy and stringy, but not spicy and slightly bitter, but in a good way.
• There’s great texture and the addition of refreshing and tangy sour cream just topped it off.
• This one was great with salsa, but still very enjoyable as is and I like when tacos are good either way.

Restaurant: Pambiche
Cuisine: Cuban/Latin American/Caribbean/Tapas/Desserts
Last visited: August 18, 2011
Location: Portland, Oregon (Kerns)
Address: 2811 NE Glisan Street
Price Range: $10-20

1: Poor 2: OK 3: Good 4: Very good 5: Excellent 6: Tres Excellent!!

Food: 4
Service: 3.5
Ambiance: 3.5
Overall: 5
Additional comments:

• Cuban owned/operated
• Local & tourist favourite
• Award winning
• Extensive menu
• Local/sustainable ingredients
• Family friendly
• Casual/lively
• Good for sharing
• Affordable
• Patio seating
• Breakfast Sat-Sun 8am-2pm
• Lunch Weekdays 11am-5pm, Sat-Sun 2pm-5pm
• Daily Dinner 5pm – close
• Sun-Thur until 10pm, Fri & Sat until midnight
• Happy Hour Weekdays 2pm-6pm, Fri & Sat 10pm-midnight

**Recommendations: The Happy Hour, Papa Rellena Croquetas, Masitas, Sandwich Cubano, Vaca Frita, Island Carrot Cake, Lime in the Coconut

Where to eat? Where to eat? Where to eat? I’m hungry! Hungry and crushed that my plan A to visit Pine State Biscuits for a late lunch was an epic fail. Well it closed at 2pm, but I eventually made my way there the next morning – see here. So what was plan B? Pambiche!

So why Pambiche? Well being from Vancouver, BC I wanted to try something new and different that isn’t as available up North. Cuban food or any Latin American cuisine for that matter is limited at home, so that’s why I wanted to check it out. It’s also a popular choice for locals, and the numerous awards it has won just made me that much more curious.

I know this isn’t Cuba, the Caribbean, Spain, Africa or anywhere close to South America or the Islands, so I’m not going to talk about “authenticity” too much. That, and I’m also not Latin, so I only know what I know and can only compare with what I’ve tried. However, Cuban cuisine is a fusion of all those cuisines from the places I listed, so what is “authentic” is debatable, and therefore I’ll mostly go by what I liked and what tasted good.

The owners, chefs and cooks are all Cuban, or of Latin decent, and they claim the food is authentic. Many of the recipes are ancient recipes from the chef/owner’s grandma and mother, and the ingredients used are all fresh, local and sustainable.

It was around 2:30pm and Happy Hour was in full force! Yes! My favourite! Tapas style dining and at very affordable prices… bonus! Keep the small plates coming and you bet I’ll order almost the whole menu. I strongly recommend coming for happy hour or lunch because it’s great value, but the dinner can get quite pricey at $17-20 for mains. Although dinner does offer bigger portions, it was essentially the same thing and I wouldn’t find it as worth it.

If you care about the touchy subject of “authenticity” though, I will say that even I could tell it was a bit more Cuban American in style than traditional. It’s not a bastardization of the cuisine, but the flavours were a bit muted at times and seemed catered to North American palates.

Beside the decor, there was just something a bit “Mickey Mouse” about the whole thing. I’m sure some dishes are true to the culture, but perhaps just not everything. I couldn’t help but to think “I bet you make this better at home”. It was an enjoyable experience though and nothing was disappointing, but perhaps just not as good as I was expecting at times.

The food was generally good, all house made with quality ingredients and the atmosphere is fun. It’s just not somewhere I’d put on my “must try” list for Portland if you’re visiting for a short time. I’d put it on a list, but just not as priority, however if you have time, it’s nice to check out.

On the table:Mango Milkshake (Batidos) - 4/6

• $3.75 (Happy Hour $3.25)
• It was very thick and creamy and quite sweet and milky, but there’s no ice cream in it.
• I question if the mango was fresh mango though.
• It wasn’t pulpy or fibrous or very strong with mango flavour, but I could taste it for sure.
• It was more like a mango smoothie and not as rich as a traditional mango milkshake, and it was my favourite of the 3 drinks.
• My favourite mango shake is the Mango Moo Shake from Phnom Penh.

Naran Mango Batido – 3/6

• Orange and mango shake (Dairy free) $3.75 (Happy Hour $3.25)
• I actually ordered the Mango Pineapple shake, but there was a mix up and I got this instead.
• This was icy since there was no dairy, but it was still very thick and more tangy with orange flavour than sweet with mango.
• It wasn’t pulpy, but stronger with orange juice and again I question if the mango was fresh or just a mix.

Mango Pina – 3.5/6

• Mango and fresh pineapple shake (Dairy free) $3.75 (Happy Hour $3.25)
• This is what I had originally ordered.
• It was thick, but not creamy since there was no dairy, and I think it could have been fresh pineapple, but I question the mango again.
• It was an icy drink and it didn’t make my throat scratchy. The acid in pineapples and fiber in mangoes can do that sometimes if you know what I mean (it’s not an allergy).

**Papa Rellena (Beef) Croquetas – 4.5/6

• 4 crispy golden brown Cuban croquetas stuffed with mashed potatoes and ground Cuban beef served with ensalada $4 (Happy hour)
• I love croquetas and I’m picky about them too because I was spoiled with home made ones in Spain. I make them at home as well.
• I’m used to the ham or chicken version, but the beef was recommended so I went for it.

• These were great! It was crispy and very lightly battered and fried with a saucy filling of beef and the creaminess of mashed potatoes.
• It had more beef filling than potato and the ground beef was almost like crumbled meatballs with beans and bell peppers coated in gravy.
• The beans were a bit nontraditional, but it tasted good and made it seem like a cream based chili, but it had no spice.
• I think these ones usually have a cheese aspect to them, unless that’s American, but regardless they were delicious!

Pollo (Chicken) Croquetas - 4/6

• 4 crispy golden brown croquetas stuffed with Creole chicken seasoned with Spanish chorizo sausage $4 (Happy hour)
• The chicken croquetas were very good, but they didn’t have as much flavour as the beef ones.
• It was very lightly battered and fried with a crispy exterior and then a very creamy and saucy filling of shredded chicken and bechemel sauce.
• I couldn’t taste much chorizo, but it was still savoury and well seasoned.
• These were very soft and moist it melted in my mouth, but at times there were some chewy chicken bits.
• It was likely chicken tendons, and since they probably use the chicken scraps to make them I was bound to hit a couple, but most of it didn’t have any.

Tostones – 3/6

• Fried green plantains, the French fries of the Caribbean $3.50 (Happy hour)
• They were made quite authentically, but I’ve just never been a fan of tostones.
• They’re fried plantains, pounded into a flat disk, and fried again.
• They were crunchy and well seasoned with salt, but a bit dry at times. They naturally are a bit dry and starchy though since they are fried plantains.
• If you want them in Vancouver, El Barrio does a great job with them – see here.

