Tag Archives: tacos

Mucho Burrito-Fast Casual in the West End

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Mucho Burrito opened its doors in the summer of 2011 and the people are eating up the fresh take on take on Texmex classics. With locations across Canada and some in the states it’s a better option than Taco Bell or Taco Time-these guys here are cooking real food here right in front of your eyes so you know your not getting any mystery meat here!

Here is what there all about according to their website:

“Get ready to change your tune about what you think Mexican food is! Mucho Burrito™ hits just the right notes with our made-to-order gourmet Mexican menu. Just one taste of our hand-rolled burritos, tacos and quesadillas will tell you how much effort we put into our mouthwatering products. We’ve put a fresh gourmet spin on Mexican food! Our tender “barbacoa” (shredded beef) and “carnitas” (shredded pork) are slow-cooked (about 8 hours!), retaining the tantalizing flavor of the Mexican seasonings we amply apply. There’s a reason these meats are marinated overnight – it’s called “succulent!” Delicious salsas and guacamole are made daily. Mucho Burrito™ offers it all in a bright, fun contemporary atmosphere you’re sure to love.”
Johnny Mucho

I will say it was refreshing to see real meats being grilled in the open kitchen and veggies being sautéed in fresh batches as needed for the burritos and other dishes-something you don’t usually see at fast food restaurants.

This review is based on a couple visits, on my 1st visit I went with the 12″ medium Barbacoa burrito with guacamole for .99 cents extra and a side of black bean and corn salsa with tortilla chips for $2.09 more, they also have a selection of Mexican soda’s-Jarritos, that I quite like so I grabbed a pineapple soda.

One think I will say is that this meal came out to just about 15 bucks-a bit on the expensive side for a meal for one but the ingredients were really fresh and it tasted just fine, the beef was flavorful and melt in your mouth tender. It was packed with ingredients and then grilled in a press resulting in a crisp top and bottom but on the other hand it was a pain and a mess to eat and ended up falling apart.

They have a selection of salsas you can add to your burrito-I went with the green tomatillo, it was pretty mild and you can also add fresh chopped jalapeño for some spice then if you want more heat they have a selection of hot sauces up front for your enjoyment.

The black bean and corn salsa that I chose is one of the options to have in your burrito so it wasn’t a wet salsa like you would expect so eating it with the chips was a bit hard and it’s better off used in the dishes, they had the traditional mild,medium and hot salsas to choose from for your chips, the chips were hot and fresh and fried on site I think, packaged up in little brown paper bags and placed in a warming cabinet up front, it was a nice touch from just plain old cold bagged tortilla chips.

On my 2nd visit I decided to go with what I would usually have-a burrito salad for $8.99, this time I chose the carnitas-slow roasted shredded pork-one of my favorites. Again I went with pretty much the same stuff as I had in the burrito but the rice is replaced with lettuce, you also can choose your beans-pinto or black-in both cases I went with black beans. This was a good meal and was just what I was expecting, the pork was flavorful and tender. Again my meal came in at the $13 mark after taxes.

To wash it all down I chose a grapefruit Jarritos and I’d recommend it to anyone-it’s super refreshing and tastes just like the pop named Squirt that is sold in the USA.

With the choices in meats-they even have chorizo as a choice and the quality if the proteins Mucho Burrito is set apart from similar TexMex fast food places but the price for a meal won’t have me coming back when there are better price options for me closer to my apartment but it’s a good option if you work in the area or are just looking for a quick TexMex meal.

Mucho Burrito (Davie) on Urbanspoon

Ebisu Robson

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I was lucky enough to win a Cheers Ebisu dinning package from @vaneatsca a couple of weeks ago. I took @maryinvancity with me to check this out and it was good times all around .
This package ended up selling out in a couple of days and I can see why-it’s great bang for your buck and is a great way to try a number of items off a menu and a new restaurant as well, it consisted of a pitcher of Sapporo Premium draft beer and a selection of 6 set menu items for $25.

photo credit for this to Mary

We were served this right away-my kinda place when the beer starts flowing quickly!, the Sapporo was nice and cold and stayed that way thanks to the chiller pitcher. Normally the beer is $15 alone.

The Cajun Tuna Tacos topped with caviar and Japanese mayo, these were ok but kinda bland, I tasted the tuna on it own and it was cooked perfectly still being rare in the middle but the mayo kinda killed any Cajun flavor, if you order these make sure you eat them with a small plate under because the shell breaks apart really easy.  There were 2 of them in the package.

