Follow Me Foodie to Jamaica!

I did it to you again! Did you know I was gone!? Well I was! But I’m back, and this time from foodie paradise! I was recently invited on a culinary bloggers press trip to Jamaica, and I think I ate my weight in fish and sweated it all out in Scotch Bonnet peppers. Hot damn those are spicy! But you know what else is spicy? My upcoming Jamaican blog posts! Can I get a “Day O”?! Daaaaaay O… daylight come and me didn’t wan’ go home!

Climbing the coconut tree barefoot at Prospect Plantation in Ocho Rios… that isn’t me though.

But everything has to come to an end, and I can’t complain when home tastes good too! Of course, if you’re familiar with my blog, everything will be based on honesty. So if you’re ready, Follow Me Foodie to Jamaica!

Wait! Isn’t this New York? Yes, but just a heads up, I haven’t quite finished with Follow Me Foodie to New York and there’s still more to come! And of course I’ll never ever be finished with Vancouver, so I’ll have posts for that too. I’ll just be switching things up here and there to keep things interesting. Anyways, I’ll say a temporary farewell to city life and slow things down, and I mean really ssllooww things down… to island time.

The Jamaican “Statue of Liberty”

“One Love! One Heart!
Let’s get together and feel all right.”
- One Love lyrics, by Bob Marley (Photo from the Bob Marley Museum)

If feeling all right meant stuffed, I definitely could relate to Bob Marley’s state of mind. He enjoyed his country’s home grown herbs, and I enjoyed his country’s homegrown food! But wait, can you grow rum cakes?

It was a packed eating itinerary of exploring Jamaica’s culinary scene in Kingston and Ocho Rios, and you can be sure I tried everything in order to report back. I can’t say I was too familiar with Jamaican food before this trip, but now I have a better idea.

I have visited Jamaica on a Caribbean cruise way back when, but at that time I was more interested in the banana boats than the bananas, so that doesn’t really count. Other than that, I think the closest I’ve come to authentic Jamaican food is from Jamaican Pizza Jerk in Vancouver, BC. Okay, but wait, don’t roll your eyes! The word “pizza” might throw you off, but after this tour, I can say that it was actually a pretty good representation of the food there. Pizza is really just a small portion of what they offer.

There’s also The Reef (which is more Caribbean) and a few other Jamaican restaurants in Metro Vancouver, but I have yet to explore them. But now I’m even more eager to do so!

I got to explore the low and higher end dining options in Jamaica and I’m sure I barely scratched the surface of what the country has to offer, but it gave me an idea.

It’s a country that’s reliant on its natural environment. From home grown herbs (legal ones), to tropical fruits and the fish from the surrounding sea (always served fully cooked), it can be a healthy diet, although most of the time it’s served with heavy or deep fried starches. It can be vegetarian friendly, but it’s ideal for fish lovers and pescatarians (vegetarians who eat fish/seafood).

At Scotchies, the place for authentic Jerk chicken.

And if you’re a meat eater, no worries for sure! You’re guaranteed to settle your carnivorous cravings whether it’s from goat curry, oxtail stew, and of course Jerk chicken.

Scotch bonnet peppers roasting for a home made hot pepper sauce at the Belcour Blue Mountain Preserves farm.

I have to give a shout out to these. Scotch bonnet peppers came up often, but not everything is spicy. I wouldn’t say the spices are as strong as they are in Indian food, but there are some cultural influences from cuisines including Indian, African, Chinese and Spanish. I warn you though, these scotch bonnet peppers are ridiculously hot.

I had a horrible eye touching experience with them when I was 11. My mom brought them home thinking they were mini orange bell peppers, and I discovered the hard way that they weren’t.

Anyways, during my trip in Jamaica I accidentally ate one with all the seeds, and all I wanted to do is curl up into a ball, puke, and cry myself to sleep… it was bloody painful. Most Jamaican people don’t even eat them whole and they even try avoiding the seeds… it was an experience I’ll never forget and I hope not to relive.

I must say that it’s really hard to give restaurant recommendations if you’re unfamiliar with the area. Actually even if you’re familiar with the area, it’s still challenging. Mainly because none of the “real deal” Jamaican restaurants have signs. Most of them are literally hole in the walls, or shacks, next to rows of other hole in the walls, or shacks, so describing which shack, or how to get there is near impossible.

I could only go as far as the tour took me, and it was enough to give me an idea of what’s considered a local favourite and what’s a tourist trap. To be honest, I had a taste of both. However, what’s important is that I got familiarized with the ingredients, food and culture, and there’s definitely lots of delicious things to report back on.

Don’t you even think that I forgot about the desserts! I could never. As for the desserts, carrot cake, banana bread and coconut tarts come up often. I was surprised that rum cake actually didn’t, although I did have an amazing one while I was there. I’m trying to land my hands on the recipe, but watch for my posts!

The more traditional Jamaican desserts and candies include Grater Cakes, Coconut Drops, Jackass Corn, Coconut Gizada, and Rum Balls, which I got to try compliments of Jaci’s Multi-Treat Pack.

And of course, for some, there is the dessert after dessert… Appleton Estate Jamaica Rum.

So sit back, relax, and let me fetch you a coconut!

Jamaica starts tomorrow!

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: Cobre Nuevo Latino Restaurant
Cuisine: Latin American/Mexican/Tapas/Fusion
Last visited: June 14, 2011
Location: Vancouver, BC (Gastown/Downtown)
Address: 52 Powell St
Price Range: $20-30, 30-50+

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

Food: 3.5 – 4
Service: 3
Ambiance: 4
Overall: 3.5
Additional comments:

• Modern Latin cuisine
• Casual fine dining
• Latin fusion tapas
• Seasonal menu
• Daily features
• Good for groups of 3-4
• Great presentation
• Award winning
• Sophisticated/posh atmosphere
• Extensive wine/drink list
• Same owners as Pekinpah & Deacon’s Corner
• Monday – Sunday 5pm – Late

**Recommendations: Pemberton Meadows Pulled Beef Croquette, Maple Chipotle Tamarind Glazed Wild Boar Belly, and Coconut Banana Cream Phyllo Stack. The Duck Tacos are supposed to be a hit, but I didn’t get to try them.

I hear very mixed opinions on Cobre Nuevo Latino, and I’m glad I finally got to suss it out myself. I was invited for a friendly get together (not by the restaurant) where I guess you could say Latin was the theme. Being in Vancouver the choices for Latin food are already limited, so when it comes to “high end” or gourmet South American cuisine, it’s even more limited and Cobre Nuevo Latino seems to be the only option.

Located in downtown Vancouver’s Gastown, Cobre Nuevo Latino is supposed to be a “blend of Mexican, Cuban and Argentinian flavors”, but I found it more West Coast or Pacific Northwest fusion with a little Latin influence.

Chances are if you’re Latin or you’re familiar with Latin food and you come in expecting authentic Latin food, you’ll hate Cobre and think it’s watered down and probably pricey. However if you come in expecting modern or fusion Latin food you won’t be as disappointed and might like it. Lastly if you come in expecting West Coast food with some Latin flare or influence, you could very well enjoy Cobre and recommend it.

For me it was very reminiscent of how I feel about Charm Modern Thai or Wild Rice Modern Cuisine. Don’t expect authentic, it’s not in the name and it’s not trying to be, so you have to let go of that idea. I really like fusion food, but I find it really hard to nail as it often gets butchered. I let go of the “authentic” idea coming in, but a few things still fell flat and seemed either mild, under seasoned or overpriced (all tapas $15).

The atmosphere and vibe of Cobre is enjoyable and the service was friendly although very slow at times. I’d also strongly suggest coming with a group of three, because it’s all about shared dining and everything comes in 3. I wouldn’t have guessed it was a Latin fusion restaurant if I didn’t already know and they are doing something new and different which I can appreciate. The value wasn’t too great and more in the experience than the food for me, but it was better than I expected and there’s not much else in this category.

On the table:

White Sangria – 2/6

• White Wine, Triple Sec, Mango and Papaya $8
• I’m not sure if they have an in house bartender, but they should considering their extensive wine and cocktail list.
• They had a red, rose and white sangria and apparently this one was supposed to be the sweetest. I couldn’t decide between red and white and just had our server surprise me.
• It actually wasn’t that sweet or fruity at all and it was heavy on the wine and orangey Triple Sec.
• There were cubes of fresh papaya and one piece of fresh mango and I wish the fruit was pureed or muddled into the actual drink.
• It was more on the tangy side and I wasn’t a fan of it because it didn’t taste like a Sangria. I prefer the white sangria at The Edge Social Grille & Lounge.

Roasted Baby Corn in Husks – 4/6

• 3 for $5
• This is served as a side and it was one of the daily specials.
• It was my first time trying freshly roasted baby corn in a husk. The entire husk was edible too.
• It was very simple, roasted in olive oil, char-grilled, and sprinkled with a bit of coarse salt.
• The husks are fiberous, but soft and it was sweeter than the actual baby corn.
• The baby corn was tender yet crunchy and a bit sweet and also smoky.
• It was a bit bland since the salt didn’t get to the corn though and I wish it had a chipotle aioli dip on the side.

Heirloom Tomato Salad - 3.5/6

• Heirloom tomato salad with Buffalo Mozzarella, charred pablanos and sweet chili vinaigrette $8
• This was good and made with fresh ingredients, but it seemed more Italian than Latin to me.
• It was drizzled with some tangy syrupy balsamic glaze and fruity olive oil that wasn’t spicy at all.
• There was also some smoky charred pablano peppers to contrast the sweet tomatoes which was nice and I guess that was the only real Latin part.
• There was some mint as well and it was a very juicy well dressed salad, but it’s not something I’d have to have at Cobre.

Steelhead Trout Ceviche - 3.5/6

• Steelhead Trout, pineapples, Thai basil, cucumbers, choyote, fresh jalapeno, and crispy trout skin $13
• This was more like a salad than it was a ceviche. It was also more Thai fusion than Latin.
• It had great flavour, aromatics and texture, but I wish it was more minced and more like a ceviche.
• The Steelhead Trout was a West Coast choice and it absorbed the juices well, but having it in strips almost made it seem more like a salad.
• It was sweet and tangy from the juicy pineapples and refreshing from the crunch of the marinated cucumbers and thin strips of choyote (zucchini meets a melon).
• The vegetables helped cut the heat since it carried a nice spice from fresh jalapenos and chili flakes.
• There was a great balance of spice and tang, but the ingredients were so chunky and big it all seemed a bit separate.
• The best part was the crispy bits of deep fried trout skin which added nice crunch to the ceviche, but at times they came across as eggshells in texture.

Blue Corn Corn Bread - 1/6

• Cornbread azul famoso y sweet chili butter $5
• It tasted like blue corn tortilla chips in corn bread form.
• It was more savoury and smoky than sweet and it was very buttery, incredibly soft and almost mushy.
• It was topped with thin slices of sweet chili butter which didn’t melt and I thought it was cheese at first.
• The butter was more savoury than it was sweet or spicy.
• The corn bread also wasn’t hot enough to melt the butter and they were too soft so the butter wasn’t spreadable either.