Yuca Con Mojo – 3.5/6

• Fried cassava root served with Creole garlic mojo $4 (Happy hour)
• This is a very typical and traditional item to order, but I’ve never really cared for this item either.
• They’re firmer, starchier, thicker, and more fiberous yams or potatoes.
• Some sticks were dry and some were moist and they were crispy, but a bit bland and could have been more seasoned.
• What made this special was the creole garlic mojo dipping sauce. This is my first time trying that sauce and it’s amazing!
• It was almost like a tangy vinaigrette, but it’s thin and almost watery, but it’s packed with flavour.
• Mojo sauce is a cooked sauce made with pureed garlic, onions, cumin, salt and lime or orange and it was like a bright roasted garlic vinaigrette.
• It’s garlicky, but the sour lime and zesty sweet orange cut through that garlic flavour so it’s not overpowering and it’s not spicy. I was addicted to it!

Frijoles Colorados – 3.5/6

• Cuban red beans and pork served with arroz blanco (white rice) $3 (Happy hour)
• The beans were a bit soft and they were missing that bite, but they did have flavour and it was a good deal.
• It was smoky and stew like, and chunky but not hearty and more like a soup.
• There wasn’t much pork, but lots of stewed tomatoes and onions, but it was missing spice, and there’s normally spice to this side dish.

**Masitas – 6/6

• Creole fried pork served with garlic mojo $5 (Happy hour)
• Anything served with a mojo is good!… Okay that sounded really bad, but in this case it’s true!
• This is a must try! It was perhaps my favourite tapas and the portion was generous for the price. I’d come back for this alone!
• It was lightly battered and fried cubes of ultra tender and moist pork shoulder or pork butt. It was crispy, yet soft inside and not chewy at all.
• It really reminded me of Chinese roasted pork in flavour. I’m sure there was some soy sauce in the marinade or 5 spice action going on.
• The pork pieces were excellent and well seasoned as is, but what made the dish even better was the garlic mojo sauce that it sat on.
• It’s a traditional Cuban condiment and it’s watery, but has so much flavour.
• As I mentioned above, Mojo sauce is a cooked sauce made with pureed garlic, onions, cumin, salt and lime or orange and it was like a bright roasted garlic vinaigrette.
• It’s garlicky, but the sour lime and zesty sweet orange cut through that garlic flavour so it’s not overpowering and it’s not spicy. I was dipping everything in it.

Ropa Vieja – 4/6

• “Old Clothes”. A typical Cuban dish of Cascade Natural shredded beef slow simmered in a garlicky tomato herb broth, with yellow onions and green peppers and garnished with petit pois. Served with pan frito $4 (Happy hour)
• It was pretty much a braised beef stew and the flavour didn’t come across as Cuban, but it is a popular Cuban dish.
• I prefer the beef to be more soppy, finely shredded and falling apart tender, and although it was saucy, the meat itself was a bit dry.
• It was quite home style and cooked in a tomato broth made of tomato paste rather than fresh tomatoes, as it should be.
• It was very good, but I didn’t find it as unique to the restaurant, but for $4, just order it.

Lengua en Salsa - 4/6

• The highest reward to ever come out of  Mama Ivonne’s kitchen! Carlton Farms pork simmered tender in a rich red sauce, built with bacon sofrito and scented with plump raisins and toasted almonds! A real chef’s favourite! Served with arroz blanco (white rice) $4.50 (Happy hour)
• Apparently this was the dish I couldn’t leave without trying, so I had to try it!
• Lengua means tongue in Spanish, so when I read “pork” I was pretty disappointed.
• This is the kind of “Mickey Mouse”and “Cuban American” thing I was referring to in the introduction.
• This would have been so much better with tongue, but I guess it wasn’t appreciated by diners. So unfortunate!
• For being pork the dish was still pretty good, but the flavours again seemed mild and lacked spice or Cuban flare.
• It was basically a roasted pimento, tomato, and bell pepper stew with chunks of very tender pork and crunchy almonds, but the raisins were so cooked that I couldn’t tell they were raisins and they almost dissipated into the sauce.
• It was almost Italian meets Spanish in flavour and the stew was savoury, sweet, and tangy, but I found the description more exciting than the outcome.
• This is something I’d put my money on that they make better at home.

**Sandwich Cubano – 6/6

• A Cuban classic! Roast pork and smoked ham with Swiss cheese and dill pickle pressed together inside a fresh Cuban roll. Available on whole wheat or white. All sandwiches served with tostones $10
• I had to order something from the lunch menu and the Happy Hour tapas don’t always offer the good stuff.
• I had to try the Cubano sandwich as typical as the choice was, just because Cubanos tend to suck in Vancouver.
• It’s basically a “grilled ham and cheese sandwich”, but way better.

• If this is what a Cubano sandwich is supposed to taste like, then I’ve never had one until today.
• Drool! This is the best Cubano sandwich I’ve had to date, but being that I haven’t had many, it didn’t have much competition. However my Cubano fan friend was equally as impressed.
• The bread was ultra thin and crunchy and crispy and the pork was plentiful, tender, juicy and incredibly moist.
• I could taste the layers of ham, melted ooey gooey cheese and tang of pickles and each layer was well represented.
• It was saucy without being saucy and I could taste the natural pork juices and the meat was melt in your mouth tender and soppy.
• I loved everything about this sandwich and I wanted to pack it home and share it with Vancouver.

**Vaca Frita – 5/6

• “Fried Cow”. Citrus marinade Cascade Natural beef, shredded and char grilled with garlic and onions. A humble Cuban classic that characterizes Creole cookery. Served with your choice of Cuban beans (negros or colorados) and arroz blanco (white rice) or Moros Cristianos $11
• Geez, the name sounds so vulgar… but “fried cow”… yes please!
• This was from the regular lunch menu, and the portion isn’t that big, but it’s enough for one.
• Yum! This was great!
• The beef almost tasted like pulled beef and it was a pretty fatty, but not obvious. There’s no chewy or gelatinous fat.
• It was full of beef flavour and bursting with beef juices and I could taste the subtle hint of what seemed like orange in the marinade.
• The beef was a bit crispy and smoky and also sweet, salty, tangy, and quite garlicky.
• Since the beef is quite heavy and greasy, the extra mojo sauce on the side was the perfect accompaniment.
• The mojo sauce just cut through the oil and made the beef come alive, even though it was already marinated in the sauce as well. It’s a magical sauce!
• The rice was stellar and the side of red beet salad was very good too.
• The rice was a bit mushy and creamed with beans, onions and chunks of pork and it was incredibly flavourful although it looked regular.
• The red beet salad is a Cuban staple. It’s fresh beets, watercress, diced red onion and extra virgin olive oil and sour orange vinaigrette.