Their version of Ebi mayo~Tiger mayo, was pretty good and was a favorite of Mary and myself, the chefs special chili mayo was served under the shrimp and there was a good amount, the tempura prawn was cooked perfectly and I’d definitely order this from the menu.  There were 2 of them in the package.

Boneless Chicken Karaage is part of the deal and was really good,it was moist and tender and the pieces were pretty big, the lemon totally worked to add a great tartness. They really know how to fry up some good chicken here and it shows,despite it being deep fried it wasn’t greasy.  There was 4 pieces of Karaage in the package.

This was a first for me, they call this Chikuwa Cheese, its deep fried fish cake stuffed with melted mozzarella cheese.  After reading about this I was really curious to try it, the last time I had deep fried fish cake it was made with a really oily heavy fish so it wasn’t a good experience but this was so subtle you couldn’t tell it was fish, the sauces on top was where the flavor was coming from, there was a heavy flavor of nutmeg and allspice and I actually really liked this.  There were 4 pieces of this in the package.

                                       Photo credit to Mary for this picture.

We got a basket of what they call Thunder fries in the deal, there really big sweet potato fries served with a Cajun mayo dip.  These were some of the best sweet potato fries I have ever had, they were nice and thick and the tempura batter was perfect.  Also in the basket was a fry filled with cream cheese.  Other restaurants should take a lesson from Ebisu on sweet potato fries and ditch the frozen Sysco product.

Lastly we have Kansai Steak Sliders, they consisted of sautéed sliced beef marinated in yakiniku sauce and topped with avocado, onions, mushrooms, mayo and a pickled jalapeno slice.

When we arrived and ordered our package we also order a couple other items off the menu so there would be some other selections that weren’t deep fried so we grabbed these:

Prawn Gyoza $5.95, hand wrapped tiger prawn dumplings pan fried to perfection.  I’ve never had prawn gyoza where the tail is sticking out before and it was a great touch and presentation, the wrapper was thin and tender.

Volcano rolls were lastly on the menu for us, for $6.97 you get a spicy salmon roll topped with tempura bits, tobiko, avocado and drizzled with a spicy sauce.  I personally didn’t like this~too spicy for my taste but I will say that they make quality sushi here and I look forward to trying some of their other rolls.

Keep your eyes tuned to the Vaneats.ca website and follow them on twitter to get the next great deal that they come out with.

Ebisu on Robson on Urbanspoon

La Taqueria Fairview

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With the same great menu from the original La Taqueria on Hastings the La Taqueria empire has expanded to a bigger and brighter location in the Fairview area of town and the Virgin de Guadalupe graces the front as well.

With the location across from the Broadway City Hall Canada Line Station its super easy to get to and in my case stop in on my way home for some killer tacos to fill a craving I was having.

Seeing things are just the same as the downtown location I went with my favorites on the meat side and tried the fish taco as well to round out what I haven’t had from the menu-I’m still staying away from the tofu taco!

Horchata $3. I started with this traditional Mexican beverage made with rice, almonds, sesame seeds, cinnamon and sugar, I really enjoy this and you can’t get it just any place.

Plate of Meat Tacos $9.50 for 4

The Pollo Con Mole.  As I said in my previous review La Taqueria does one of the best moles in the city and is a big time favorite of mine, on this visit I got 2 of these bad boys.

De Cachette-brasied beef cheeks.  Again this is one of my favorites as well, the meat is melt in your mouth tender and much like short ribs, it’s a must try if you come to La Taqueria.

Pescado taco-Fish Taco.  This was the one that I haven’t tried and honestly it was quite bland, it’s made from a seasonal grilled white fish and has salsa verde and cabbage on top, I’ve found I prefer the fish tacos from Tacofino in the Baja style-there not traditional Mexican but sure are damn tasty.