Qualicum Beach Diver Caught Scallops – 3.5/6

• Butter browned fresh hearts of palm, coconut bisque $15 (for 3 scallops)
• This was good, but I found it overpriced. This was a double order and one order comes with 3 scallops, which I find pricey.
• This was also more West Coast Asian fusion than Latin fusion to me.
• The scallops were tender and sweet and seared on both sides, but the pan wasn’t hot enough and they weren’t seared very well.
• It was a rather sweet dish with the coconut bisque and I could actually taste a good amount of lobster infusion in the sauce. It was a creamy rich sauce, but slightly under seasoned.
• I loved the crispy deep fried shallots and there were also some crushed pumpkin seeds to give the dish some additional texture.
• The hearts of palm were sauteed in butter and perfectly tender and moist, but also a bit under seasoned.
• They’re delicate in flavour and taste like mild crunchy asparagus stems and they were a bit tangy from perhaps a bit of lemon.
• Fresh hearts of palm were a great side to the scallops and nice to see since they’re rarely offered on any menu.

**Pemberton Meadows Pulled Beef Croquette – 4/6

• Jalapeno roasted garlic chimichurri $15
• I really like croquettes and pulled beef, so naturally I would be more inclined to like this dish, and I did.
• Again it was slightly under seasoned and lacking in spices and salt, but it was also the only thing that seemed a bit more “Nuevo Latino”.
• An order comes with 3 jumbo croquettes and they were quite filling, not greasy, and well made so I did see value in this dish.
• It was panko crusted and fried to perfection and I loved the crunchy contrast with the soft and tender creamy filling.

• Each croquette was generously filled with creamy, tender, juicy, melt in your mouth pulled beef coated in a buttery beef au jus gravy.
• It was quite rich and I guess the crunch and heat of the jalapeno was supposed to balance things out, but I wish it was more incorporated.
• The chimchimchurri sauce works better as a marinade than a topping and I found it too mild for the croquette.
• The sauce tasted like pureed cilantro, parsley and herbs with a bit of garlic and lime, but it was under seasoned even when eaten by itself. A salsa verde might have worked better.
• Overall it was missing something and it was richer in texture than it was in flavour.

Wild Mexican Sea Prawns - 3/6

• Pipian verde, butter browned corn arepas $15
• I loved the concept and the ingredients, but the execution was a bit off.
• Pipian verde is a mole sauce and in this case it was more like a salsa. It was made with green tomatoes, cilantro, lettuce, garlic, green onions, pumpkin seeds and green apples.
• The green apples were a great twist and it brightened up the flavours.
• I could taste the crunchy textures of sweet and tart apples, nutty pumpkin seeds and fresh herbs, but it still needed more acidity and salt.
• The prawns were tender, but the weight of the arepas kind of overpowered them.
• There was lots of corn in the pan fried crispy arepas (corn cakes), but they were very starchy and also a bit under seasoned.
• The corn kernels got very overcooked and starchy and it just got stuck in your teeth.

**Maple Chipotle Tamarind Glazed Wild Boar Belly – 5.5/6

• Chicharon y patacones $15 (4 pieces)
• This was a double order and a single order usually comes with 4 pieces.
• This was easily the best dish of the night.
• It’s very hearty and rich, but incredibly delicious and worth every bit of guilty indulgence. Yes, pork belly is always good, but this was great!
• It was a bold, rich, very sweet and syrupy sauce that just coated each piece of melt in your mouth pork belly.
• The sauce was almost like a Sweet Thai chili sauce meets plum sauce with a bit of reduced tamarind for tang.
• The pork belly had a great ratio of creamy buttery fat and lean juicy tender pork meat and together the combination was orgasmic.
• I don’t like too much pork fat and this one was the perfect balance.
• It was topped with crispy pork skin “sprinkles” which gave it a nice crunch and I love the little bit of freshly minced red onion to “lighten” it up.
• It was predominant sweet and slightly tangy followed by a slight heat.
• I didn’t really understand it being served on top of patacones (fried plantains), because the patacones just got very soggy and you couldn’t taste their flavour.
• It would be nice to have it served with jicama slaw to cut the richness, but if it was a starch I’d prefer their buttermilk mashed papas to soak up the remaining sauce and make it perfect comfort food.

**Coconut Banana Cream Phyllo Stack – 4/6

• Coconut custard, white chocolate horchata ganache, Ancho chili chocolate drizzle, crushed hazelnuts $8
• I loved all the ingredients in this dessert so I knew I would like this. It was the flavours of a banana and coconut cream pie.
• I wish the bananas were caramelized and hot, but they were still good in their natural state.
• I also think toasted dried coconut would be nice in addition with more crushed hazelnuts.
• The coconut flavour was quite subtle and aromatic with coconut cream or milk in the creamy smooth custard.
• I loved the textures of this dish and it was creamy, rich, yet light with layers of thin flaky crispy phyllo and also a cakey layer in between.
• The white chocolate ganache was fluffy with a hint of almond flavour and it added a bit of nutty sweetness.
• It was a well balanced dessert with a slight heat from the ancho chili chocolate drizzle too.
• It was creative, well thought out and I would order it again.

Dulce De Leche – 2/6

• Tamarind butterscotch, caramelized pineapple, whipped cream, cinnamon espresso churro $8
• This was incredibly sweet and indulgent and just too rich and sweet for me.
• It was very good dulce de leche, but a whole martini glass full of it, is just too much.
• It was very thick and creamy and almost like a very dense condensed milk and caramel pudding in texture and flavour.
• It was very indulgent and intense with buttery butterscotch flavour and almost hurt your teeth sweet. I couldn’t taste the tang of the tamarind.
• There were only a few slices of thinly sliced caramelized pineapple on top which gave it some tang, but after that it was one note.
• I did love the home made deep fried cinnamon and sugar churro twists, but I couldn’t taste the espresso. They were great dipped in the dulce de leche though.

Restaurant: El Barrio Restaurante Latino
Cuisine: Latin American/Mexican/Spanish
Last visited: March 5, 2011
Location: Vancouver, BC (Commercial Drive/Grandview)
Address: 2270 E Hastings St
Price Range: $10-20, $20-30

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

Food: 4.5 (based on what I tried)
Service: n/a
Ambiance: 4.5
Overall: 4.5
Additional comments:

• Locally owned
• Latin/Spanish/Mexican cuisine
• Latin owner/chef
• Authentic, and fusion items
• Contemporary style
• Busy/popular to locals
• Home made sauces/spice blends
• Paella needs to be ordered in advance
• Cocktails/wine/beer
• House made desserts
• Moderately priced
• Vegetarian options
• Gluten free options
• Live entertainment
• Tues – Wed 4pm – 10pm
• Thurs – Fri 4pm – 11pm
• Saturday 12pm – 11pm
• Sunday 12pm – 9pm

**Recommendations: Tostada Carnitas, Chorizo tacos with homemade chipotle sauce and guacamole, and Pollo En Mole. The desserts are pricey, but the Tres Leches Cake and Flourless Chocolate Chili Cake are very good.

From the outside, it doesn’t look impressive. In fact, it almost looks a bit divey, but let me just say this is a hidden gem and local favourite. It’s not even that hidden, but it’s definitely not that known unless you frequent the area or live in the neighbourhood. Give it a chance though and I almost guarantee you’ll come back for seconds sooner then you think.

It’s a casual, spacious and modern bar that can be quite energetic and entertaining with live music on occasional nights. It’s opened by Chef Luis Montalvo who grew up in El Salvador, but also lived in Mexico. Therefore the food here incorporates Spanish, Latin and Mexican flavours. It’s traditional in offerings and ingredients, but modern in execution.

I keep going back to the idea of authenticity, but to be honest you can only get so authentic without going to the actual country and having the food there. Even so, I’ve had bad Mexican food in Mexico, so it just depends on where you go. Sourcing authentic ingredients can also be a challenge, so I won’t stress about authenticity.

On the other hand, I didn’t find the cuisine at El Barrio really authentic to any of the cuisines it serves because everything was so unique and stylized. It was in a cateogry of its own, which is what may be determined as “fusion”. However, there is respect to ingredients and techniques and the restaurant is quite original to the Vancouver culinary scene. I found it more Mexican than I did Latin, although “Latin” is a big enough category on its own that it still varies from country to county. Nonetheless I’ve never been to Latin America, so I’m basing it in the context of Vancouver and Vancouver standards.

On this occasion I came to tackle the menu with Sherman, whom I thank for the photos as well. We had recently tried Mochika’s Peruvian Cafe, an amazing hole in the wall serving Peruvian food, so we wanted to explore more within the theme. Latin and Mexican restaurants are limited in Vancouver since we don’t have the population. Consequently the cuisine for it isn’t known to be great either. So I put myself up for some foodie research hoping to trump my own assumptions.

I know there are folks that don’t see the value in expensive Mexican food, and I feel the same way about Vietnamese food; however what you’re getting at El Barrio is finer than the usual for this type of cuisine. Part of this meal was comped, but as a paying customer I could see that a couple dishes were overpriced. On the other hand you are paying for home made sauces and quality ingredients which manages to come with an unpretentious atmosphere and service.

So was I impressed with El Barrio Restaurante Latino? Let me just say, that I’ve already made reservations to go back!

On the table:

Sangria - 3/6

• Glass $6.95 Pitcher $22.95
• For a sangria is was lacking a bit of depth for me. It had some lemons and limes, but I missed the apples and oranges and all the other fun fruits that go into it.
• It was good, not too sweet, but quite standard with a very basic recipe and wine that was on the dry side.

**Tostada Carnitas – 6/6

• Deep fried corn tortilla layered with creamy beans, pulled pork and curdito $10.95
• This was freaking delicious and my favourite dish of the night. I’d be completely satisfied having 2 orders of these as a main!
• This will be available on their spring menu, however at the moment it’s available in soft taco form.
• It was a crunchy and crispy deep fried tortilla loaded with a generous amount of soft, juicy, smoky, savoury and well marinated pork. It was topped with a crunchy pickled red and green cabbage slaw (curdito) that carried quite the refreshing yet sharp vinegar tang which cut the grease from the pork.
• It was savoury and tangy and slightly sweet and smoky from the layer of creamy beans which also kept the crispy deep fried tortilla from being soggy.
• There was also some pickled jalapeno peppers in the curdito that brought a very mild heat at the end.
• Carnitas is a Mexican style pulled pork and this one was so tender, moist and soaking in its own natural pork juice. Traditionally it’s braised and fried, but this one just seemed braised, but regardless it was all delicious!
• The carnitas meat here is wrapped in a banana leaf and marinated overnight for 10-12 hours in spices and orange juice.
• It was nicely braised and chunky, yet easily shred and well flavoured with smokiness from ground cumin, slight acidity from some tomato sauce and also the orange juice. It had a natural sweetness from perhaps some natural aromatics of carrots, onions and celery, although they were not seen, but I’m guessing.
• The flavours of the spices and aromatics just infused into every crevice of the meat.
• It was very well balanced and naturally saucy alone, but it did come with a side of home made hot sauce. the hot sauce was quite mild, very smoky and it tasted like a tomato based chili sauce with a bit of red pepper flavour in the background.
• Carnitas is my favourite meat for ataco and this was definitely Follow Me Foodie approved!

**Chorizo Tacos - 5/6

• Choice of beef, chicken, carnitas or home made chorizo, served on corn tortillas with onions and cilantro $9.95
• These were delicious! I’ve never had chorizo in this texture and I usually have it in cured sausage form.
• The chorizo was so finely grounded and almost nutty and the flavour was so bold, earthy, deep and complex. I could tastes smokiness from cumin and paprika and it was a bit sweet from perhaps some carrots used in the aromatics.
• It was extremely well seasoned and marinated, nice and garlicky, saucy, moist, with a nice heat to follow and almost like a Mexican sloppy joe in taco form.
• I loved the brightness of the lime juice and onions which helped to cut through the smokiness.
• Follow Me Foodie Tasty Twist: I’d highly recommend you to order these with their homemade chipotle sauce and guacamole. Sherman discovered the chipotle sauce combo, which was delish and I drummed up the guacamole idea.