Desserts

The Chef and owner John Connell-Maribona is also the executive Pastry Chef at Pambiche. Being the “dessert queen” I am, I immediately took notice of their display of baked goods and cakes at the front of the restaurant. They were all quite fancy and professional and the offerings are traditional and modern Cuban/Latin desserts. Many were made with contemporary and gourmet twists.

**Island Carrot Cake - 4.5/6

• A true Pambiche classic, unlike any carrot cake you’ve ever tasted! Superbly enhanced with a rainbow of tropical fruits. Bacardi Select dark rum and guava cream cheese $6.75
• Wow! The description sounds good, but I don’t remember it tasting that good! I mean it was good, but the description was a bit more exciting.
• This is their signature and most popular dessert, but obviously it’s not traditional Cuban.
• The cake itself is light and moist, but with the alternating layers of rich and creamy cream cheese icing, it became quite dense.
• It was a bit sweet for me and very cheesy, but there wasn’t much shredded carrot, and I could have used less icing and more cake.
• I could taste a hint of cinnamon, but it’s not strong at all and there was some dried coconut crumbs as well, but the flavour doesn’t really come through.
• I actually couldn’t taste much guava or rum and I was missing my “rainbow of tropical fruits” too.
• It was a very good cake, and it’s definitely a non-traditional carrot cake, but it wasn’t a must try dessert for me.

**Lime in the Coconut – 5/6

• A tropical variation of the tres leches cake. Lime sponge cake drenched with saoco (sweet coconut milk, fresh lime + Bacardi Superior rum), filled with coconut custard cream and dressed with crema chantilly $7
• I had my eye on this one. I love lime and coconut and this was also recommended.
• The cake was bursting with lime zest and it was more sweet than tangy, but still not too sweet.
• It was almost like a coconut cream pie meets a key lime pie, but milder versions of both and in cake form.
• It was a very light and moist cake and I could have used more coconut flavour and shredded coconut for texture.
• The coconut custard was a bit eggy and I couldn’t taste the rum or a strong tang from the saoco.
• I could have used some vanilla to enhance the overall flavour of the cake, but I would order this again.
• Looking back, it’s not as memorable as I thought it would be, but I did enjoy it.

Cuban Cigar – n/a

• Dense chocolate truffle cake rolled in the shape of a Cuban cigar and covered in dark chocolate and cocoa. Served with Strawberry Daiquiri salsa and macaroon coconut $5.50
• As much as I don’t want to encourage unhealthy habits for a younger audience, this dessert was so cute and creative!
• I didn’t order one, but I sure wanted to! Next time!

Restaurant: El Caracol Mexican Cafe
Cuisine: Salvadorean/Mexican/Latin American
Last visited: August 16, 2011
Location: Vancouver, BC (Kensington)
Address: 5190 Victoria Dr
Price Range: $10 or less, $10-20

1: Poor 2: OK 3: Good 4: Very good 5: Excellent 6: Tres Excellent!!

Food: 4
Service: 2.5
Ambiance: 2.5
Overall: 4.5
Additional comments:

• Family owned/operated
• Authentic El Salvadorean
• Home made/Homestyle
• Latin breakfasts available
• Popular to Latin Americans
• Hole in the wall
• Hidden gem
• Vegetarian options
• Cheap eats/Budget friendly
• Family friendly
• Limited seating
• Eat In/Take Out
• Cash only
• Mon-Sun 12pm-11pm
• Fri-Sat 12pm-12am

**Recommendations: Pork Pupusas, Cheese Pupusas, Nachos, Sopa de Mariscos. I’d ask if you order a pork AND cheese pupusas.

This is a tricky cuisine for me. Mexican-Hondurian and Salvadorian food. I know as much about it as the amount of restaurants offering this type of cuisine in the city. That’s not a whole lot. Being that I’ve only been to Mexico and have yet to make my way down to South America, my knowledge is limited in this category. To make it even more challenging El Caracol specializes in 3 types of cuisine, so it’s hard to look at it from any “authentic” perspective.

All I can go by is how it tasted, whether or not the meats were cooked correctly, and mostly did I enjoy it. Therefore I’m going to use the words “authentic” and “traditional” lightly, because all I can really compare it to are other restaurants of this style in Vancouver. Of course food in Latin America is likely better than this, but in the context of Vancouver, you take what you can get, and this is good!

El Caracol Mexican Cafe is a hidden gem and total hole in the wall located in Vancouver, BC. I’ve driven by it on a few occasions and have always been curious to check it out. Originally I was supposed to go to Dona Cata, but then realized it was closed on Monday, so this was plan B. It wasn’t a bad plan B either!

There was “El Caracolito Mexican Food” and then two stores over was “El Caracol Mexican Cafe”, I was quite confused as to where I made my reservations, but realized it was at El Caracol Mexican Cafe. They were both just as busy and I’m sure they’re the same owners, but the menus are different and El Caracolito Mexican Food seems a lot more Mexican, whereas El Caracol Mexican Cafe is more Latin American.

This photo was taken at the end of the night, but during dinner hours El Caracol Mexican Cafe was busy with lots of Latin American locals from the neighbourhood. That’s the best feeling for a foodie – going into an ethnic restaurant, whose cuisine you’re not quite familiar with, and discovering that everyone in there is of that nationality. It’s just extra convincing that you’ve found an authentic restaurant for Latin food.

The menu wasn’t too tricky to decipher because there’s Spanish, English and some photos. However I pulled my classic “foodie” move. I picked out the table that looked like regulars and asked them for recommendations. They advised me to stick to the Salvadorean menu items because that was the specialty here, not Mexican food, despite the name of the restaurant. So I more or less did as I was told. (I did however also take recommendations from the owner, who suggested a lot of Mexican dishes)

El Caracol Mexican Cafe is a home style restaurant and the food seemed to be quite authentic and different than most “Mexican” restaurants. The food was generally very good and I did enjoy my experience. Being that this type of cuisine is already limited in Vancouver, I’d say this is one of the better choices for traditional Salvadorean and Mexican food, although it wouldn’t be my first choice for it. The style may be new for many and everything is home made, but I didn’t find everything amazing either. It’s very affordable so there’s not much to lose just by trying it, and I would still recommend it and consider it a hidden gem that we’re lucky to have.

On the table:

Horchata – 3.5/6

• A milky mixture of cocoa, seeds, and spices $2
• I actually really love horchata and this one was quite good except the amount of cocoa powder kind of threw me off.
• It tasted a bit like cinnamon chocolate almond milk, but not as sweet or chocolaty as chocolate milk.
• It’s served room temperature with ice cubes, and cold would have been better.
• The texture was a bit powdery and it’s made from boiled down rice, nut, and sesame seed water and milk.
• Those ingredients are all strained out so it is a smooth drink, but not creamy or thick either.
• The only spices I could taste was cinnamon, which was evident, but not too strong or spicy.
• It was a bit sweet and I could have used a notch less cocoa powder, but I still enjoyed it as a starter or dessert drink.

