Havana Cafe
1212 Commercial Drive
Vancouver, BC

On my University years, my schedule was the usual crazy one for those who were working and studying. In my case, my latest class was 10:30 p.m. and, a lot of times, it mean grabbing something to eat. There were some “usual” 24 hours places and, in one of such places, I always went for one thing: a Cuban sandwich. What I liked about that sandwich was that combination of savoury, sweet (*), sour/acidic and gooey cheesy. While there are great sandwiches here in Vancouver, I haven’t been able to find anything that resembles it yet. Now, it isn’t necessarily a “bad” thing, as I have learned to “appreciate” the other sandwich types. Instead, well, I miss it. When Sherman went to Havana Cafe and mentioned they make this sandwich, I was all up for it. Alas, it partially fell off the radar but, on one night, I was near Brittania Community Centre and that gave me a good excuse to drop by for that Cuban sandwich.

(*) This might due to the use of a braided bread, rather than the traditional Cuban bread.

When I arrived, I chose to seat outside. No particular reason other than, probably, lightning. But, even then, lightning conditions were not that good. Anyway, there wasn’t much need for me to take a look at the menu. Given the restaurant’s name, it was more a formality to check if they had the Cuban sandwich… And to check if it came with anything else! And here it is.

Their Cuban sandwich and I had the option of soup of the day, fries or salad. I went for the soup of the day which happened to be a corn and chorizo chowder. From a plating perspective, it is clean but there is something else… that bugged me right away, which confirmed one key note from Sherman’s visit. More of that in a moment.

I will have to give them credit for this one. The soup was actually good, as it had a good mix of sweet and savoury. Now, it wasn’t perfect by any stretch: I wish it was slightly creamier or slightly sweeter (due to the corn), not to mention spicier (due to the chorizo). But, I guess it is a case of cater to the masses which I will have to leave those preferences aside and accept the fact that it is still a good soup. Anyway, back to the soup, it had a good broth and a decent amount of vegetables plus the said corn and chorizo.

OK, let’s go through a checklist of the ingredients that are usually in this sandwich: Roasted pork? Check. Ham? Sort of check. Cheese? Sort of check. Pickle? Sort of check. Pickle? Check. Cuban bread? Fail, but will give it some leeway. Before I go to the major epic fail, let me add that, those “sort of check” can go either way. First, the ham. In their case, they used black forest ham. In my case, I am used more to either the honey ham, cooked ham, glazed ham or Virginia ham. The reason why I prefer these? Because black forest adds too much saltiness to the overall conction and, as a result, didn’t work for me. The cheese used is not something I worry too much about as it is partially “absorbed” by the rest of the flavours but, at least, it does provide something “gooey” to the rest. The resulting sandwich “as is” is still decent but it does no justice to the Cuban sandwich of my past for one reason: it wasn’t pressed.

See, it is that action of brushing some melted butter outside (or, in some cases, oil) and then press it, is what melds everything together. That is specially true with the cheese… By not doing so, it is just a plain sandwich that you can get even in Subway. (OK, exaggerating here, as the bread there is nowhere comparable to the Cuban or braid bread). The funny thing about all this is that, when I made mention of this fact to the waitress, she just dismissed it as “the sandwich being bigger”. Hmmmmm…. OK, you completely missed the point…

Because of that simple fact, I will have to say it is a fail for me. It is possible they have other good dishes but the fact they can’t make a sandwich related to their namesake is a let down. One other thing that does not help is their price. At $14, this ain’t a cheap sandwich; in fact, it just compounds to my overall issues. Oh, well, the “quest” continues? :/

Chicas Latin Heritage Foods
8722 Granville Street
Vancouver, BC

It has been a while that I have visited a Latin restaurant, which is somewhat funny considering that, while in San Francisco, I had way better chances to get some Latin food love but, instead, I went for more North American fare. Prior to that, my most recent Latin related food was Arturo’s Mexico to Go and, if I go even before (*)… That would be Pambiche and El Brasero (a food cart), both located in Portland. Actually, there is one other place; however, that is not something that can be deemed blogable. Anyway, I thought it was due so I was looking for some restaurants in Vancouver. Option #1 was Mochikas, which Sherman jumped the ahead and visited it some time ago (his blog post here). Considering other options, I ended up going for Chicas (**), located in South Granville.

(*) I am skipping The Reef for other reasons.
(**) Chicas can be transliterated as small; however, it usually means as “young girl” or “miss”

I chose to go on a Friday specifically for one reason. According to their site, there is live free music on that day of the week. However, when I arrived, I was disappointed I was the only person there. Where is the music??? Where are other customers? The were other customers as the night went but it lacked some vibrancy, alas… But, I was there already and wasn’t planning on turning back. Table for one it would be!

While perusing at the menu (which I already had an initial look from their site), I got these. From the looks of it, the tortilla chip wasn’t the mass produced one and, indeed, it felt different. But, then again, I am not fan of tortilla chips so that might only go that far. As for the salsa, it was interesting in the sense it wasn’t the usual watery ones you see in other places; instead, it was chunks of tomatoes, onions, cilantro and other components. The lack of that watery feeling by itself made it worth it.