Plantains - 3.5/6

• Available on Spring ’11 menu.
• Crisp plantains served with homemade garlic aioli and home made chipotle sauce ($9.95 I think)
• I can’t say I’m a huge fan of plantains, a popular Latin appetizer or side. It’s just a deep fried starchy and fiberous unsweetened banana that’s similar to a potato.
• For what it was, it was great, but for me it’s 3.5/6, because I’m not crazy about them.
• These ones were quite dense, well fried, crispy and crunchy with a naturally drier inside, but they were well prepared.
• What made these plantains delicious and different than all other plantains was the chipotle sauce, which was AMAZING!
• The chipotle sauce was so fresh, creamy and almost chunky. I was eating it by the spoonfuls as is.
• It was sweet in the initial notes from freshly roasted red bell peppers and I think there was some tomato paste and limes which gave it a nice tang. I could really taste the freshness and it had a very flavourful heat to follow and was somewhat very refreshing at the same time. This with the guacamole would be insane.
• The garlic aioli wasn’t anything particularly special although I could taste the slight garlic spice and roasted flavour. It was more tangy and it didn’t taste like a home made aioli even though it was.
• Follow Me Foodie Tasty Twist: I recommend mixing the homemade garlic aioli with the chipotle sauce to give it double the flavour although the chipotle sauce is good enough on its own.

Flautas – 3/6

• Three corn tortillas rolled and baked, stuffed with huitlacoche (corn truffle), spinach and corn. Topped with guacamole and served with curtido. $9.95
• These reminded me of taquitos, without the cheese, or even Mexican style spring rolls with a crunchy baked corn tortilla.
• It’s a very traditional Mexican dish, but it didn’t really do anything for me and I found they needed a lot more filling to be able to taste it.
• The corn truffle is a Mexican delicacy and it’s actually the fungus that grows on the ears of corn. In this case it was probably canned since the fresh version is near impossible to get here. It was mixed with sweet corn kernels, but it tasted like an earthy and smoky black bean paste with corn and it was a bit dried out rather than creamy.
• It seemed more deep fried and baked, although not greasy, and I find the filling especially overpowered when I ate it with the guacamole and pickled cabbage slaw salad (curtido).
• The highlight was definitely the guacamole which was surprisingly very refreshing, zesty and almost very cooling. I think there’s sour cream mixed into it. There were no chunks of avocado and most of it was fresh tomato, onions, cilantro and fresh lime juice, but it was still great!
• It was a very bright guacamole, and although creamy, it wasn’t rich. It tasted excellent, but then I’d rather order it separately.
• The flautas were a bit like eating smoky, charcoal flavoured deep fried wonton wrappers with a damn good guacamole.

Pastel Azteca - 3/6

• Layers of tortillas, cheese, spinach, huitlacoche (corn truffle) with salsa verde, salsa roja, and crema fresca $15.25
• This is an authentic Mexican casserole that is usually made with chicken. In this case it was vegetarian and it was a Mexican style vegetarian lasagne or casserole.
• It’s pretty hefty, filling and the portion is quite large and it’s almost like a lasagne pie.
• The 3 components were all great, but they were all starches so I could have used vegetables as one of the sides.
• The side of house made refried black beans are amazing here! They’re ultra creamy and almost like a smoky sweet potato mash and there could have been more than black beans used.
• The poblano pepper rice wasn’t particularly special or flavourful, but it does change on occasion to other types of Spanish or Mexican style rices.
• This is my first time trying Pastel Azteca, so I have nothing to compare it too.

• There was a lot of layers and tons of ingredients, but I found they all got very muddled together and I couldn’t taste each layer of ingredients.
• I found the flavours actually quite one dimensional and the texture was very soft, creamy and almost sponge like throughout and at times a bit soggy.
• The tortillas were soft and then the bottom layer I think was a Cotija cheese that was mild and spongy, like ricotta meets tofu.
• I didn’t get much spinach flavour as I did flavours and textures of sauteed green leaf lettuce and maybe even romaine.
• There was some of that corn truffle again which tastes like black bean paste and corn, but the sweetness of the corn kernels got lost for me.
• It was quite creamy and it’s not that cheesy and I needed more crema fresca (sour cream) for more tang. I wouldn’t have minded a chunkier salsa verde and salsa roja as well, but overall I found it a bit mild in flavours and it was bit like eating a casserole of sauces and condiments.

**Pollo En Mole - 5.5/6

• Local free range chicken breast served with a blend of Mexican chilies chocolate sauce $15.95
• It was half a bone in chicken and I wish it didn’t come precut. I think it needed to rest a bit more before being cut because the meat wasn’t as moist as it could have been.
• The skin had a smoky dry rub and it’s not crispy, but when it’s covered with rich and decadent mole sauce you really barely notice it.
• The mole sauce was intense and it’s made in house with 18-19 ingredients.
• The mole was one of the best mole sauces I’ve come across, and it had to do with complex deep flavours as well as the creamy rich texture it had.
• It was thick and creamy and almost paste like and I could taste the texture of the house roasted chilies in combination with fresh spices such as cumin and cinnamon.
• It was bitter sweet with sweet chocolate flavour in the initial notes and then an earthy, deep and slightly bitter flavour at the end. It was smoky and it tastes like there’s some espresso rub, but there wasn’t.
• The sauce was also nutty and there must have been either/and/or ground sesame seeds and almonds to achieve that type of consistency. (It’s peanut free, but there are also ground pumpkin seeds in it).
• It was smoky, sweet, bitter and very warm with a mild heat and it complemented the smoky and savoury chicken perfectly.
• It was served with a side of sauteed bell peppers, onions and cactus. It was nice and sweet and it was my first time trying cactus, but it tasted like slimy okra in the form of a long strand of bell pepper. It’s crunchy and tastes like a slimy jelly like green bell pepper.

Paella - 3/6

• Seafood: shrimps, mussels, clams and squid $18.95/person
• Meat: Chorizo, chicken and snails $16.95/person
• All of the above, but snails $18.95/person
• 12 hour reservation required and 2 people minimum.
• This is something that requires a pre-order because Chef Luis is extremely particular with the quality control of his specially prepared paella.
• We ordered the all of the above paella and it’s pretty good value with the ingredients and portion, but the flavour wasn’t as impressive for me.
• It was fresh and made with fresh seafood, but it lacked the flavour of an authentic paella. I’m using that “authentic” word very lightly as I’m not expecting it to taste as good as the ones in Spain, but I know it could be better. For Vancouver standards this one is still quite good.
• It was loaded with seafood, but the prawns were overcooked and a couple mussels seemed a bit watery.
• The chorizo wasn’t a house made cured Spanish chorizo and it was more like a slightly spicy sausage, so that was different from the paellas that I’m used too.
• The chicken were cubes of chicken breast and they were moist, but could have been more seasoned.
• The rice was al dente, moist, separate and not soggy and it had some seafood flavours with a touch of tomato paste. I wish the seafood and chicken stock it was made with was more intense though.
• It would also be nice to get those smoky chorizo flavours and natural juices of the vegetables in there as well.
• I also couldn’t get much saffron flavour although I could see a lot of saffron threads on top. I just couldn’t actually taste its perfume like floral flavour and I felt like the spice was dead or too old.
• The peas were also a bit dry and starchy rather than sweet too, so the quality of those weren’t great.
• I just found the rice a bit one dimensional in flavour and it lacked the spices, herbs, lemon tang, smokiness and depth of a great paella.

Desserts

All desserts are made in house, and for me, Latin or Mexican food requires a little sweet to finish off. Who am I kidding? That’s my criteria for all my meals! Anyways the ones here are all made in house and they’re quite gourmet. However I do find them overpriced considering desserts at fine dining restaurants such as Cioppino’s (see here) and Cin Cin (see here) have their desserts for almost the same price. The desserts were excellent, but even so, it was hard to justify their value even considering the labour and ingredients.

**Tres Leches Cake - 5/6

• Vanilla Torte infused with three types of milk, and served with seasonal fruits $8.95
• It’s a traditional Spanish cake, served room temperature and it’s very light tasting, yet very dense with a tight crumb.
• It’s not a pound cake, and it’s not fluffy, or airy like a sponge cake, but almost loaf like. It’s not buttery either, so it’s not rich and surprisingly not that filling since it’s so moist.
• The cake is completely soaked with a mixture of evaporated and condensed milk so it’s nicely sweetened and very juicy.
• It’s very runny in texture and every bite is like a sweet burst of milky syrup, but it’s not too rich or overly sweet.
• The cake itself is a milk and egg based cake and it just absorbs the two types of milk poured onto it. It’s not really soggy either, but just incredibly moist and busting with liquid in every bite. Together it tastes like a very custard like cake and it’s like a juicy sweet dessert.
• Traditionally it should be topped with a fresh whipped cream, but in this case it was a regular whipped cream sprinkled with cinnamon served on the side.
• The cake was excellent, not too sweet, yet very much a dessert and the piece was large so it’s easily shared.
• For what it is, I still think it’s overpriced because it’s pretty easy to make, but it was still really really good.

**Organic Flourless Chili Chocolate Cake - 4/6

• Almond meal cake made with organic chocolate and mixed chilies $9.95
• This was a very small portion, but it can still be shared since it’s a bit rich, however still not overly sweet.
• The ice cream makes it not as sweet and I love the warm and cold contrast.
• The chocolate cake was incredibly moist and it was a cross between a bittersweet lava cake, without the molten centre, and a light cake like brownie.
• It was very soft and creamy, yet it had an almond like crumb, so it wasn’t as pastey as some flourless cakes can be. It’s not very nutty though.
• It seemed like there was a hint of espresso in the background and the chili was very very faint and it only came after I completely finished the bite. It wasn’t that spicy at all and I could have used more. Eaten with the ice cream I especially couldn’t taste the chili.
• The fresh raspberry coulis was a nice contrast with the rich chocolaty cake and it was a delicious cake, but I still think it’s a bit pricey considering the size. The ingredients are pricier and gourmet, but so are the ones from Thomas Haas and those cakes are almost half the price and double the size – see here.

Restaurant: Mochikas Peruvian Cafe – Review 2
Cuisine: Peruvian/Latin American/South American/Spanish
Last visited: March 7, 2011
Location: Vancouver, BC (Fairview)
Address: 1696 West 5th Avenue (& Pine, inside a car wash)
Price Range: $10 or less, $10-20

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

Food: 5 (based on what I tried)
Service: 5
Ambiance: 3 (for what it is)
Overall: 4.5
Additional comments:

• Specializes in Peruvian cuisine
• Locally owned
• Authentic
• Hidden gem
• Home cooked/Home made
• Quick/casual
• Popular to Latin community
• Great hole in the wall
• Part Peruvian grocery store
• Part handmade art store
• Seafood/Meat dishes
• Affordable
• Catering available
• Eat in/Take out
• Cash only
• Mon-Thu 11am-5pm
• Fri 11am-10pm
• Sat 12pm-10pm
• Sun 12pm-6pm

**Recommendations: Yuca Frita con Chicharron, Ceviche, Chupe de Mariscos, Chicharron Sandwich, Chicha Morada

Guy Fieri from Triple D where are you?! I think Vancouver just schooled you! Talk about hidden gem! Mochikas Peruvian Cafe is located inside Platinum Touch Auto Spa. It was either going to be really really good, or really really bad, and I’m happy to say it was the prior! It’s definitely a secret location, however the Latin community and people working nearby seem to be aware of its existence. So how did I discover it? Well thanks to Sherman for the introduction we decided to come here for lunch! (The photos are his as well.)