La Taqueria on Urbanspoon

La Taqueria Downtown

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Craving good authentic tacos I knew La Taqueria would satisfy my craving for authentic Mexican tacos made with heart. They make their tacos from traditional recipes with local, organic and sustainable products so it’s good eats all around.
The outside is bright and lively and with the Virgin de Guadalupe in beautiful tile mosaic while the inside is long and narrow with seating for 15 or so and ordering is simple~meat tacos are $2.50 each or 4 for $9 and the veggie tacos are $2 each or 4 for $7.  I went with a plate of 4 meat and a plate of 4 veggie so let’s get on to the food shall we.
De Cachete, pollo con mole, carnitas and al pastor $9
The Al Pastor, this is one of my favorite tacos and at La Taqureia they do it authentic with the pineapple on top and it’s also in the achiote marinade for the pork.
The Carnitas, pork confit with pickled onions, cilantro and finely diced white onions, now only if all the other places in town did carnitas like this!, the meat is nice and moist and the pickled onions cut the richness of the confit pork beautiful-it’s like the pulled pork of Mexico.
The De Cachete, show braised beef cheek with mild green salsa, finely diced white onions and cilantro.  I love beef, pork and lamb cheeks big time and I’m happy this is a regular item on the menu here, the meat is melt in your mouth tender and if you’ve never had it before I highly recommend it.
The Pollo Con Mole, traditional Mexican mole mixed with shredded chicken and sesame seeds to garnish, I added some of the mild green salsa to this bad boy, it’s one of the most popular tacos they make here, it’s not uncommon to see someone order 4 of these alone, it’s a traditional mole with a million ingredients including Mexican chocolate as a finishing ingredient so you definitely taste that sweet note and when you mix it with one of the salsa you’re in HEAVEN.  It’s definitely one of the best mole’s in Vancouver if not North America.
Mushroom with Garlic Sauce and cheese daily special,Rajas Con Crema and Frijoles Charros Con Cueso tacos $7
Mushroom,garlic sauce and Mexican cheese daily special, wanting to try just veggie tacos but not really wanting to try the tofu taco I grabbed a couple of these, the mushrooms were the predominant flavor and the cheese was nice and creamy, the garlic sauce was nice and not to strong so all around it was a good taco.
Frijoles Charros Con Queso, described on the menu as re-fried cowboy beans with Mexican cheese I wasn’t expecting the cheese to be so strong like it was, it almost was like a provolone level of sharpness, the beans were spiced nicely but the onions they have and sauces on hand really added another level of flavor and texture otherwise it would have been really mushy texture wise.
The Rajas Con Crema, roasted poblano peppers cooked with cream corn, Mexican cheese and sour cream.  My favorite veggie taco by far was this one, it was creamy from all the dairy in it and smoky from the peppers and the corn added a sweetness and crunch, the onions again capped it all off nicely.
La Taqueria has two locations in Vancouver to serve you some of the best, most authentic taco’s outside of Mexico and is not to be missed, the other location just opened at Cambie and Broadway so check them out.

La Taqueria Taco Shop on Urbanspoon

Chronic Tacos Granville Street

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The newest addition to the downtown eats scene is the taco chain Chronic Tacos.

The story of the company  in a nut shell is this-”Chronic Tacos, Inc. was founded in 2001 by Daniel A. Biello and Randall L. Wyner. The idea came after a long night of revelry in a west Newport Beach , CA shopping center close to where the friends had lived for the past 12 years. The concept was fast, fresh, made to order Mexican food that was far superior to that of the competition, with large portions and fresh salsa at a great price”~Quoted from there website.

As a result you basically have the Subway of tacos-not that there’s anything wrong with that but it’s standard food and pretty Americanized I found when compared to other Mexican taco shops around town. The menu is soft shell corn or flour tortilla tacos, burritos and Tex mex southwestern fare. The staff is really friendly and ready to answer any questions you might have so they get good marks for service and the decor of the restaurants is clean and sports bar like with flat screens on the wall so it’s great to catch the game. The Granville location is the most unique I’d say-the space has really high ceilings and the walls are adorned with graffiti art, crystal chandeliers, deep red walls and black leather seating-kinda bordello of blood if you ask me but it’s suits the vibe of street outside.

Food wise I went with a couple of standard items-a couple of there  “fatty tacos”, my personal favorite of the real Mexican style tacos is the Al Pastor-pork that is slow cooked with pineapple-melt in your mouth delicious and theirs here is nice and spicy and I decided to get their signature fish taco-beer battered mahi mahi and topped traditional baja style-they say their’s are the best so I had to see how it shapes up to Tacofino’s take on heaven.

The Al Pastor taco $3.79~slow braised pork with pineapple in a spicy sauce, this is one of my favorite ways to have pork and especially in a taco, the pineapple is braised with the meat and by the time it’s finished its nicely broken down and in the sauce.  I’d have this taco again but with shredded cabbage instead f the lettuce like I had here, I also had tomatillo salsa on this and theirs has a nice kick.  They offer free guacamole on all of there tacos but you have to specifically have to ask for it and its a must~Chronic tacos guacamole is really good and made fresh daily.

The Baja Style Fish Taco $3.79, beer battered mahi mahi with shredded cabbage, cheese and pico de gallo with a squeeze of lime, I flaked out here and forgot to ask for guacamole, this taco was alright but nowhere near the best in the city, the fish was kind of flavorless and tasted just of fried and was kinda of dry so the guacamole really would have added some needed moisture, on the bright side the salsa here isn’t as wet as Tacofino’s which get’s them points but Tacofino wins with their tempura battered fish.

