El Camino's

Average review 

For 

Average food 

But 

Good, prompt service and great ambiance.

But

Won't be returning.

Food is of utmost importance

And El Camino's did not impress. 

The Good: Innovative Food Creations

Just did not pass the Yum test.

The Pao de Queijo

Was filling, but too much filling and nothing special.

The Queso

Was a bit like an egg and cheese sandwich. 

All interesting on paper but average in taste. 

As my friend suggested, perhaps it would all taste better 

With a couple of drinks. 

It's more of a tapas restaurant. 

Not my thing, 

Has potential to be liked by others. 

El Caracol Cafe

My Cheesy Little Secret...Shhh

I was considering whether or not I should reveal this recently found treasure to you all because it's quaint and interesting, and I want it all to myself! 

But now that I have gone twice in 3 days, it will be too selfish of me not to share this El Salvadorean Jewel in the dust.

So let's just get to the food stuff:

Tamales de Elote

This was the first thing I had. The vegetarian version is just made with corn, so there was no filling or anything. Kind of like a steamed cornbread. Not my favourite, but my friend had the Chicken Tamale de Elote which was apparently good.

2/5

Tortilla Con Queso

The Best! So cheesy and the cheese was so flavourful, there was some kick of spice in the cheese. And the tortilla itself was not some flimsy sheet of dough, but crispy, yet thick. My friend, on the other hand, could not handle the cheese overload.

5/5

Baleada

Pretty much a bean burrito :). So simple yet yummy and filling, especially when I scoop some of the cheese from my Tortilla con Queso onto my Baleada. You gotta try it!!! A good improvement would be to fill it with some cheese.

3.5/5

Atole de Elote

This is a corn-based milk dessert. It tasted a bit like a healthy drink that I should be having to get better from a flu, but my friend sure liked it. Will be trying a non-liquid dessert the next time.

1/5

Pupusa

(Photo Credit-didn't take a pic of pupusas, so had to grab one from google images)
What I love about the pupusas here is that there is plenty of cheese to satisfy. However the vegetarian cheese pupusas were lacking in flavour. It would be great if they add some beans or maybe even potatoes along with the cheese in the filling. Maybe I'll request that next time :o, wish me luck! And yes there will be a next time very soon.
2.5/5

The ambiance is nothing special. Interesting to look at, low key, yet homely. Have to grab your own water from the water station, which I don't mind at all. I get my water refilled whenever I need it. Service is good, nothing to complain. The washroom is at the back in the kitchen.

Regardless of how the place looks, the food is definitely worth a visit, so don't miss out!

It's my South American dream come true!!!!

Update:

So I returned once again and had the Veggie Enchiladas and it's my new favourite on their menu :).

Dinner at The Naam

How shall I describe adventure at this hippie joint. This a vegetarian's dream come true. So many yummy-looking dishes, it was a bit hard for me to choose. The menu had different kinds of burritos and enchiladas from Mexico, pasta and pizza from Italy, chappati from India, noodles and stir fries from Thailand, Hawaiian and Indonesian-themed burgers.  It's like they picked dishes from around the world, mixed them up and added their own touch to give you the best of all the good stuff. Just from looking at the menu, I knew I would be coming back for more very soon.


So I was ready to order a Chili Burrito but I don't know what I was thinking and accidentally ordered a Veggie Burrito. (It was a long day at work...sigh). Anyways the large burrito came alongside the Naam Salad - which was pretty good. It had cucumbers, sprouts, beets, carrots, and sunflower seeds put together beautifully with the Naam dressing.

I wasn't quite satisfied with my dish because I really wanted the Chili flavour in my burrito and the Veggie filling just wasn't my thing. However the melted cheese sitting atop my burrito did add some goodness.

My friend ordered the Chilaquiles Enchiladas, and it did not only look yum, but tasted splendid. And no this is not a case of "the grass is always greener on the other side." Perhaps it's because the Chilaquiles had the filling that I had wanted - chilli filling, but I was envious and had to steal some of my friend's filling to satisfy my appetite. Oh, and them Miso-Sesame Fries were pretty good too.