The first and I think only Peruvian restaurant in Metro Vancouver and it’s located inside the building of a car wash. Nice! The “Grand Opening” banner has been up for a while and they actually just celebrated their one year anniversary. Don’t underestimate the “hole in the wall” ambiance because the food here is popular to the Latin community for a reason, and it’s just waiting to be discovered by the rest of Vancouver. And I hope to give it the helping hand it needs!

The owner is also the master chef/cook behind the food here. From what I can assume, it’s authentic Peruvian food, and from what I know, I know it’s all home cooked and made upon order (minus a few things that do sit in the chilled display case). I think it’s as close to authentic Peruvian as he can get with the resources still available. The owner has a lot of heart in this restaurant and my confidence was reassured when I noticed a few Latin customers come in for lunch as well. They seemed like regulars too and that’s always a good sign.

My knowledge of Peruvian food, let alone Latin and South American food is quite limited, and I have yet to make a trip to that part of the world. In Vancouver we don’t have much selection for Latin restaurants, and the only ones I have tried are El Inka Deli and baru Latino Restaurante. However I am more familiar with Spanish food and I know that’s one of the many influences for Peruvian cuisine. I’m actually not sure if there’s such a thing as “authentic” Peruvian cuisine because Peruvian cuisine is almost a fusion of several cuisines like Asian, Spanish and even African. Peru is quite multi-cultural so it borrows flavours from various cultures. Nonetheless I’m writing this post based on living and being in Vancouver and whether or not it was enjoyable and good, and I’m pleased to say that it was!

Mochikas Peruvian Cafe actually triples as a restaurant/cafe, mini Latin specialty foods store, and a handmade Peruvian crafts and jewelery store. How authentic right? It’s almost all of Peru in one stop! All it needed was a tiny television that reruns Latin soap operas and, or Latin game shows… oh wait, never mind that was also there! Except it was turned off! The place was all very charming and the fact that it’s located inside a car wash definitely added to the novelty of the whole experience. It had a few Peruvian art pieces and vases and the “specialty foods store” is basically a few shelves on the wall with imported Latin goods. It’s not a Latin Costco or art gallery, or anything to that degree, so I just want to mentally prepare you.

The restaurant itself is very casual, but it’s also clean and somewhat modern. Maybe modern isn’t the right word, but the restaurant is definitely not a dive on the inside. They also do a lot of catering and the prices aren’t dirt cheap as one might assume, but it’s actually reasonably priced for the quality of food they’re serving. A few of the more difficult items to prepare can be considered even pricey if you take into consideration the location and portion, but in the end I could appreciate its value and it definitely adds something new to the Vancouver food scene. The food tasted great with home made sauces, roasted in house meats and a home made quality that was still very professional. Mochikas is definitely one of those secrets that you can’t wait to share with the world.

Added note: This post was updated on March 7, 2011. The restaurant was revisited and the Chicha Morada, Causa a Limena and Chicharron Sandwich were complimentary.

On the table:**Chicha Morada – 5/6

• Chilled purple corn drink with pineapple skin, green apple and cinnamon $2/glass $6/pitcher
• It reminded me of a non-alcoholic sangria meets grape cider, but it has a creamy texture. The only time I tried it was at El Inka Deli (see here) and I liked it better here at Mochickas.
• It almost tastes like grape juice, but with more citrus, and there’s no actual pureed fruit in it. It’s not too sweet, but nice and tangy from the bright pineapple flavour and I loved the aromatic hint of cinnamon.
• It was almost like a chilled mulled wine and sometimes the drink will be made with other spices like cloves as well, which is like the one at El Inka Deli.
• There was a few pieces of fresh pineapple and green apples floating on top, but it more for garnish.
• This one is a still a bit artificial compared to a traditional version which is made of boiled down purple corn, fruits and warm spices, but it was still quite tasty and totally satisfying especially with the bargain price.

**Yuca Frita con Chicharron – 4.5/6

• Deep fried cassava root & pork belly served with Mochikas signature sauces $7
• This is an indulgent appetizer, but “well balanced” as an overall dish and quite delicious. It’s new to the menu and very typical of Latin cuisine.
• It came with 3 pieces of pork belly and most of it was falling apart tender, although not really juicy. I would call dibs on the piece with the largest surface area of crunchiness.
• The chicharron is traditionally deep fried pork rind, but in this case it seemed like roasted and then deep fried pork belly. It had a very crispy caramelized and salty rind, but it wasn’t like the cracklings on a porchetta.
• Usually the skin is a lot thicker on a traditional chicharron, but I actually preferred this version where there’s more of a balance with the meat and skin.
• I’m definitely not one for gelatinous fat and skin, but in this case the fat was incredibly melt in your mouth tender with a nice crunchy skin. The fat was impossible to separate from the lean meat since it was almost like melted buttery cream.
• It actually tasted like the Chinese style roasted suckling pig. It was nice and savoury throughout and the ratio of meat to fat was perfect.
• The cassava root is like a starchier and more fiberous potato and they were tender and crispy and delicious with the spicy Mochika sauce.
• It comes with a side of pickled red onion called Salsa Criolla which is a traditional accompaniment in Peruvian dishes. It really helped to cut the richness of all the deep fried goodness so it made the dish “well balanced”.
• The red onions weren’t really pickled, but they were raw and crunchy and actually very sweet from being marinated in the lime juice. They were tossed in a tangy and sweet lime and cilantro vinaigrette with some added heat from jalapenos. It’s actually not that spicy at all although it’s supposed to be a peppery salad.
• The dish was also served with a homemade Mochika signature sauce which was a yellow dipping sauce that was delicious.
• It was like Peruvian style hot mustard, but sweeter and creamier.
• The sauce was sweet, smoky and quite spicy with a bold kick at the end. The initial notes are sweet and I feel like it’s made with roasted yellow peppers, cumin and ají peppers (a typical Peruvian pepper). It’s quite creamy, but it went well with everything on the plate, giving dynamic Peruvian flavours to what was essentially deep fried ingredients.

Causa a Limena – 3.5/6

• Peruvian spiced mashed potatoes topped with chicken or tuna, black olive & spicy Peruvian rocoto sauce $6
• I can’t believe I was getting presentation like this from a car wash!
• This was like a cross of mashed potato salad meets tuna salad. It’s a simple Latin appetizer served slightly chilled and sometimes it’s made with avocado in it too, but this one isn’t.
• The potatoes were ultra creamy, but coarsely mashed. They were mashed with hot and smoky aji pepper sauce so they carried a little heat at the end, but it wasn’t that spicy at all.
• The tuna salad lightened up the potatoes and added the refreshing savoury flavour and slight crunch of vegetables it needed.
• The tuna salad was quite basic with mayo, celery and onions and together with the potato it just tasted like a tuna potato salad.
• Eaten with the hard boiled egg on top it tasted like a tuna, potato, and egg salad.
• It wasn’t anything particularly unique, but it did taste and look good!
• It really needs the spicy Peruvian rocoto sauce though otherwise it doesn’t seem very unique or “Latin” in flavours to me. It was a tangy, sweet and smoky yellow pepper sauce with a nice kick and it just woke up the flavours of the causa a limena.

**Ceviche – 5.5/6

• Fresh fish of the day or mixed seafood marinated in lime juice, garlic, & cilantro served with corn, sweet potato & red onions $13
• The ceviche is a must try at any Latin restaurant, as long as the seafood is fresh. You may question the freshness of the ceviche here, but it’s fine and not to be missed!
• I ordered mixed seafood and it was awesome!
• It came with lots of big chunks of fish (cod), shrimp, squid, octopus, one mussel and those tiny scallop niblets. The fish is raw but it “cooks” in the lime juice.
• What made this dish was the marinade. The marinade is made in house and it was so complex and dynamic in flavours. It was sweet, savoury, tangy, bright, and carried a bit of heat. It was incredibly aromatic and it’s made with the infusion of ginger and sweet veggies which are extracted so you don’t even know they were in there.
• After knowing that ginger is in there, you can definitely tell. It’s used for its aromatic sweetness more than its spice, and it almost made it taste Thai. I feel like it was the secret ingredient and even non-ginger fans would like this since it’s not the typical ginger flavour.
• The marinade is drinkable and I could have it as a chilled soup. It was fantastic!
• I loved the sweetness of the corn (very Peruvian) in combo with the raw onions which were also sweet again from being marinated in the lime juice. However it is a spicy ceviche, but the spice comes after.
• It was incredibly refreshing and bright and the pieces of fish were so pounded that they absorbed the marinade easily and became so soft and tender, yet they still had texture.
• The only parts of the ceviche I didn’t like was the shrimps, which were frozen and tasted frozen, and the mussel which was overcooked. Other than that the squid and tiny marble sized scallops were tender and the fish was brilliant.
• Since the marinade is quite spicy the purple creamy sweet potato on the side was used to kill the heat when it got overwhelming. I love sides that serve a purpose!

**Chicharron Sandwich – 6/6

• Crispy mini bun with layers of deep fried sweet potatoes, slices of chicharron (deep fried pork belly), topped with pickled red onion called Salsa Criolla, and a touch of Mochickas signature hot sauce $4.50
• This will be better than any slider you can find almost anywhere! How can you go wrong with a pork belly burger?! That’s right! You can’t!
• This was freaking delicious and I was in my own little world as I ate it! It’s pretty much the Chicharron appetizer I ordered above, but in mini burger form! I’d much rather have this!
• It was a super crispy and crunchy burger, but very indulgent and rich.
• It was like Chinese style roasted suckling pork sandwiched between warm crusty bread. It would have even been good with Hoisin sauce!

• It was perfect ratio of meat and bread and it had thick layers of tender deep fried pork belly with extra crunchy skin, so it was almost like a Porchetta sandwich.
• In the context of the sandwich, where every ingredient was crunchy, any gelatinous or chewy quality the pork belly may have had completely became unnoticed.
• It was savoury and juicy with melt in your mouth pork belly and it carried a little heat, but I could have used way more Mochicka hot sauce.
• The deep fried sweet potatoes were a bit overpowered and could have been crispier as well because I couldn’t taste the sweetness they were supposed to bring.
• This burger really requires the pickled red onion salsa to cut through the fatty pork belly. I found the hot sauce helped as well, but I could only taste it’s spice and not it’s flavour so I wanted more of that smoky sweetness the sauce has.
• Definitely a Follow Me Foodie approved sandwich, but I would make a request for more fresh cilantro or green onion, pickled red onion salsa, and Mochicka hot sauce for more flavour and balance, although it was still very flavourful as is.

**Chupe de Mariscos – 5.5/6

• A spicy, hearty seafood chowder with Aji Panca, fresh cheese, rice, & cassava $14
• The owner kept recommending the chowder and thank god he did, otherwise I would have overlooked it.
• This is a must try and it’s hearty enough to satisfy most people for lunch.
• It’s home made and the broth is incredible. It tastes like a Peruvian style curry laksa and this is probably a Peruvian dish that has had influence from Asian cuisine.
• It seemed like the ceviche, but made into a thicker, richer soup broth with more seafood flavour.
• It looks oily, but it doesn’t taste oily, and it’s not necessarily creamy, but still thick with flavour. It’s a sweet, tangy and spicy soup, but it has a very strong seafood flavour.
• It was intense and almost like tomato and seafood bisque, but not nearly as creamy.