At the end of the day my meal was all right and I’ll stop in with friends to try the other meat offerings they have but I’m going to be getting my baja style fish tacos from another joint.

Chronic Tacos on Urbanspoon

Tacofino Cantina

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Tacofino is here!!!!!, after seeing Tacofino on the Food Network Canada show Eat St. I really like what I saw and what they were putting out~Mexican inspired Baja Californian cuisine with West Coast influence.

after being located in Tofino British Columbia Tacofina Cantina has brought there seriously delicious eats to the streets of Vancouver!.  Located at Denman and Davie street in the late afternoon/evenings and on Howe near Robson street next to the Vancouver Art Gallery usually in the daytime there in a prime locations, I couldn’t wait to try out what they were offering.

They have a great bottled drink selection and also offer up blended drinks as well if that’s what you’re in the mood for.

This is there mint and lime freshie blended drink $4.5, it’s blended whole pieces of lime, fresh mint, ice and some sugar and water and blended up all nice~it was cold and refreshing and would be perfect with some rum or tequila mixed in!.

I ordered a couple of things off the menu to get a taste of their signature items you could say and have gone back more than a few times to eat~it’s really one of the best food carts on the streets of Vancouver right now.

the Tuna Ta-Taco $6.5, it’s a blend of tuna tataki and a taco with a seaweed salad, wasabi mayo and a mango salsa verde also, really good and fresh and the shredded cabbage is a great texture contrast and the seaweed salad adds a great slightly salty note to the taco.

The Pork Gringa $4.5, really yummy shredded pork and cheese with salsa and sour cream and then fried on both sides, its kinda like a quesadilla, I could easily eat 3 or 4 of these with some cold beers, it was a bit messy to eat but that’s all good.

The baja style Fish Tacos $4.5 each, tempura battered ling cod with chipotle mayo, hand shredded cabbage and salsa fresca on a toasted flour tortilla.  This is one of my favorite tacos they make, the fish batter is nice and light because of the tempura and all the ingredients are a great together, these things go great in pairs so get a couple!.

On my last visit I was walking the seawall and grabbed the special taco of the day~a carne asada or steak taco $5.5 with homemade guacamole, mango salsa fresca and hand shredded cabbage and of course I had to grab a baja fish taco as well, the steak was nicely seasoned tender, its like surf and turf from a  food cart!, I really hope they keep the steak taco on the menu or bring it back regularly cuz it kicks ass.

the Diablo Chocolate cookie $2.5, this addictive chocolate cookie is seriously good, its looks are deceiving tho~its laced with cayenne pepper and cinnamon in addition to the chocolate chunks and has fresh ginger juice and salt and sugar on top,  on the show people raved about these and I can see why, its sweet, hot and that salt brings out all the flavors in the cookie and the recipe is on the Food Network Canada site under the Eat St area.  This also comes in an ice cream sandwich and is a must try.

If you find yourself down in the English Bay area do yourself a favor and check out the Tacofino Cantina food truck and get some good eats, you can find them on the Eat St app for the iPhone and Android platform and on the Street Food App for iPhone.

@tacofinocantina

www.facebook.com/tacofino-vancouver

www.tacofino.com

@eatsttweet

Eat St

@streetfoodapp

Tacofino Cantina on Urbanspoon

Feastro Re~visito !

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I have been meaning to visit Feastro the Rolling Bistro again but with the spotty weather we’ve been having has made that kinda hard but today was the day!

with the weather cooperating today I waited till after their lunch rush to make my visit~there can be a bit of a wait since so many people have discovered there kick ass eats.  They have a weekly fresh sheet and their standard menu, the items I was eying today were on the standard menu but I’ll be back before the end of the week to try some of the fresh sheet~it looks really good!

So after getting my grub I headed over to a prime spot to enjoy lunch close by~the Feastro guy’s really do have a prime location for eating outside

On the menu today is the prawn and prosciutto soft taco with a corn tortilla~$7

this was AWESOME!, the prawns were cooked perfectly and were shell off and the prosciutto was just the right amount of saltiness needed to pull everything together, I’m not sure of all the sauces on it but they were all delish!

next up is Bonzai Prawns~$13

local prawns, sauteed in white wine, garlic, tomatoes, lemon, served on basmati rice and grains, with a pineapple brochette.  Talk about killer street food!, everything on this plate was divine!, the basmati rice was tender and buttery, the tomato and onion mixture was cooked nicely and the prawns were again cooked perfectly and the grilled pineapple was sweet and tender from being grilled.