So I will definitely be back to have a full plate of the Chilaquiles Enchiladas, and then back again to try the Maui-Maui Burger and perhaps the Crying Tiger Thai Stir-Fry (just for the name).

As for dessert, that was the first thing I noticed since they had them displayed by the service desk, and we were hoping to try the Shakti Cake, after dinner.

The desserts sounded so wholesome and interesting but we were bursting at our seams by the end so decided to rest our curiosity until next time.

The ambiance has room for improvement because the chairs were not comfy, the tables were small and it was a bit cold. I felt like this place would be more inviting if it was made to look and feel more cozy. Service was friendly, but my water was not refilled, but I can understand as this was a busy night. However, food is what matters most to me, so that alone will bring me back here for more.

Pepitas Restaurant

Cold Rainy Day. Hungry. Craving Mexican.

We arrived to an empty place, but perhaps it was because we were having a late dinner. The waitress was friendly and served us some fresh corn chips with salsa while we decided what to order. I ordered the Fajita Roll with vegetarian filling, which was a large flour tortilla filled with green pepper, mushrooms, potatoes and onions. It was served alongside some tomato rice, refried beans and a side salad made of lettuce, tomatoes and plenty of dressing all in generous portions. I found that the fajitas were bland, so I added hot sauce to spice things up. The vegetables just tasted like salted baked vegetables without any flavouring. I have made much better fajitas at home, and was expecting better here.

Fajita Roll

Enchiladas

 

 

My friend ordered the Enchiladas (above), one with chicken filling and the other with chicken filling. He really enjoyed it, so although I wasn't completely satisfied with my dinner, I might come back just to try out the Enchiladas which looked quite YUM!

(images from google)

Los Compadres

Bad Experience, Boring Food

My friend and I were craving mexican and searched for "best mexican restaurant in Vancouver," and Los Compadres looked to be the most promising option. Maybe the staff were having a bad day, because both the food and the experience were disappointing (Will not be discussing the poor service though).

I ordered the Enchiladas Platter (Rojas) which was a plate of three rolled up tortillas filled with beans and cheese, covered in tomato sauce, and a side of rice, bean puree and a salad made of lettuce, onion, and grated cheese. The rolled tortillas are suppose to be made with chicken inside, however, you can ask them to make this vegetarian version.  My friend had a meat dish - the Chile Relleno. For dessert, we shared the Gansito which is a cake soaked in milk and topped with icing.

To me, mexican food is about flavour, spice, and a full belly. The good thing  quite filling thanks to the protein-rich beans. The salad was pretty plain and seemed to be put there to fill empty space. The bean and cheese-filled tortillas were lacking in flavour. I thought they needed more cheese and tanginess which is where the green hot sauce helped a bit. I found that combining everything on the plate and adding hot sauce was the best way to enjoy this meal. My friend was equally disappointed with his meal for similar reasons. Overall? It reminded me too much of a microwaveable frozen meal. In fact, I've had much better frozen meals!

The highlight of the evening was the dessert, which cheered us both up. The cake was soft and wet at the bottom, like pudding, a spongy texture in the middle with a nice, not-too-sweet icing. Mmmmm, nice end to a meal.

Anyways, I'm still on the search for a good, authentic and flavourful mexican joint in Fraser Valley, so if anyone has any recommendations, please send them my way!

Good Luck to me on my quest to find the Best Mex in town!

Update:

Found a good South American Restau - El Caracol!!

Stats:

Rating:

Food = 2/5

Service = 1/5

Value = 1/5

Ambiance = 2/5

Overall: 1.5/5

Cost of my meal: $15 + TAX

Address:

4280 Hastings
Burnaby, BC V5C2J6

Contact:

Tel: (604) 569-1922

Price: $$ ($15 - $30)

Hours: Mon - Thu: 12PM - 9PM, Fri - Sat: 12PM - 10PM, Sun: 12PM - 9PM