• It’s loaded with lots of seafood. It came with 2 tender cod fillets, shrimps, squid, octopus, scallops, a clam, a mussel and the rice was not overcooked.
• The cheese and cassava were MIA… but I didn’t care because it didn’t need it.
• I feel like they use clam nectar because the broth really tastes like it’s made with crustaceans.
• It has a sweet red bell pepper, tangy tomato paste, and chili paste base that is very well balanced, and with a squeeze of fresh lime (served on the side) the flavours just came alive, although it was already quite alive in the first place.
• I’m not sure how authentic it is, but from what I know the authentic version is usually served with a poached or fried egg on top and can be a bit more yellow in colour.

Arroz con Pato – 3/6

• 6 Hour braised duck marinated in Aji Amarillo, Peruvian spices & beer served with cilantro rice $14
• I was most excited about this one from the description of the menu, but it sounds better than it was, although still good.
• It’s actually a very classic and authentic recipe and dish, but I was just expecting something different and I didn’t know it would be so “simple” in flavours.
• I liked how the the cilantro rice brightened up the flavours of the somewhat smoky and earthy duck, but overall I think the duck could be better prepared.
• It was visually very appetizing and served on a bed of rice that was almost like a risotto but mixed with freshly chopped cilantro puree, green peas, sweet shallots, garlic and red peppers. The rice was delicious and bright with flavour, but it’s also not salty and quite neutral although herby.

• The duck was marinated in beer and orange juice, but it’s not very apparent.
• For being marinated in 6 hours I was expecting to be able to shred away at it with my fork, but it wasn’t the case.
• I actually wouldn’t have guessed there was orange juice because I couldn’t taste the acidity or sweetness it should have brought.
• The skin had a Peruvian spice dry rub and it was quite smoky with cumin and peppers, but not crispy and actually a bit gelatinous and chewy.
• The meat on the other hand was quiet tender, although somewhat dry. Parts of it were juicy and the leg obviously had more flavour, but I was expecting so much more from a 6 hour braised duck.
• The duck actually seemed more like pork and it lost its sweetness and seemed a bit overcooked rather than slowly braised.
• The sweetness of the duck was more enhanced with the green peas, but overall it lacked the obvious tang, heat, sweetness, smokiness, and savouriness all the other dishes had.
• Not something I would particularly order again, but I’m still glad I tried it.

Chocoteja – 3.5/6

• A classic Peruvian chocolate – handmade dark chocolate filled with caramel & pecans $2
• These are home made chocolates and I loved the rustic, yet fancy Mochikas packaging.
• I had them straight from the fridge and they’re actually much better when you let them come to room temperature so it’s not as hard.
• The chocolate was a bit waxy and didn’t taste the finest of quality, but the caramel was fantastic. It tastes like a home made dulche de leche and the flavour really came out over the chocolate.
• The pecan was a whole pecan and it added a nice nutty crunch and it was like a Peruvian version of a Turtle, but the caramel was so much better, richer and made from caramelized milk and sugar.

Restaurant: El Barrio Restaurante Latino
Cuisine: Latin American/Mexican/Spanish
Last visited: March 5, 2011
Location: Vancouver, BC (Commercial Drive/Grandview)
Address: 2270 E Hastings St
Price Range: $10-20, $20-30

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

Food: 4.5 (based on what I tried)
Service: n/a
Ambiance: 4.5
Overall: 4.5
Additional comments:

• Locally owned
• Latin/Spanish/Mexican cuisine
• Latin owner/chef
• Authentic, and fusion items
• Contemporary style
• Busy/popular to locals
• Home made sauces/spice blends
• Paella needs to be ordered in advance
• Cocktails/wine/beer
• House made desserts
• Moderately priced
• Vegetarian options
• Gluten free options
• Live entertainment
• Tues – Wed 4pm – 10pm
• Thurs -Fri 4pm-11pm
• Saturday 12pm-11pm
• Sunday 12pm – 9pm

**Recommendations: Tostada Carnitas, Chorizo tacos with homemade chipotle sauce and guacamole, and Pollo En Mole. The desserts are pricey, but the Tres Leches Cake and Flourless Chocolate Chili Cake are very good.

From the outside, it doesn’t look impressive. In fact, it almost looks a bit divey, but let me just say this is a hidden gem and local favourite. It’s not even that hidden, but it’s definitely not that known unless you frequent the area or live in the neighbourhood. Give it a chance though and I almost guarantee you’ll come back for seconds sooner then you think.

The inside is a casual modern bar and it’s actually very spacious and it’s quite lively and energetic with live music on certain nights. It’s opened by Chef Luis Montalvo who grew up in El Salvador, but also lived in Mexico. Therefore the food here incorporates a mixture of Spanish, Latin and Mexican flavours, in a very gourmet fusion style kind of way. It’s traditional in offerings and ingredients, but modern in execution.

I keep going back to the idea of authenticity, but to be honest you can only get so authentic without going to the actual country and having the food there. Even so, I’ve had bad Mexican food in Mexico, so it just depends on where you go. I don’t find the food at El Barrio really authentic to any of the cuisines it serves because everything was so unique and stylized. It was in a cateogry of its own, which is what may be determined as “fusion”. However, there is respect to ingredients and techniques and the restaurant is quite unique to the Vancouver culinary scene. I found it more Mexican than I did Latin, although “Latin” is a big enough category on its own that it still varies from country to county. Nonetheless I’ve never been to Latin America, so I’m basing it on whether I thought the food here was good or not for Vancouver standards.

On this occasion I came to tackle the menu with Sherman, whom I thank for the photos as well. We had recently tried Mochika’s Peruvian Cafe, an amazing hole in the wall serving Peruvian food, so we wanted to explore more with the theme. Latin and Mexican restaurants are limited in Vancouver since we don’t have the population. Consequently the cuisine for it isn’t known to be great either. So I put myself up for some foodie research hoping to trump my own assumptions.

I know there are folks that don’t see the value in expensive Mexican food, and I feel the same way about Vietnamese food; however what you’re getting at El Barrio is gourmet and different. Part of this meal was comped, but as a paying customer I could see that a couple dishes are overpriced, and it is pricier for the area. On the other hand you are paying for home made sauces and quality ingredients which manages to come with an unpretentious atmosphere and service.

So was I impressed with El Barrio Restaurante Latino? Let me just say, that I’ve already made reservations to go back for round 2, with the smart decision of pre-ordering the paella that I can’t wait to try! I’ll report back when I do too!

On the table:

Sangria - 3/6

• Glass $6.95 Pitcher $22.95
• For a sangria is was lacking a bit of depth for me. It had some lemons and limes, but I missed the apples and oranges and all the other fun fruits that go into it.
• It was good, not too sweet, but quite standard with a very basic recipe and wine that was dry, but not too dry either.

**Tostada Carnitas – 6/6

• Deep fried corn tortilla layered with creamy beans, pulled pork and curdito $10.95
• This was freaking delicious and my favourite dish of the night. I’d be completely satisfied having 2 orders of these as a main!
• This will be available on their spring menu, however at the moment it’s available in soft taco form.
• It was a crunchy and crispy deep fried tortilla loaded with a generous amount of soft, juicy, smoky, savoury and well marinated pork. It was topped with a crunchy pickled red and green cabbage slaw (curdito) that carried quite the refreshing yet sharp vinegar tang which cut the grease from the pork.
• It was savoury and tangy and slightly sweet and smoky from the layer of creamy beans which also kept the crispy deep fried tortilla from being soggy.
• There was also some pickled jalapeno peppers in the curdito that brought a very mild heat at the end.
• Carnitas is a Mexican style pulled pork and this one was so tender, moist and soaking in its own natural pork juice. Traditionally it’s braised and fried, but this one just seemed braised, but regardless it was all delicious!
• The carnitas meat here is wrapped in a banana leaf and marinated overnight for 10-12 hours in spices and orange juice.
• It was nicely braised and chunky, yet easily shred and well flavoured with smokiness from ground cumin, slight acidity from some tomato sauce and also the orange juice. It had a natural sweetness from perhaps some natural aromatics of carrots, onions and celery, although they were not seen, but I’m guessing.
• The flavours of the spices and aromatics just infused into every crevice of the meat.
• It was very well balanced and naturally saucy alone, but it did come with a side of home made hot sauce. the hot sauce was quite mild, very smoky and it tasted like a tomato based chili sauce with a bit of red pepper flavour in the background.
• Carnitas is my favourite meat for  ataco and this was definitely Follow Me Foodie approved!

**Chorizo Tacos - 5/6

• Choice of beef, chicken, carnitas or home made chorizo, served on corn tortillas with onions and cilantro $9.95
• These were delicious! I’ve never had chorizo in this texture and I usually have it in cured sausage form.
• The chorizo was so finely grounded and almost nutty and the flavour was so bold, earthy, deep and complex. I could tastes smokiness from cumin and paprika and it was a bit sweet from perhaps some carrots used in the aromatics.
• It was extremely well seasoned and marinated, nice and garlicky, saucy, moist, with a nice heat to follow and almost like a Mexican sloppy joe in taco form.
• I loved the brightness of the lime juice and onions which helped to cut through the smokiness.
• Follow Me Foodie Tasty Twist: I’d highly recommend you to order these with their homemade chipotle sauce and guacamole. Sherman discovered the chipotle sauce combo, which was delish and I drummed up the guacamole idea.

Plantains – 3.5/6

• Available on Spring ’11 menu.
• Crisp plantains served with homemade garlic aioli and home made chipotle sauce ($9.95 I think)
• I can’t say I’m a huge fan of plantains, a popular Latin appetizer or side. It’s just a deep fried starchy and fiberous unsweetened banana that’s similar to a potato.
• For what it was, it was great, but for me it’s 3.5/6, because I’m not crazy about them.
• These ones were quite dense, well fried, crispy and crunchy with a naturally drier inside, but they were well prepared.
• What made these plantains delicious and different than all other plantains was the chipotle sauce, which was AMAZING!
• The chipotle sauce was so fresh, creamy and almost chunky. I was eating it by the spoonfuls as is.
• It was sweet in the initial notes from freshly roasted red bell peppers and I think there was some tomato paste and limes which gave it a nice tang. I could really taste the freshness and it had a very flavourful heat to follow and was somewhat very refreshing at the same time. This with the guacamole would be insane.
• The garlic aioli wasn’t anything particularly special although I could taste the slight garlic spice and roasted flavour. It was more tangy and it didn’t taste like a home made aioli even though it was.
• Follow Me Foodie Tasty Twist: I recommend mixing the homemade garlic aioli with the chipotle sauce to give it double the flavour although the chipotle sauce is good enough on it’s own.