Mango Milkshakes – 4/6

• This was more like a mango smoothie than a mango milkshake and there was no ice cream in it, but I still liked it.
• I think it’s made with whole milk rather than yogurt, because it wasn’t tangy, and just naturally sweet, light and frothy.
• It was a bit pulpy and somewhat creamy, but not thick or icy and it was obviously made with fresh mangoes that I could taste immediately.
• It could have been colder, but I didn’t mind it the way it was.

**Nachos – 4/6

• Corn chips and avocado smothered with lots of melted cheese, salsa, beans, sour cream, tomatoes, jalapenos, and onions $6.75
• To me, nachos sound so typical and unadventurous so I wouldn’t have ordered them unless the table beside me recommended them.
• These were definitely authentic nachos, and different than what most of us are probably used to.
• It looked pretty weak and almost pricey for the size, but it tasted much better than it looked and I liked them!
• The chips are house fried real corn tortilla chips so they were thick and extra crunchy.
• It was topped with warm refried beans, fresh wedges of ripe avocado, tomatoes, freshly grated salty Mexican Cotija cheese and sour cream, but they took out the jalapenos, which I missed.
• It was an even layer with fresh ingredients and these are less greasy compared to the Americanized version of nachos.

Guacamole – 3/6

• Avocado blended with onion and cilantro. Includes chips. $4
• It was a small portion so I found it a bit pricey, but it was incredibly fresh.
• It was very simple with chopped ripe avocado, lots of fresh lime juice and fresh lime zest.
• It was very bright, but I did miss some tomatoes in there.
• You could easily make it at home, but it was still good here and served with their fresh and home made corn tortilla chips.

Ceviche - 3/6

• Fish marinated in lime with onions, tomatoes, and cilantro. Includes chips. $8
• It looked like a small bowl, but it was deep and ended up being quite a bit. It was served with fresh home made corn tortilla chips.
• The flavour was very good, but it was barely a ceviche and all the seafood was cooked shrimp instead of the listed “fish”, so that was disappointing. However the take out menu said “prawns”, but it would be better with fish regardless.
• There was tons of chopped shrimp, but they were almost overcooked from the marinade and a bit too chewy and tough.
• It was very intense with lots of fresh lime juice and a nice bright acidity from added tomatoes.
• It was very tangy with a zip and a kick, slightly smoky, not spicy, and also a bit sweet from some sugar.
• There was definitely the strongest presence from lime and a good amount of Worcestershire sauce.
• I prefer the ceviche from El Inka Deli – see here, or Mochikas Peruvian Cafe – see here.

Quesadilla Con Queso – 2.5/6

• $4.95
• This was for the kiddos! Not my kids! But for once, I was with kids.
• This was an authentic Mexican Quesadilla.
• The kids ate it, but it would be different than the typical Taco Bell or chain restaurant quesadilla.
• It was pretty big, warm, but not crispy and very simple with few ingredients.

• Forget about the Americanized grilled chicken strips and ooey gooey melted mozzarella and cheddar cheese combo, this was made with their house made shredded chicken and Mexican cheese!
• It was well stuffed with salty semi-hard Mexican Cotija cheese which was as salty as feta cheese, with a similar texture. It was semi-melted and when it hardened it tasted like salty Mozzarella sticks.
• The chicken was plentiful, decently moist and well marinated, but not spicy and it was topped with sour cream.
• Some tomatoes would have been nice, but this was the bare basics.

Tamale – 2.5/6

• Seasoned ground, fresh corn cooked in corn husks until firm. Served with sour cream. Order of 2 for $5. Chicken Tamale $3.
• These are home made and very traditional and they’re eaten as an entree, but we had them as appetizers.
• They’re very similar to “Zongzi” or “Zong” which is the traditional Chinese sticky rice. It’s not the sticky rice you get at dim sum, which is the Cantonese version, this was closer to the Mandarin style sticky rice. It wasn’t rice though, but cornmeal!
• This one seemed like it was made of corn meal rather than fresh corn though despite the description.
• They’re filling and I wouldn’t want a whole one to myself, and it was good to try, but I wouldn’t really care to re-order it.
• They were okay tamales and pretty good for what they are, but the cornmeal dough itself was better at El Inka Deli – see Tamale.

Tamales de Elote – 2.5/6

• I ordered them with chicken, but I feel like this was their vegetarian version because one had no chicken.
• Tamales can be considered naturally a bit drier though considering the ingredients.
• The cornmeal dough was tender and quite moist, but the ends had dried out a bit. The middle was moist and creamy though.
• The cornmeal had a slight tanginess from perhaps lime, but the tamale is savoury.
• It has mealy texture, but it wasn’t as moist or tender as polenta, and it’s a bit crumbly.
• They were stuffed with chick peas made from their dry state, cassava root (starchier tasting potato), and green peppers.
• I like them with more spice and flavour with added olives and eggs, but these were still not bad.

Tamale de Gallina (Subject to availability) – 3.5/6

• Cornmeal dough stuffed with chicken then wrapped in banana leaves and steamed $3
• The chicken was better! It obviously had more flavour but the chicken was dry on occasion.
• I would prefer more chicken, but it was also stuffed with green peppers and cassava root or potato.
• Again I prefer added olives and eggs or even dates, which they sometimes add to tamales. This is a very home style version of a tamale though.
• I just like my tamale stuffing to be more of a saucy mixture with ingredients sauteed in natural chicken juices so that it’s super moist and flavourful.
• The cornmeal dough was moist at times and dry at others if you got the end pieces again.
• Just like the one above, the dough had a slight tang to it and seemed seasoned with a bit of lime.

**Pupusas – 4/6

• Corn flour pockets filled with cheese, black beans or pork. Served with cole slaw and home made salsa. A favourite Salvadorian ethnic dish. Order of 3 for $9
• Order additional pupusas at the same time for $3. Single pupusa queso (cheese) $3 Single pupusa pollo (chicken) $3.50
• Pupusas are the specialty here and what they’re most known for. It’s a must try, however I heard they’re definitely better at La Conquistadora in Whalley Surrey, BC.
• I give them a 4/6 because I know there’s better, but it was my favourite thing I ordered here.
• You can chose one of each, but I recommend 2 pork and 1 cheese, or all pork.
• The pork was the best one, and not because I like meat, it just had the most flavour.
• I ended up getting 4. One of each and an extra pork for an additional $3, which came to $12.
• The corn flour pocket was a very thin, tender and moist, yet flaky and crispy corn flour dough made from scratch.
• It’s not like a crepe or pancake and it’s not buttery, sweet, dense or chewy. It’s closer to polenta, but more doughy and not bready.