I think Feastro the Rolling Bistro is going to be a major stop of mine in the summertime and I’m glad the guy’s are going to be sticking around serving up these killer street eats!

@coastfeastro

Feastro the Rolling Bistro on Urbanspoon

Feastro~The Rolling Bistro

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After seeing Feastro featured on the Food Network Canada TV show Eat St my mouth started to water-freshly prepared seafood and other delish meats served up by a classically trained chef Steve Myddleton and co-owner Paul Fenton is there to greet you and take your order.

Their location at W.Cordova and Thurlow street is perfect~your surrounded by the Vancouver Trade and Convention center and the Olympic torch and there is ample seating to enjoy your food which is kinda rare I’ve found with a lot of the food carts in Vancouver.

The menu here is one of the biggest I’ve seen on a food truck so far, consisting of a selection of grilled soft shell taco that are also available with a corn tortilla if you ask and full plate dishes along with a selection of sides if you are in the mood.

I went with the halibut taco~crispy chickpea battered fresh halibut, tomato/anise chutney with Henry Reed organic greens, tikka masala yogurt, hand cut salsa~$7

this was a winner for me even but the amount and type of greens on top made the taco a bit tricky to fold over and eat so I let my inner rabbit out and munched on a few to make things easier, the fish was cooked perfectly and the masala yoghurt sauce was unexpected and surprised me and chutney is delicious.  I would order the taco’s again but would get them on a corn tortilla~the flour version gets a bit dry and brittle with the grilling of it.

Next on the menu was the Crab and Shrimp Cake~cayenne, coriander, sweet bell peppers, on Henry Reed organic greens, with truck made smoked tomato cocktail sauce and topped with crispy tortilla strips~$13

I really liked this dish and it’s got to be one of the best crab cakes I’ve ever had and what crab cakes should be~made without filler, from what can’t be judged by the photo was the size of the cake~the plate its on is a full-sized paper plate and was about 3-4″ thick.  It’s filled with tender crab and shrimp and is super moist, there are finely diced red peppers inside that add a great flavor.  For me the real star of the plate was the crab cake and the homemade cocktail sauce, it was sweet and smokey unlike traditional cocktail sauce and complimented the crab and shrimp cake, the greens for me kinda didn’t work for me~I don’t know if it was the fact it was cold and wet out but I would have liked something else served with it instead of the greens~something like a rice dish but on a hot summer day I could see a salad served with it.

At the end of the day I had a great meal and would go back if I was in the area and if the weather is nice.  If you find yourself in the area of the Vancouver Trade and Convention Center or are visiting Vancouver check out Feastro and there take on West Coast seafood.

@coastfeastro
www.feastro.ca

Feastro the Rolling Bistro on Urbanspoon

Roaming Dragon

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One of the first food trucks to hit the streets of Vancouver was The Roaming Dragon, launched in 2010 and quickly became one of mine and alot of other people’s favorite place’s to grab a bite when not eating in. They offer Pan-Asian tapas sized creations made with quality hormone free and local meats and quality veggies.

With dishes priced cheaper if you buy more than one item you can have a great lunch, 3 items for $15 is what I usually go for and they have promo’s sometime via their twitter feed @dragontruck for a free basil lychee lemonade with the code word of the day.  They have recently changed locations to Robson street and Burrard street in downtown Vancouver and have been featured on the Food Network show Eat St.

On the menu for me this visit were the Korean short rib taco’s,duck confit salad with picked melon and the Roaming Dragon fried rice balls with a curry mayo drizzled on top,there are 3 or 4 other choices on their menu.



The short rib tacos are made from slow braised short ribs in Asian spices and are topped with homemade kimchi and shaved nori sprinkled on top on a homemade corn tortilla ,the meat is melt in your mouth tender and the veggies add the much need crunch.

The duck confit salad is made from shredded duck confit with Asian flavors and is what I can best describe like Asian pulled pork,the salad is the perfect balance between sweet,savory and sour from the homemade pickled melon (watermelon and pineapple this time) and is topped with toasted cashews.

Finally the Roaming Dragon fried rice balls,they contain a ton of different ingredients inside including dried shrimp and Chinese sausage~I discovered that I don’t like theses 2 ingredients so as perfectly cooked and crisp and tender as they were I’m glad there is something else I can have (the pork belly sliders are killer).

If you visit Vancouver or live here and find yourself downtown or at the local farmers market hit up the Roaming Dragon for some great dishes and see what all the buzz is about.

www.gourmetsyndicate.com
www.roamingdragon.com

Roaming Dragon Food Truck on Urbanspoon