Flautas – 3/6

• Three corn tortillas rolled and baked, stuffed with huitlacoche (corn truffle), spinach and corn. Topped with guacamole and served with curtido. $9.95
• These reminded me of taquitos, without the cheese, or even Mexican style spring rolls with a crunchy baked corn tortilla.
• It’s a very traditional Mexican dish, but it didn’t really do anything for me and I found they needed a lot more filling to be able to taste it.
• The corn truffle is a Mexican delicacy and it’s actually the fungus that grows on the ears of corn. In this case it was probably canned since the fresh version is near impossible to get here. It was mixed with sweet corn kernels, but it tasted like an earthy and smoky black bean paste with corn and it was a bit dried out rather than creamy.
• It seemed more deep fried and baked, although not greasy, and I find the filling especially overpowered when I ate it with the guacamole and pickled cabbage slaw salad (curtido).
• The highlight was definitely the guacamole which was surprisingly very refreshing, zesty and almost very cooling. I think there’s sour cream mixed into it. There were no chunks of avocado and most of it was fresh tomato, onions, cilantro and fresh lime juice, but it was still great!
• It was a very bright guacamole, and although creamy, it wasn’t rich. It tasted excellent, but then I’d rather order it separately.
• The flautas were a bit like eating smoky, charcoal flavoured deep fried wonton wrappers with a damn good guacamole.

Pastel Azteca – 3/6

• Layers of tortillas, cheese, spinach, huitlacoche (corn truffle) with salsa verde, salsa roja, and crema fresca $15.25
• This is an authentic Mexican casserole that is usually made with chicken. In this case it was vegetarian and it was a Mexican style vegetarian lasagne or casserole.
• It’s pretty hefty, filling and the portion is quite large and it’s almost like a lasagne pie.
• The 3 components were all great, but they were all starches so I could have used vegetables as one of the sides.
• The side of house made refried black beans are amazing here! They’re ultra creamy and almost like a smoky sweet potato mash and there could have been more than black beans used.
• The poblano pepper rice wasn’t particularly special or flavourful, but it does change on occasion to other types of Spanish or Mexican style rices.
• This is my first time trying Pastel Azteca, so I have nothing to compare it too.

• There was a lot of layers and tons of ingredients, but I found they all got very muddled together and I couldn’t taste each layer of ingredients.
• I found the flavours actually quite one dimensional and the texture was very soft, creamy and almost sponge like throughout and at times a bit soggy.
• The tortillas were soft and then the bottom layer I think was a Cotija cheese that was mild and spongy, like ricotta meets tofu.
• I didn’t get much spinach flavour as I did flavours and textures of sauteed green leaf lettuce and maybe even romaine.
• There was some of that corn truffle again which tastes like black bean paste and corn, but the sweetness of the corn kernels got lost for me.
• It was quite creamy and it’s not that cheesy and I needed more crema fresca (sour cream) for more tang. I wouldn’t have minded a chunkier salsa verde and salsa roja as well, but overall I found it a bit mild in flavours and it was bit like eating a casserole of sauces and condiments.

**Pollo En Mole - 5.5/6

• Local free range chicken breast served with a blend of Mexican chilies chocolate sauce $15.95
• It was half a bone in chicken and I wish it didn’t come precut. I think it needed to rest a bit more before being cut because the meat wasn’t as moist as it could have been.
• The skin had a smoky dry rub and it’s not crispy, but when it’s covered with rich and decadent mole sauce you really barely notice it.
• The mole sauce was intense and it’s made in house with 18-19 ingredients.
• The mole was one of the best mole sauces I’ve come across, and it had to do with complex deep flavours as well as the creamy rich texture it had.
• It was thick and creamy and almost paste like and I could taste the texture of the house roasted chilies in combination with fresh spices such as cumin and cinnamon.
• It was bitter sweet with sweet chocolate flavour in the initial notes and then an earthy, deep and slightly bitter flavour at the end. It was smoky and it tastes like there’s some espresso rub, but there wasn’t.
• The sauce was also nutty and there must have been either/and/or ground sesame seeds, almonds and peanuts to achieve that type of consistency. (I checked and it’s peanut free, but there are also ground pumpkin seeds in it).
• It was smoky, sweet, bitter and very warm with a mild heat and it complemented the smoky and savoury chicken perfectly.
• It was served with a side of sauteed bell peppers, onions and cactus. It was nice and sweet and it was my first time trying cactus, but it tasted like slimy okra in the form of a long strand of bell pepper. It’s crunchy and tastes like a slimy jelly like green bell pepper.

Paella – 3/6

• Seafood: shrimps, mussels, clams and squid $18.95/person
• Meat: Chorizo, chicken and snails $16.95/person
• All of the above, but snails $18.95/person
• 12 hour reservation required and 2 people minimum.
• This is something that requires a pre-order because Chef Luis is extremely particular with the quality control of his specially prepared paella.
• We ordered the all of the above paella and it’s pretty good value with the ingredients and portion, but the flavour wasn’t as impressive for me.
• It was fresh and made with fresh seafood, but it lacked the flavour of an authentic paella. I’m using that “authentic” word very lightly as I’m not expecting it to taste as good as the ones in Spain, but I know it could be better.  For Vancouver standards this one is still quite good.
• It was loaded with seafood, but the prawns were overcooked and a couple mussels seemed a bit watery.
• The chorizo wasn’t a house made cured Spanish chorizo and it was more like a slightly spicy sausage, so that was different from the paellas that I’m used too.
• The chicken were cubes of chicken breast and they were moist, but could have been more seasoned.
• The rice was al dente, moist, separate and not soggy and it had some seafood flavours with a touch of tomato paste. I wish the seafood and chicken stock it was made with was more intense though.
• It would also be nice to get those smoky chorizo flavours and natural juices of the vegetables in there as well.
• I also couldn’t get much saffron flavour although I could see a lot of saffron threads on top. I just couldn’t actually taste its perfume like floral flavour and I felt like the spice was dead or too old.
• The peas were also a bit dry and starchy rather than sweet too, so the quality of those weren’t great.
• I just found the rice a bit one dimensional in flavour and it lacked the spices, herbs, lemon tang, smokiness and depth of a great paella.

Desserts

All desserts are made in house, and for me, Latin or Mexican food requires a little sweet to finish off. Who am I kidding? That’s my criteria for all my meals! Anyways the ones here are all made in house and they’re quite gourmet. However I do find them overpriced considering desserts at fine dining restaurants such as Cioppino’s (see here) and Cin Cin (see here) have their desserts for almost the same price. The desserts were excellent, but even so, it was hard to justify their value even considering the labour and ingredients.

**Tres Leches Cake – 5/6

• Vanilla Torte infused with three types of milk, and served with seasonal fruits $8.95
• It’s a traditional Spanish cake, served room temperature and it’s very light tasting, yet very dense with a tight crumb.
• It’s not a pound cake, and it’s not fluffy, or airy like a sponge cake, but almost loaf like. It’s not buttery either, so it’s not rich and surprisingly not that filling since it’s so moist.
• The cake is completely soaked with a mixture of evaporated and condensed milk so it’s nicely sweetened and very juicy.
• It’s very runny in texture and every bite is like a sweet burst of milky syrup, but it’s not too rich or overly sweet.
• The cake itself is a milk and egg based cake and it just absorbs the two types of milk poured onto it. It’s not really soggy either, but just incredibly moist and busting with liquid in every bite. Together it tastes like a very custard like cake and it’s like a juicy sweet dessert.
• Traditionally it should be topped with a fresh whipped cream, but in this case it was a regular whipped cream sprinkled with cinnamon served on the side.
• The cake was excellent, not too sweet, yet very much a dessert and the piece was large so it’s easily shared.
• For what it is, I still think it’s overpriced because it’s pretty easy to make, but it was still really really good.

**Organic Flourless Chili Chocolate Cake – 4/6

• Almond meal cake made with organic chocolate and mixed chilies $9.95
• This was a very small portion, but it can still be shared since it’s a bit rich, however still not overly sweet.
• The ice cream makes it not as sweet and I love the warm and cold contrast.
• The chocolate cake was incredibly moist and it was a cross between a bittersweet lava cake, without the molten centre, and a light cake like brownie.
• It was very soft and creamy, yet it had an almond like crumb, so it wasn’t as pastey as some flourless cakes can be. It’s not very nutty though.
• It seemed like there was a hint of espresso in the background and the chili was very very faint and it only came after I completely finished the bite. It wasn’t that spicy at all and I could have used more. Eaten with the ice cream I especially couldn’t taste the chili.
• The fresh raspberry coulis was a nice contrast with the rich chocolaty cake and it was a delicious cake, but I still think it’s a bit pricey considering the size. The ingredients are pricier and gourmet, but so are the ones from Thomas Haas and those cakes are almost half the price and double the size – see here.

Restaurant: Mochikas Peruvian Cafe
Cuisine: Peruvian/Latin American/South American/Spanish
Last visited: March 4, 2011
Location: Vancouver, BC (Fairview)
Address: 1696 West 5th Avenue (& Pine, inside a car wash)
Price Range: $10 or less, $10-20

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

Food: 5 (based on what I tried)
Service: 5
Ambiance: 3 (for what it is)
Overall: 4.5
Additional comments:

• Specializes in Peruvian cuisine
• Locally owned
• Authentic
• Hidden gem
• Home cooked/Home made
• Quick/casual
• Popular to Latin community
• Great hole in the wall
• Part Peruvian grocery store
• Part handmade art store
• Seafood/Meat dishes
• Affordable
• Catering available
• Eat in/Take out
• Cash only
• Mon-Thu 11am-5pm
• Fri 11am-10pm
• Sat 12pm-10pm
• Sun 12pm-6pm

**Recommendations: Yuca Frita con Chicharron, Ceviche, Chupe de Mariscos, Chicharron Sandwich

Guy Fieri from Triple D where are you?! I think Vancouver just schooled you! Talk about hidden gem! Mochikas Peruvian Cafe is located inside Platinum Touch Auto Spa. It was either going to be really really good, or really really bad, and I’m happy to say it was the prior! It’s definitely a secret location, however the Latin community and people working nearby seem to be aware of its existence. So how did I discover it? Well thanks to Sherman for the introduction we decided to come here for lunch! (The photos are his as well.)

The first and I think only Peruvian restaurant in Metro Vancouver and it’s located inside the building of a car wash. Nice! The “Grand Opening” banner has been up for a while and they actually just celebrated their one year anniversary. Don’t underestimate the “hole in the wall” ambiance because the food here is popular to the Latin community for a reason, and it’s just waiting to be discovered by the rest of Vancouver. And I hope to give it the helping hand it needs!

The owner is also the master chef/cook behind the food here. From what I can assume, it’s authentic Peruvian food, and from what I know, I know it’s all home cooked and made upon order (minus a few things that do sit in the chilled display case). I think it’s as close to authentic Peruvian as he can get with the resources still available. The owner has a lot of heart in this restaurant and my confidence was reassured when I noticed a few Latin customers come in for lunch as well. They seemed like regulars too and that’s always a good sign.

My knowledge of Peruvian food, let alone Latin and South American food is quite limited, and I have yet to make a trip to that part of the world. In Vancouver we don’t have much selection for Latin restaurants, and the only ones I have tried are El Inka Deli and baru Latino Restaurante. However I am more familiar with Spanish food and I know that’s one of the many influences for Peruvian cuisine. I’m actually not sure if there’s such a thing as “authentic” Peruvian cuisine because Peruvian cuisine is almost a fusion of several cuisines like Asian, Spanish and even African. Peru is quite multi-cultural so it borrows flavours from various cultures. Nonetheless I’m writing this post based on living and being in Vancouver and whether or not it was enjoyable and good, and I’m pleased to say that it was!

Mochikas Peruvian Cafe actually triples as a restaurant/cafe, mini Latin specialty foods store, and a handmade Peruvian crafts and jewelery store. How authentic right? It’s almost all of Peru in one stop! All it needed was a tiny television that reruns Latin soap operas and, or Latin game shows… oh wait, never mind that was also there! Except it was turned off! The place was all very charming and the fact that it’s located inside a car wash definitely added to the novelty of the whole experience. It had a few Peruvian art pieces and vases and the “specialty foods store” is basically a few shelves on the wall with imported Latin goods. It’s not a Latin Costco or art gallery, or anything to that degree, so I just want to mentally prepare you.