**Pork Pupusa – 5/6

• Corn flour pockets filled with cheese, black beans or pork.
• This was my favourite item of the night! It was delicious and I’d come back just for these!
• It was well stuffed with a very soft and moist pork that tasted almost a bit like Chinese suckling roast pork but mashed up.
• The texture was of pulled pork or even tuna, because it was so mashed and almost creamed.
• It wasn’t dry at all and you could taste the little crispy bits of deep fried crackling they minced right into it. It was fantastic! I bet it was from the chichurron (deep fried pork skin/rind) appetizer they also offer.
• It was perfectly seasoned and nice and savoury with bacon flavours and just incredibly tender with the home made corn flour pastry.
• There wasn’t much acidity or sweetness and it wasn’t spicy, but just savoury. I loved them!

Bean Pupusa - 2.5/6

• Corn flour pockets filled with cheese, black beans or pork.
• Out of the three I wasn’t crazy about the bean one which I found to be dry.
• The beans were their creamy refried beans they serve with many of their mains, and not the black beans as listed.
• It was good refried beans though, and they were nice and savoury, but I enjoyed it better alone because it dried out in the pupusa.
• It was just a bit too starchy overall for my liking.

**Cheese Pupusa – 3.5/6

• Corn flour pockets filled with cheese, black beans or pork.
• I’d rather have this than their quesadilla. This was enjoyable hot and it’s better then “melted cheese in a tortilla shell”.
• Even better would be to ask to get the pork and cheese together in one pupusa!
• The cheese version sounded so boring, but it was surprisingly good!
• It’s because they used salty Mexican Cotija cheese, which again tastes like salty Feta cheese. When it hardens it tasted like salty mozzarella cheese sticks though.
• I’d order it again but it is rich and quite heavy since the cheese is a decent amount.
• It all just melted together with the tender homemade corn flour pocket.

This is the cole slaw that’s meant to be eaten with the papusas. It tasted like pickled cabbage with a strong dried coriander flavour and it was quite herby.

Flautas or Tacos – 4/6

• Crunchy corn flautas or tacos filled with chicken, served with cabbage and home made salsa. Order of 3 $8.25.
• There was an option of chicken of beef, but the owner kept recommending chicken without hesitation so I kept ordered everything with chicken.
• This wasn’t particularly a specialty here, but they were still good.
• They used basic corn tortilla shells, stuffed them with home made shredded white meat chicken and deep fried them until crunchy.
• They were stuffed with lots of chicken which was very good, fresh, moist and well marinated.
• It was just like a crunchy chicken taco with only chicken in the filling and then a nice tangy freshness from the pickled cabbage slaw and fresh tomatoes.
• The salsa was just tomatoes, onion, cilantro and lime juice and I did miss more of a spice to it.
• I like Flautas served with guacamole like they do at El Barrio, but this was the more authentic homestyle version of Flautas.
• Totally different, but when it comes to something crunchy topped with meat, I strongly recommend trying the Tostada Carnitas from El Barrio.

**Sopa de Mariscos (Seafood Soup) – 4/6

• Medium $12 Large $15
• This is apparently the thing to order here along with their papusas. All the Latin American customers had a bowl of it on their table.
• I know it’s not really fair to compare it to Thai food, but it was very similar to Thai coconut milk based soups, but less flavourful.
• Latin American cuisine is a fusion of a lot of cultures, including Asian, so I wasn’t caught off guard with this Thai tasting dish.
• It’s still very flavourful, but compared to Thai soups, it’s considered very mild, because it’s not spicy and has no fish sauce or Thai basil leaves or noticeable lemongrass etc.
• The rice here is very good and it’s moist and cooked in chicken broth so there’s a ton of flavour and it’s almost like a pilaf.
• Totally different styles of Latin soups, but for a hearty seafood chowder I personally prefer Mochikas Peruvian Cafe’s Chupe de Mariscos.

• It came loaded with at least 10 shrimps, but all of them were overcooked.
• There was also a piece of likely frozen boneless and skinless salmon fillet, but that was dry and overcooked as well.
• There was a mussel and clam in there too so the amount of seafood they gave you made it worth it.
• The other ingredients included spinach leaves, which I thought should have been an herb, and then fresh chunks of tomato, onions and green peppers.

• The crab leg was a nice surprise, but most the seafood was overcooked.
• It was very coconut milk heavy, but still light and not as tangy as I thought it was going to be.
• There was some lime, but I’d say it was more coconut heavy and aromatic.
• The broth didn’t taste like seafood broth at all, but it tasted like chicken broth.
• It could be a combination of fresh and GFS chicken broth, but there was no chicken, and it tasted store bought to me.
• Despite the execution, it was still very good and I would recommend trying it since it is what the Latin American locals flock too.
• Personally I think it would be more appreciated if you were maybe from that culture.

**Enchiladas Mexicana – 4/6

• A soft corn tortilla stuffed with cheese and meat with our own mild chili sauce and more cheese $8.99
• This is one of the most popular items, but I also feel like it was the “Westerners’ Choice”.
• This was very good, but it was the most “Americanized” tasting item I had. I mean it is an Enchilada, so it’s as good as it sounds.
• It was the most familiar in flavours and seemed like the typical Mexican food I could find anywhere else, which I probably could, but still good!
• The owner kept recommending chicken over beef, so I ordered it with chicken again.
• It was a very saucy and soupy dish, but very fair for the price and I can’t really complain too much.

• The corn tortilla shells got really soggy under the “mild chili sauce”, which taste just like plain canned tomato sauce with perhaps some dried herbs.
• It wasn’t spicy or anything and it just tasted like tomato sauce for pasta.
• The enchiladas were very well stuffed with lots of tender well seasoned white meat shredded chicken, and it was very fresh and tasted like roast chicken.
• It was white meat chicken, so it was a bit drier, but I didn’t mind and there was enough sauce that it was fine.
• The chicken was well marinated and flavourful on its own and that was the highlight of the dish for me.
• I don’t order enchiladas often so I don’t know how bad or good they can get. All I know was that I enjoyed this one, but it wasn’t that different.
• The rice is moist and cooked in chicken broth for additional flavour. I like the rice here!

Carne Asada – 3.5/6

• Grilled marinated beef $10
• I enjoyed this, although I have had better Mexican versions of it in tacos.
• The steak seemed sauteed rather than grilled and I didn’t get that smokiness or charred flavour.
• It’s not the greatest cut of steak, but there’s a decent amount for the price.
• The beef was pretty good, but the only thing was that the pieces were inconsistent.
• Some were really tough, dry, and chewy, and other pieces were incredibly tender, moist, and required very little chewing.
• The pieces were different shapes and sizes, and it was fully cooked and not a saucy dish, so it really depends on the marinade and cooking time.
• It wasn’t that garlicky, but it was well marinated and I could taste a slight tang and aromatic flavours of lime juice, or orange juice, and perhaps some vinegar.
• It wasn’t sour though, but the acid just helped tenderize the meat and give it some flavour.
• It wasn’t spicy or smoky and I would have liked more spice.
• I did want more onions and wished they were sauteed for longer, because they were a bit raw.
• The rice was moist and cooked in chicken stock again.
• Some places would serve it with guacamole instead of the wedge of avocado too.