The restaurant itself is very casual, but it’s also clean and somewhat modern. Maybe modern isn’t the right word, but the restaurant is definitely not a dive on the inside. They also do a lot of catering and the prices aren’t dirt cheap as one might assume, but it’s actually reasonably priced for the quality of food they’re serving. A few of the more difficult items to prepare can be considered even pricey if you take into consideration the location and portion, but in the end I could appreciate its value and it definitely adds something new to the Vancouver food scene. The food tasted great with home made sauces, roasted in house meats and a home made quality that was still very professional. Mochikas is definitely one of those secrets that you can’t wait to share with the world.

Added note: This post was updated on March 7, 2011. The restaurant was revisited and the Chicha Morada, Causa a Limena and Chicharron Sandwich were complimentary.

On the table:Chicha Morada – 5/6

• Chilled purple corn drink with pineapple skin, green apple and cinnamon $2/glass $6/pitcher
• It reminded me of a non-alcoholic sangria meets grape cider, but it has a creamy texture. The only time I tried it was at El Inka Deli (see here) and I liked it better here at Mochickas.
• It almost tastes like grape juice, but with more citrus, and there’s no actual pureed fruit in it. It’s not too sweet, but nice and tangy from the bright pineapple flavour and I loved the aromatic hint of cinnamon.
• It was almost like a chilled mulled wine and sometimes the drink will be made with other spices like cloves as well, which is like the one at El Inka Deli.
• There was a few pieces of fresh pineapple and green apples floating on top, but it more for garnish.
• This one is a still a bit artificial compared to a traditional version which is made of boiled down purple corn, fruits and warm spices, but it was still quite tasty and totally satisfying especially with the bargain price.

**Yuca Frita con Chicharron – 4.5/6

• Deep fried cassava root & pork belly served with Mochikas signature sauces $7
• This is an indulgent appetizer, but “well balanced” as an overall dish and quite delicious. It’s new to the menu and very typical of Latin cuisine.
• It came with 3 pieces of pork belly and most of it was falling apart tender, although not really juicy. I would call dibs on the piece with the largest surface area of crunchiness.
• The chicharron is traditionally deep fried pork rind, but in this case it seemed like roasted and then deep fried pork belly. It had a very crispy caramelized and salty rind, but it wasn’t like the cracklings on a porchetta.
• Usually the skin is a lot thicker on a traditional chicharron, but I actually preferred this version where there’s more of a balance with the meat and skin.
• I’m definitely not one for gelatinous fat and skin, but in this case the fat was incredibly melt in your mouth tender with a nice crunchy skin. The fat was impossible to separate from the lean meat since it was almost like melted buttery cream.
• It actually tasted like the Chinese style roasted suckling pig. It was nice and savoury throughout and the ratio of meat to fat was perfect.
• The cassava root is like a starchier and more fiberous potato and they were tender and crispy and delicious with the spicy Mochika sauce.
• It comes with a side of pickled red onion called Salsa Criolla which is a traditional accompaniment in Peruvian dishes. It really helped to cut the richness of all the deep fried goodness so it made the dish “well balanced”.
• The red onions weren’t really pickled, but they were raw and crunchy and actually very sweet from being marinated in the lime juice. They were tossed in a tangy and sweet lime and cilantro vinaigrette with some added heat from jalapenos. It’s actually not that spicy at all although it’s supposed to be a peppery salad.
• The dish was also served with a homemade Mochika signature sauce which was a yellow dipping sauce that was delicious.
• It was like Peruvian style hot mustard, but sweeter and creamier.
• The sauce was sweet, smoky and quite spicy with a bold kick at the end. The initial notes are sweet and I feel like it’s made with roasted yellow peppers, cumin and ají peppers (a typical Peruvian pepper). It’s quite creamy, but it went well with everything on the plate, giving dynamic Peruvian flavours to what was essentially deep fried ingredients.

Causa a Limena – 3.5/6

• Peruvian spiced mashed potatoes topped with chicken or tuna, black olive & spicy Peruvian rocoto sauce $6
• I can’t believe I was getting presentation like this from a car wash!
• This was like a cross of mashed potato salad meets tuna salad. It’s a simple Latin appetizer served slightly chilled and sometimes it’s made with avocado in it too, but this one isn’t.
• The potatoes were ultra creamy, but coarsely mashed. They were mashed with hot and smoky aji pepper sauce so they carried a little heat at the end, but it wasn’t that spicy at all.
• The tuna salad lightened up the potatoes and added the refreshing savoury flavour and slight crunch of vegetables it needed.
• The tuna salad was quite basic with mayo, celery and onions and together with the potato it just tasted like a tuna potato salad.
• Eaten with the hard boiled egg on top it tasted like a tuna, potato, and egg salad.
• It wasn’t anything particularly unique, but it did taste and look good!
• It really needs the spicy Peruvian rocoto sauce though otherwise it doesn’t seem very unique or “Latin” in flavours to me. It was a tangy, sweet and smoky yellow pepper sauce with a nice kick and it just woke up the flavours of the causa a limena.

**Ceviche – 5.5/6

• Fresh fish of the day or mixed seafood marinated in lime juice, garlic, & cilantro served with corn, sweet potato & red onions $13
• The ceviche is a must try at any Latin restaurant, as long as the seafood is fresh. You may question the freshness of the ceviche here, but it’s fine and not to be missed!
• I ordered mixed seafood and it was awesome!
• It came with lots of big chunks of fish (cod), shrimp, squid, octopus, one mussel and those tiny scallop niblets. The fish is raw but it “cooks” in the lime juice.
• What made this dish was the marinade. The marinade is made in house and it was so complex and dynamic in flavours. It was sweet, savoury, tangy, bright, and carried a bit of heat. It was incredibly aromatic and it’s made with the infusion of ginger and sweet veggies which are extracted so you don’t even know they were in there.
• After knowing that ginger is in there, you can definitely tell. It’s used for its aromatic sweetness more than its spice, and it almost made it taste Thai. I feel like it was the secret ingredient and even non-ginger fans would like this since it’s not the typical ginger flavour.
• The marinade is drinkable and I could have it as a chilled soup. It was fantastic!
• I loved the sweetness of the corn (very Peruvian) in combo with the raw onions which were also sweet again from being marinated in the lime juice. However it is a spicy ceviche, but the spice comes after.
• It was incredibly refreshing and bright and the pieces of fish were so pounded that they absorbed the marinade easily and became so soft and tender, yet they still had texture.
• The only parts of the ceviche I didn’t like was the shrimps, which were frozen and tasted frozen, and the mussel which was overcooked. Other than that the squid and tiny marble sized scallops were tender and the fish was brilliant.
• Since the marinade is quite spicy the purple creamy sweet potato on the side was used to kill the heat when it got overwhelming. I love sides that serve a purpose!

**Chicharron Sandwich – 6/6

• Crispy mini bun with layers of deep fried sweet potatoes, slices of chicharron (deep fried pork belly), topped with pickled red onion called Salsa Criolla, and a touch of Mochickas signature hot sauce $4.50
• This will be better than any slider you can find almost anywhere! How can you go wrong with a pork belly burger?! That’s right! You can’t!
• This was freaking delicious and I was in my own little world as I ate it! It’s pretty much the Chicharron appetizer I ordered above, but in mini burger form! I’d much rather have this!
• It was a super crispy and crunchy burger, but very indulgent and rich.
• It was like Chinese style roasted suckling pork sandwiched between warm crusty bread. It would have even been good with Hoisin sauce!

• It was perfect ratio of meat and bread and it had thick layers of tender deep fried pork belly with extra crunchy skin, so it was almost like a Porchetta sandwich.
• In the context of the sandwich, where every ingredient was crunchy, any gelatinous or chewy quality the pork belly may have had completely became unnoticed.
• It was savoury and juicy with melt in your mouth pork belly and it carried a little heat, but I could have used way more Mochicka hot sauce.
• The deep fried sweet potatoes were a bit overpowered and could have been crispier as well because I couldn’t taste the sweetness they were supposed to bring.
• This burger really requires the pickled red onion salsa to cut through the fatty pork belly. I found the hot sauce helped as well, but I could only taste it’s spice and not it’s flavour so I wanted more of that smoky sweetness the sauce has.
• Definitely a Follow Me Foodie approved sandwich, but I would make a request for more fresh cilantro or green onion, pickled red onion salsa, and Mochicka hot sauce for more flavour and balance, although it was still very flavourful as is.

**Chupe de Mariscos – 5.5/6

• A spicy, hearty seafood chowder with Aji Panca, fresh cheese, rice, & cassava $14
• The owner kept recommending the chowder and thank god he did, otherwise I would have overlooked it.
• This is a must try and it’s hearty enough to satisfy most people for lunch.
• It’s home made and the broth is incredible. It tastes like a Peruvian style curry laksa and this is probably a Peruvian dish that has had influence from Asian cuisine.
• It seemed like the ceviche, but made into a thicker, richer soup broth with more seafood flavour.
• It looks oily, but it doesn’t taste oily, and it’s not necessarily creamy, but still thick with flavour. It’s a sweet, tangy and spicy soup, but it has a very strong seafood flavour.
• It was intense and almost like tomato and seafood bisque, but not nearly as creamy.

• It’s loaded with lots of seafood. It came with 2 tender cod fillets, shrimps, squid, octopus, scallops, a clam, a mussel and the rice was not overcooked.
• The cheese and cassava were MIA… but I didn’t care because it didn’t need it.
• I feel like they use clam nectar because the broth really tastes like it’s made with crustaceans.
• It has a sweet red bell pepper, tangy tomato paste, and chili paste base that is very well balanced, and with a squeeze of fresh lime (served on the side) the flavours just came alive, although it was already quite alive in the first place.
• I’m not sure how authentic it is, but from what I know the authentic version is usually served with a poached or fried egg on top and can be a bit more yellow in colour.

Arroz con Pato – 3/6

• 6 Hour braised duck marinated in Aji Amarillo, Peruvian spices & beer served with cilantro rice $14
• I was most excited about this one from the description of the menu, but it sounds better than it was, although still good.
• It’s actually a very classic and authentic recipe and dish, but I was just expecting something different and I didn’t know it would be so “simple” in flavours.
• I liked how the the cilantro rice brightened up the flavours of the somewhat smoky and earthy duck, but overall I think the duck could be better prepared.
• It was visually very appetizing and served on a bed of rice that was almost like a risotto but mixed with freshly chopped cilantro puree, green peas, sweet shallots, garlic and red peppers. The rice was delicious and bright with flavour, but it’s also not salty and quite neutral although herby.

• The duck was marinated in beer and orange juice, but it’s not very apparent.
• For being marinated in 6 hours I was expecting to be able to shred away at it with my fork, but it wasn’t the case.
• I actually wouldn’t have guessed there was orange juice because I couldn’t taste the acidity or sweetness it should have brought.
• The skin had a Peruvian spice dry rub and it was quite smoky with cumin and peppers, but not crispy and actually a bit gelatinous and chewy.
• The meat on the other hand was quiet tender, although somewhat dry. Parts of it were juicy and the leg obviously had more flavour, but I was expecting so much more from a 6 hour braised duck.
• The duck actually seemed more like pork and it lost its sweetness and seemed a bit overcooked rather than slowly braised.
• The sweetness of the duck was more enhanced with the green peas, but overall it lacked the obvious tang, heat, sweetness, smokiness, and savouriness all the other dishes had.
• Not something I would particularly order again, but I’m still glad I tried it.