Platanos Fritos (Ripe Fried Plantain) - 2.5/6

• Fried ripe plantain slices, served with sour cream $3.50
• This was new for me.
• The plantains weren’t as crispy as I prefer, but they were certainly oily, but warm throughout.
• I would have liked thinner round slices of crispy banana over these wedges though.
• Plantains taste like starchy bananas and they’re not as sweet and a bit firmer. There weren’t any additional sweeteners or syrups on these plantains.
• The sour cream gave the slightly sweet plantains a tangy contrast and it almost made it a bit lighter and more cooling since it was deep fried.
• I would have never came up with the combination, but this is an authentic dessert. It might be acquired, but I didn’t find it hard to accept, it was just different.
• Traditionally it’s served with some pureed beans seasoned with maybe coffee and chocolate, but that may have been too “exotic” for our Canadian taste buds. I’d love to try it though!
• My fusion “gourmet” side wanted to recreate this at home as caramelized plantains with a sour cream ice cream.
• For good savoury plantains I recommend El Barrio’s plantains.

Arroz En Leche – 3/6

• Salvadorian style rice pudding. Served hot with lots of milk. $3.50
• This was a pretty big bowl (size of large soup bowl) and it reminded us of getting the bowl of red bean soup at the end of a Chinese dinner… except personally I found this way better.
• It smelled like Chai and it even tasted like it, but without the tea leaves and just the spices and scent of cinnamon and no cardamom.
• It was warm, comforting and aromatic.
• This one had no raisins, lemon or orange peel, heavy spices, vanilla bean seeds, or alcohol, so it was quite a basic home style version.
• It was creamy and sweet and it tasted like creme brulee custard when it’s still hot on the stove waiting to thicken before it sets.
• It’s sweeter than hot Asian dessert soups, not as sweet as most Latin desserts, and was more of a milky custard, but it wasn’t too rich either.
• I do like rice pudding, but I probably wouldn’t order this again although it was nice to try and it tasted pretty good.

Restaurant: Nancy’s Tacos & Ice Cream Shop
Cuisine: Tacos/Ice Cream
Last visited: August 3, 2011
Location: Bowen Island, BC
Address: 400 Bowen Island Trunk Rd
Bowen Island, BC
Price Range: $10 or less

1: Poor 2: OK 3: Good 4: Very good 5: Excellent 6: Tres Excellent!!

Food: 2
Service: 4
Ambiance: 2 inside, 6 outside on the patio
Overall: 2
Additional comments:

• Since 2002
• Locally owned
• Home made tacos
• Simple food
• Limited menu
• Vegetarian options
• Healthy recipes
• Right by the ferry (walkable)
• On the dock
• Very casual/fast food
• Patio seating only
• Cheap eats/budget friendly
• Family friendly
• Cash only
• Mon-Sun 11am-6pm
• Closed Tuesdays

Recommendations: n/a

Before I headed on my chocolate escape at West Coast Chocolatier on Bowen Island I did a little restaurant research. There were only about 10 restaurants on Bowen Island to select from, but when I saw that Nancy’s Tacos & Ice Cream Shop had 100% rating on Urbanspoon, I put it on the list! Sure the ratings were based on only 10 people (at the time), but I was still curious to see for myself.

I had actually tried to visit this random little taco hut for dinner the night before, but realized it closed on a Tuesday. I had asked some locals about it and everyone knew what it was, but nobody really said anything beyond that. Regardless I made my way down here the next day for a quick snack before my departure from the island.

It’s actually more of a take out place and there’s no seats inside, but most people would chose to sit outside anyways. It’s been around for 9 years and it’s the only restaurant located right on the dock. The owner and cook Nancy was actually sitting outside with a few locals and I would consider it a locals hang out, or “quick bite on the dock”, before I would a “foodie” destination.

The menu was incredibly simple which made ordering very easy. Essentially it’s one kind of ground beef, or one kind of beans, and then the size of taco you want. Part of me thought that the limited menu meant a stellar taco with a tried, tested and true recipe, but it was really just a basic taco. The prices looked very affordable, but for the size and what it was, I actually considered it pricey.

The best part was the view from the taco shop, and the owner Nancy was friendly. I’d say it’s a great place to just sit, talk and relax with the locals that have lived on Bowen Island for probably a long time. It’s just more about the ambiance than it is about the food. It is a quick and casual taco joint and good for families if you’re looking for a fast non-greasy bite on the dock before the ferry ride as well. It depends what kind of experience you’re looking for, but personally I found it more of a convenience choice.

On the table:

Beef Taco on Soft Corn Tortilla – 2/6

• Hard or soft with beef or beans $4
• This was small. It’s snack size and bigger than the authentic Mexican tacos, but smaller than Taco Bell tacos.
• It’s a basic taco in terms of ingredients and flavour.
• It’s not a Mexican style taco, but a very American style taco.
• There was a good amount of ground beef, home made tomato salsa, lettuce, crumbled marble cheese, and sour cream.
• It had no spice or any noticeable additional seasonings and it was basically something you might make at home as a quick weekday snack.
• It was a “healthy” take, so the beef was lean and less oily, yet not dry and still moist which I liked.
• I actually couldn’t taste the salsa, but it seemed like chopped tomatoes, onions and cilantro. I think it was sauteed rather than fresh too.

Restaurant: Sara’s Ice Cream
Cuisine: Desserts/Ice Cream
Last visited: August 3, 2011
Location: Delta, BC
Address: 4857 Elliott St.
Price Range: $10 or less

1: Poor 2: OK 3: Good 4: Very good 5: Excellent 6: Tres Excellent!!

Food: n/a
Service: n/a
Ambiance: n/a
Overall: n/a
Additional comments:

• Ice cream shop
• Served at Nancy’s Taco Shop
• Location in Delta, BC

Recommendations: n/a

The “Ice Cream” portion of Nancy’s Tacos & Ice Cream Shop is actually outsourced from Sara’s Ice Cream. I’m not quite sure if it’s the Sara’s in Delta, Richmond, or White Rock, because they’re all called “Sara’s Ice Cream”. It could be under one brand as well. I’m not going to lie, but a big part of me was hoping it was going to be home made ice cream.

Anyways Nancy used to sell Breyer’s Ice Cream, but now she carries Sara’s, which I respect since it’s local. On the other hand there’s better local ice cream brands than this and from what I tried I didn’t see the hype. I know people really love Sara’s Ice Cream, and this was actually my first time trying it, but I wasn’t that impressed and I didn’t even really have any expectations for it.