Chocoteja – 3.5/6

• A classic Peruvian chocolate – handmade dark chocolate filled with caramel & pecans $2
• These are home made chocolates and I loved the rustic, yet fancy Mochikas packaging.
• I had them straight from the fridge and they’re actually much better when you let them come to room temperature so it’s not as hard.
• The chocolate was a bit waxy and didn’t taste the finest of quality, but the caramel was fantastic. It tastes like a home made dulche de leche and the flavour really came out over the chocolate.
• The pecan was a whole pecan and it added a nice nutty crunch and it was like a Peruvian version of a Turtle, but the caramel was so much better, richer and made from caramelized milk and sugar.

Restaurant: The Mission
Cuisine: Breakfast/Brunch/Lunch/Fusion/American/Latin-America/Asian
Last visited: October 3, 2010
Location: San Diego, California (North Park)
Address: 2801 University Ave
Price Range: $10 or less

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

Food: 4.5 (based on what I tried)
Service: 4
Ambiance: 3.5
Overall: 5
Additional comments:

• Locally owned/operated
• “Top 25 Best Breakfast in US”
• Voted “Best Restaurant in San Diego”
• Offers eclectic breakfasts/brunch
• Some Asian/Latin/American fusion
• Local favourite
• Line-ups
• Freshly baked goods
• Made from scratch/homemade
• Pretty healthy, fresh ingredients
• Affordable
• Big portions
• Open daily 7am-3pm

**Recommendations: Chicken Apple Sausage & Eggs, Zen breakfast with a side of homemade Thai peanut sauce

The Mission is a popular local favourite for breakfast and brunch in San Diego, California. It’s been named as one of the city’s best restaurants and USA Today and Zagat has even named it as one of the 25 best bets for breakfast in the Unites States. I’d say that’s a pretty big deal. It was Sunday morning and there was a 20 minute line up at around 9am and the place is constantly packed. They’re just as popular for lunch as well.

The restaurant is pretty big and it looks more modern on the inside than it does from the outside. It’s a very eclectic restaurant and everything is home made with fresh ingredients that you can see and taste. The menu is quite large with some traditional offerings, but the majority is fusion with innovative recipes that have Latino-Asian influences. All the breads and pastries are freshly baked but the selection is a bit limited. It’s clean, causal, affordable and the food is generally healthy although the portions are big. It’s a fancy diner without the fancy prices and that’s hard to come by. I could see it being on West 4th or the Kitsilano area if it was in Vancouver, BC.

We had our local San Diego friend take us here before heading to the Chargers game. The day continued with Extraordinary Desserts and Hash House a Go Go so it was hard to pace myself because everything at The Mission sounded delicious. I was generally quite impressed and I would definitely want to make a bigger dent in the menu the next time I’m visiting San Diego.

On the table:

Non-Fat Blackberry Banana Smoothie – 4/6

• A Mission favourite $3.95USD
• The menu said “A Mission favourite” so I had to order it. Every time I see “favourite” 9/10 times I’ll order it.
• The smoothie is pretty big and basically a meal in itself.
• It is what it is, but I think it’s popular because it’s almost made of all fruit blended with some ice. There’s no dairy and it’s naturally sweet.
• The blackberries are frozen, but that banana is not so you get bits of creamy banana. Good ratio, but I tasted more blackberries.

Banana Blackberry Pancakes – 4/6

• Three large pancakes with bananas and blackberries $6.75 Add $2 for two scrambled eggs and double smoked bacon.
• All pancakes are decorated with fresh seasonal fruit, berry purée, and powdered sugar.
• The pancakes are pretty big and the portion is shareable.
• It’s really fresh and the quality is really good, however I think it looked better than it tasted.
• The pancakes were fluffy, but not cake like. They’re a bit dry and bland so you had to eat them with syrup or the fresh berry puree they plate it with, which I really liked.
• I wish the bananas and berries were mashed and mixed into the pancake batter as well as being placed whole on the pancakes

Blueberry Cornmeal Pancakes – 3.5/6

• Three crisp pancakes with blueberry and cornmeal$6.75USD
• All pancakes are decorated with fresh seasonal fruit, berry purée, and powdered sugar.
• These sounded absolutely delicious to me and I really wanted to like them more, but they were drier than the banana blackberry pancakes.
• The cornmeal was used for texture because it adds no flavour. It was just sprinkled on top during the cooking process so it gave the pancakes a semi crunchy texture.
• The blueberries were placed whole again and it was nice to bite into bites of juicy berries, but I still wanted more because the pancake itself had no flavour.

**Chicken Apple Sausage & Eggs – 4.5/6

• Chicken apple sausage is lightly sautéed, served with crispy rosemary potatoes, grilled rosemary bread, and eggs as you like them $8.95USD
• This is another local favourite and it’s huge! It was pretty much dinner. Although it’s hearty, everything was fresh and not oily so it’s pretty healthy.
• Scrambled eggs are delicious here. They’re slippery, fluffy, soft and moist.
• Chicken apple sausages were very good as well. It was made with real coarsely ground chicken and they were very moist and flavourful and not greasy. They had some dried herbs and a savoury earthy flavour but I couldn’t taste much sweetness or much apple at all.

• Crispy Rosemary Potatoes are a major highlight and they give you a ton too. It’s made with creamy red skin potatoes that are roughly smashed up. They’re crispy and tender and very charred so they have an intense caramelized flavour with the perfect amount of seasoning and Rosemary. They’re cooked with tomatoes and some green onions and they’re one of the most delicious fried potatoes I’ve had for breakfast.

• Grilled Rosemary Bread is freshly baked in house. It’s almost like a garlic focaccia bread but without the garlic. It’s crunchy and soft in the middle and delicious if you want to use it to make a sandwich with the sausages, eggs, and potatoes.

**Zen Breakfast – 6/6

• Scrambled egg whites, braised tofu, brown rice, lightly grilled zucchini, tomatoes, onions, and squash $8.95USD
• I loved this! It’s more for lunch, but I’d be happy to have it anytime of the day. It’s fresh and healthy and it’s one of the best vegetarian meals I’ve had.

• The tofu is braised in soy sauce, ginger and tangy sweet juicy mushrooms. Each tofu cube is bursting with savoury, tangy, sweet sauce and it just has great intense flavour.
• The scrambled egg whites are amazing! They must use milk to get such a nice texture because it’s so silky and soft.
• The brown rice would be even better if it was quinoa. It was a bit clumpy, but I didn’t mind too much because mixed with the tofu it was okay. It also had a nice sweet ans savoury soy sauce n top so even if it was dry you couldn’t really tell.

Homemade Thai Peanut Sauce – 6/6

• Their famous sauce.
• I asked for a side or this homemade Thai peanut sauce that they serve for lunch items. i couldn’t leave without trying it and I knew it would be perfect with my Zen breakfast. I highly recommend getting it on the side because it goes great with everything on the Zen plate.
• It’s a pretty creamy and thick sauce with made with peanut butter, soy sauce, and some chili sauce. It’s savoury, sweet and has the perfect kick.

Restaurant: Panaderia Latina Bakery
Cuisine: Bakery/Latin America/South America
Last visited: March 6, 2010
Location: Vancouver, BC (Refrew-Collingwood)
Address: 4906 Joyce St
Price Range: $10 or less

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

Food: 4.5
Service: 4
Ambiance: 1.5
Overall: 4.5
Additional comments:

• Authentic Latin bakery
• Very traditional Chilean recipes
• Hole in the wall
• Fresh baked goods in display cases
• Take-out
• Grocery store
• Home made baked goods
• Frequented by Latin Americans

Never would I have discovered this bakery if I wasn’t next door trying Bo Laksa King…and never would I have discovered Bo Laksa King if I wasn’t given the recommendation to visit there. So kill 2 birds with one stone – get your hole in the authentic Malaysian food and then go next door to get your authentic Latin American desserts. I mean I don’t know how well those cuisine go together…but I’m rarely in this area so I wanted to hit up both.

Panaderia Latina Bakery specializes in authentic Latin American baked goods – specifically Chilean baked goods and desserts. The ladies and bakers behind the counter are all from South America and you just know walking in that you are about to get the good stuff. Everything offered was traditional and actually quite sweet but I enjoyed them all for the most part. I don’t remember any of the prices but everything is pretty dirt cheap. As a Latin bakery they were excellent but on the broader scheme of desserts and bakeries they weren’t the best desserts I’ve ever had.

Half of the bakery is a grocery store so you can pick up some Latin American groceries while you’re at it! (Likewise at Bo Laksa King)

**Recommendations: Bread Pudding (Budin), Milhojas (Napoleon)

Pineapple Empanada – 2.5/6

• I wasn’t crazy about this pineapple empanada. The recipe is traditional, but I think I would like a non-traditional version better with real pineapples inside and a flakey pastry.
• The crust is almost like a cookie crust. It’s very crumbly and almost like shortbread. It had a dry texture.
• The filling is like a pineapple jam. It was quite thick and sticky and there wasn’t much of it but it was just too artificial for me. It was quite sweet but not too strong in pineapple flavour…it reminds me of apricot jam.

**Bread Pudding (Budin) - 5/6

• Chilean bread pudding is much different than the British/American versions we’re typically used to. I thoroughly enjoyed this one.
• The bread pudding is very dense and almost like a bar. The bread is not chunks of cubed bread but it’s very tightly packed together to create a rubbery like texture. It was chewy and moist though so it wasn’t a bad ‘rubbery’ at all.
• It was almost like a solidified custard or pudding. I think they use condensed milk in it. It’s sweet, but not overly sweet.
• The top was a little dry and stale, but that’s expected for display case take-out desserts like this…so I’ll let that go.

• It had a caramel taste and there were flakes of dried coconut and plump raisins all throughout. Loved that part!

Pan Dulce (Sweet Bread) – 2/6

• This reminded me of a bun I would see at a Chinese bakery – particularly the “Pineapple Bun”. (The reasons it’s called a Pineapple Bun is because the top looks like a pineapple).
• The literal translation of Pan Dulce is sweet bread or sugary bread. It’s actually very lightly sweetened. It was very ordinary to me and I much rather have a Chinese bakery sweet bun.
• It was soft, fluffy and light. I found it quite neutral in flavour and very similar to home made white bread.
• The topping is supposed to be a sweeter streusel topping, but I didn’t find that part sweet either. It was pretty though.

**Milhojas (Napoleon) – 5.5/6

• This is one of their most popular desserts. Almost every culture has their own interpretation of th authentic French dessert the Napoleon. For example the Chinese version of napoleon at St. Germain’s Bakery is made with walnuts and a couple layers of sponge cake. This is the Latin Americans and it’s sweeter than most I’ve tried.
• This was my favourite. It’s very crunchy, crispy and flakey. The pastry is lovely and it’s very fresh. The bottom layer was almost like an almond tart cookie crust – it was very nutty and crumbly.
• There aren’t many layers of custard, but the single layer is very thick, creamy and sweet so I’m glad there was only one layer. I think the custard was made with condensed milk because it was very rich and not like a French style custard. Since it was cooked the custard caramelized and got even sweeter. A dessert that goes well with milk or water.
• Sometimes the custard layer is a buttercream layer like the one from Diplomat Bakery.