The most memorable and cutest part of the whole experience was that one of the locals sitting with Nancy came inside and said he was doing random acts of kindness and treating everyone to ice cream that afternoon. So being at the right place at the right time I was generously treated to an ice cream! Things like that never happen in the city, and just seeing this kind gesture made me get a sense of the people on Bowen Island. However I think it was an experience that might only happen at Nancy’s Taco & Ice Cream Shop.

On the table:

Sara’s Maple Walnut & Vanilla Ice Cream - 2.5/6

• 1 scoop $3 2 scoops $4 + $.50 for waffle cone
• Maple Walnut Ice Cream – 2.5/6
• The flavour looked rich, but I actually couldn’t taste any maple in this. It was very faint, but I liked that it wasn’t too sweet.
• There were also hardly any walnuts in it, which for me is the best part of Maple Walnut ice cream.
• The ice cream was somewhat hard, yet creamy and the texture was good, but I just felt the flavour was lacking as well as the main ingredients – maple and walnuts.
• Vanilla Ice Cream – 2.5/6
• Vanilla is the standard and how I usually “judge” an ice cream because it’s the purest flavour.
• It really bothers me when vanilla ice cream has no vanilla bean seeds in it, however there are brands without the beans that I still like.
• This just tasted like plain ice cream and I couldn’t taste any vanilla.
• Again it was creamy without that greasy texture and the cream was good, but the flavour wasn’t there.
• I prefer Island Farms vanilla ice cream or Mountain Dairy vanilla ice cream if I’m sticking to a local BC brand.

Restaurant: Coma Food Truck
Cuisine: Korean/Mexican/Fusion/Food Truck
Last visited: July 29, 2011
Location: Vancouver, BC (Robson Street/Downtown)
Address: Outside Library Square – 730 Homer Street, Homer & West Georgia (On Homer)
Price Range: $10 or less

1: Poor 2: OK 3: Good 4: Very good 5: Excellent 6: Tres Excellent!!

Food: 3.5
Service: n/a
Ambiance: n/a
Overall: 4
Additional comments:

• Korean-Mexican-American fusion
• Lots of variety for food truck
• Affordable menu
• Good portions
• Some authentic Korean dishes
• Korean chef and owner
• Home made kimchi and sauces
• Quality ingredients
• Beef and pork menu
• Vegetarian options
• Daily specials
• Cheap eats/budget friendly
• 15% off with own plate
• Some packaging is biodegradable

**Recommendations: Kalbi Burger, Korean BBQ Burrito

I’ve been meaning to try Coma Food Truck since it opened. I was invited for the opening, but unfortunately I didn’t have time to check it out until now. With @DennisPang‘s last minute organization for a foodie get together, and an extended invitation from the chef and owner of Coma, I finally made it! It’s so embarrassing it took so long, but all that matters is that I made it. I actually like trying places after they open anyways because the menu often changes and recipes and prices are still getting tweaked, so I find later experiences more representable. That’s not my reason for postponing my visit though.

So why Coma? At first I thought it was referring to food coma, which I’ve experience all too many times, but I’m actually way off track. The “Co” is for “Korean” (yeah that’s a confusing one), then the “m” is for Mexican and the “a” is for American. It’s a fusion or words which represent the food and flavours at Coma Food Truck.

Fusion. It’s a popular concept in Vancouver, but so few so restaurants can do it right. Quite often our concept of “fusion” is actually just a switch up of ingredients rather than fusing the techniques of two cuisines together. To be fair, I’m not going to get that technical at a food cart, but I do find a lot of the offerings Mexican items, but made with Korean ingredients (switch up).

Personally I’m not a huge fan of any Asian fusion except for Japanese, just because I usually find any other attempts at Asian fusion overpriced and under delivered. However keeping an open mind and knowing what to expect, I was looking forward to Coma Food Truck and its Korean-Mexican-American menu.

I was anticipating everything to be fusion, so I was surprised to see a couple very traditional Korean items. I was told by chef, who is formally trained in French cooking, that his mother actually helps him out with the Korean side of things since it’s not his specialty. I actually really respect that because it just shows that extra effort of trying to bring traditional Korean flavours to a presumed non-Korean clientele.

I didn’t have much expectations for the food, but when I go to food carts, I’m a lot less picky and I look at it more from a portion and value perspective. Of course flavour has to be there, but when I’m going for street food, I go in with a different mind set. With that being said his biodegradable products and 15% off offer for bringing your own plate didn’t go unnoticed.

I found the prices generally fair and the portions generous, and it’s a respectable attempt to popularize Korean cuisine without “dumbing it down” too much. At times I did feel it was a bit repetitive with “mix and match” ingredients, and I did get lost in the concept of whether it was more traditional Korean of Korean fusion. Some of the Korean-Mexican food just seemed a bit Mexican to me, although nothing I had was bad.

As for the Korean items, I found it was more finely executed and there was more to show off, but I was perhaps more satisfied with the heartiness of the fusion stuff. It was definitely more on the sweeter side compared to most authentic Korean food, which is perhaps even tangier and spicier than this was, but it was still good. I use the word “authentic” lightly, but if something is called “authentic” I will compare it to authentic. Oh and just a side note, but Korean food is spicy and quite garlicky, so be prepared with your mints.

On the table:

**Kalbi Burger (Special of the Day) - 5/6

• Kalbi marinade 100% brisket, pickled cabbage, red onions, pickle, brioche buns, chipotle mayo & vine tomatoes (Korean-American fusion) $8.99
• He only made 8 for the day, and I was very happy to get one. This was my favourite item.
• The burger seemed so predictable and without the recommendation I wouldn’t have ordered it.
• I wasn’t expecting any fireworks and it looked really ordinary, but it knocked my socks off!
• I’ve had a Kimchi Burger before from Celadon Fine Korean Cuisine – see here, but this one was even better and half the price.
• I found this burger absolutely delicious, although overpriced. I would definitely order it again in a restaurant, but at a food truck I’d order it for $7.
• Of course the ingredients and labour were there, and the standards met restaurant potential, but still.
• The meat was incredibly tender, chunky and definitely on the sweet side. It was juicy and the most prominent flavour.
• There were sweet pickled cucumbers and pickled red onions to give it a good tang to cut through the sweetness so it’s also quite a tangy burger. A lot of Korean food is very tangy.
• The vine ripened tomatoes were a step up and appreciated although regular tomatoes would do the job if that meant lowering the price.
• After the sweetness was a slight heat from the chipotle mayo, but it was never really spicy and quite mild.
• Although soft, the only thing I didn’t like was the brioche bun which I honestly thought was just a regular sesame burger bun. It was a bit sweet, but it just wasn’t a great quality brioche bun and it’s likely a generic wholesale one.

**Korean BBQ Burrito – 4/6

• 12 inch tortilla with vegetables, kimchi, corn, tofu, cheddar Jack cheese. Choose your Korean style of proteins (spicy pork or BBQ Bulgogi beef) wrapped as burrito. (Korean-Mexican fusion) $5.99
• This didn’t sound odd to me at all and I didn’t even question the combination of ingredients.
• This was very good, but I didn’t find there was anything really Korean about it.
• It just tasted like a breakfast burrito with maybe a little Asian flavour from the sauces.
• It was almost last night’s dinner wrapped in a burrito. It was filling, satisfying and good, but also something I could make at home.
• I loved the layer of melted Cheddar cheese, sweet onion and corn and crunch of kimchi and shredded carrots, but the flavour of the kimchi wasn’t noticeable and I just thought it was sauteed vegetables with a bit of heat and mild pickled flavour.
• I was happy to see no rice as a filler and there was a ton of meat and I didn’t even know that the fluffy soft tofu was tofu, and I though it was scrambled egg. It would have been even better with scrambled eggs!
• It wasn’t a soggy or wet burrito which I really liked, but I did find the beef quite chewy and dry, but in the context of the burrito it wasn’t as noticeable with all the other ingredients and sauce.
• The kimchi in this compared to a more traditional style kimchi was a bit mild, although I could see why it has to be less spicy and garlicky for the clientele.
• It’s not really spicy at all, but there’s just a warm heat that lingers afterward.
• It may sound “fusion”, but it doesn’t taste very fusion. It’s really non-offensive and easily enjoyed even by non-adventurous eaters.

Bibimbap – 3/6

• Korean Healthy Rice Bowl – 7 varieties of vegetables, Korean ground beef, and an egg with rice and spicy Kochujang (Gochujang) sauce (fermented chili paste) and hint of sesame oil. Served with Korean miso soup. $6.99
• This is a really popular item, but personally it’s not something I would order.
• I’m more of the type to go to an actual Korean restaurant and order this as take out if I were to order it “on the go”.
• Since it’s a traditional Korean dish that’s authentically served in a hot sizzling stone bowl, which helps with the flavour and texture of crisping up the rice, it was hard to let go of those cravings.
• Being that this was coming from a food truck, it was a respectable attempt and version, but personally I’d chose something else.
• It’s wood ear mushrooms, bean sprouts, Shiitake mushrooms, sweet marinated cucumbers, pickled carrots, picked daikon, ground pork, Gochujang sauce and a “fried” egg (which seemed microwaved) on top of rice.
• All the components are premade that morning and assembled upon order, and kudos to the amount of ingredients and presentation, but it was served almost room temperature and I prefer it hot.

• You mix everything together before enjoying it, and traditionally I would press the rice to the sides of the stone bowl to let it crisp up.
• It was a salad on top of rice and there’s a lot of rice, so it’s as “healthy” as not taking the rice into consideration.
• The rice was chewy and almost like a Japanese style rice, but without the flavourings of sugar and rice vinegar. The texture was the same though.
• I could have used more ground beef which was topped with Gojuchang sauce and found underneath the egg.
• For some reason the egg just looked and tasted a bit plasticky, but after it was mixed in I didn’t notice it as much.
• I loved the crunch and variety of the vegetables and if I didn’t see the pork, I might have thought it was vegetarian. It’s still enjoyable vegetarian though.
• The Gochujang is what makes this rice bowl.
• If you’ve never had Gochujang sauce, it’s pretty much one of the best hot sauces ever.
• It’s one of my favourite sauces in general and it makes everything taste good.
• It’s a spicy fermented soy bean paste and it’s one of Food Network’s top 5 ingredients of 2011.
• It’s very potent, sweet initially, very salty and a flavourful spicy. It’s rich, creamy and relatively thick and if Frank had this, he’d pour this s*** over everything.

Korean Miso Soup – 3.5/6

• It’s a small cup of Korean style Miso soup and it’s richer and creamier than the Japanese kind.
• For what it is, it’s a well made Korean Miso soup, although not something that’s a must try alone.
• It’s a bit sweeter and rich with mushroom flavour and has the background of seafood from the fresh kelp.
• The  Enoki mushrooms and fresh kelp are naturally a bit slimy in texture and there’s also bits of firm tofu throughout.
• It wasn’t too salty and it’s actually a very flavourful soup and I’d consider it quite hearty as a Miso soup.

BibimNaengMyun (Cold Soba Noodles) – 3.5/6

• Cold Soba noodles with cabbage, pickled daikon, cucumber and egg with Korean fermented spicy and sweet sauce $6.99
• It’s a cool down dish on a hot summer’s day, but I’m used to getting these noodles after Korean hot pot.
• Authentically it’s made with potato noodles, or buckwheat noodles which helps with digestion, but the soba was I guess the fusion twist.
• There were big round ice cubes floating in the sauce which really caught me off guard and I wasn’t expecting them. I can’t say it was too appetizing, but I guess they served a purpose and had to be there to keep it cold on a hot day.
• This one had a ton of noodles and usually there’s much more sauce or soup, like the one below. (The one above and below are two different orders of the same thing.)

• The noodles were a bit overcooked and too soft for my liking, but they were previously chilled which was great.
• It was another sweet dish and this one I would actually consider spicy.
• It’s not hot, but it’s very flavourful spicy and initially you would just think it’s sweet until the heat picks up afterward.
• It’s more sweet than anything at first, but it was spiciest of everything I tried.
• It was very refreshing and cooling and the crunch of the pickled daikon, julienne carrots and sweet cucumber slices were a fantastic contrast to the noodles.
• The broth is essentially made from Gochujang paste and perhaps some ground sesame seeds because it had texture along with lots of flavour.
• I could certainly drink the sauce and it tastes almost just like a spicy nutty version of a Japanese sunomono meets Szechuan or Shanghainese tan tan noodles, but less creamy and nutty than the latter.
•  The sauce is a bit thicker and richer than a sunomono base, but it’s not oily, greasy or heavy so I really liked that.
• This also had a lot of aromatic sesame oil and garlic which is delicious, but I guarantee garlic and sesame breath after this… so bring your mints.

KIMCHI Quesadilla - n/a

• Chipotle tortilla with sauteed vegetables, corn, cheese, my home made kimchi, tofu, and my own salsa roja (spicy with hint of Korean flavors). The item credit goes to the famous Chef Roy Choi, the inventor of Kogi BBQ truck, however this is a reinterpretation of my own style of quesadilla. (Korean Mexican fusion) $5.99
• I only had a bite of this which isn’t enough to actually “rate” it, but I felt like it was the most regular and predictable of everything I tried.
• I’d rather go for the burrito, since this was similar, but this had less filling and the quesadilla got a bit soggy.
• It was not bad, but not special so I probably wouldn’t order it.