But, back to the menu, despite the name does not imply a specific geographical location in Latin America, that “issue” I have had with Latin food in Vancouver kicked in. To quote it’s site: Fresh, best quality tasting Mexican and Latin food at a great price. The “key” word is the one I have in bold: Why Mexico first? Alas, since people don’t necessarily know better and that seems to be the most popular around (heck, just see how many places selling tacos!), I guess that is a need more than a preference. Anyway, back to the menu, the first couple of items and they were your usual tacos. However, going down is where things started to get interesting. You had arepas, empanadas (all around, sometimes depending on the dough used), tamal Colombiano and ceviche, among others. Despite I really wanted to try the tamal, I was by myself and, ordering it would have limited other dishes I would have been able to order. In the end, I started off with…

Ancient Azteca Soup – A warm chipotle and roasted tomatoes spicy, ancient grandmother’s Aztec recipe, topped with tortilla strips, sour cream and feta. I had some mixed feelings about the soup, which can be considered basically a Mexican taco soup. I didn’t taste the feta in the usual sense of the word but, then again, for a Mexican-type soup, should I? From there one, things started to take turns for the weird. On one side, there was something “mushy” which could have been the soaked tortilla strips. If that was the case, I wished it was on the side and I added it myself as there was no crispiness/crunchiness at all. As for the soup, it was quite savoury so I won’t complain about it. But one thing kept bothering me: there was cilantro in the soup. OK, that’s not the problem, as I have no issues with that herb. Rather, there was a bit of brown/wilted cilantro and then there were some fresher bits as I stirred around. Translation: This might have been cooked way ahead and reheated. Now, depending on the ingredients used, I have no problems with this, as soups can be kept for some time and some soups turns better as they “age”. The problem is that I would have skipped the herbs initially and add it before serving. Even if it called, make it in a bunch and take it out before cooling down. Just that that resulting wilted herbs was a bit of a let down.

OK, you are making reference to Mexican stuff first, I bit and ended up ordering two tacos. At first, I wanted to order nopales, aka, prickly pear, a type of cactus. Alas, they ran out of it. Ouch. And then there was the “weird” one in the form of potatoes and feta. Geez, these guys seems to like feta cheese! In the end, I went for some “safe”/better known options, namely, carne asada (top) and chorizo (bottom).

The carne asada was borderline minced/ground beef, which, actually, wasn’t that bad but, if we compare it to offerings from La Taqueria, it would be short of an epic fail. The chorizo was a bit of hit and miss: The chorizo itself was not that similar to cut pieces of Italian sausage and then fried. Now, there isn’t anything wrong with this approach but the frying jump made the meat a bit too crispy for my liking. Oh, well.

If that wasn’t the major deterrent from me disliking it, then look at the topings as well as the tortilla. Those who have been to almost any taqueria (La Taqueria mentioned above, Doña Cata or, heck, even Chronic Tacos) will notice they come with two tortilla. Not here: there was a single tortilla per taco. And something the authenticity policy would cry foul over, look at the lettuce plus that sour cream like sauce drizzled on top!

Finally, something outside from that “Mexican” influence: empanadas. In this case, beef empanadas. I mentioned above that, depending on the dough, it can go any way. Had it been a flour type dough, it could be quite similar to the Jamaican patty or a savoury turnover or a pasty. But, in this case, a corn based dough was used. And, guess what? This was the best part of the meal. Though slightly oily to the touch, it was piping hot and the (beef) meat feeling gave some spicy savoury hints to it. The sour cream or dressing wasn’t really necessary but the salsa added some acidity. Not perfect but it brought some memories.

After settling the bill, I had to think a little bit: Would Chicas be a place I would be coming back? In a way, it is a bit of mixed thoughts. Probably I will come back; however, if I do, I will skip the Mexican stuff and, instead, focus on the non-Mexican stuff, as in the arepas, empanadas or tamales. That is mainly because of my experience with the tacos and the other options were way better. But, until then, still have to visit Mochikas first.

Pambiche
2811 NE Glisan Street
Portland, OR

I don’t recall/remember/know how or when this began but, somehow, I have been deemed to be the subject-matter expert when it comes to Latin American food. Don’t get me wrong, I do really appreciate people think that is the case; however, I am not sure to what extent my expertise goes, as Latin America cuisine goes in almost all directions: from meat in Argentina, to seafood in Peru, to spices in the West Indies. The list goes on and on. But, rather than taking it for granted, I take it as a challenge. So why bring this? Since our showing of Latin food in Vancouver is heavily skewed towards Mexican, other Latin cuisines have been extremely shadowed by it. The only growing sprouts of other Latin cuisine have been Peruvian (El Inka Deli and Mochikas, which I still have to go) and Salvadorean (Rinconcito Salvadoreño) but even then, they are “forced” to serve Mexican dishes because the public “demands” it. But, given I was in the US, with a heavier Latin, non-Mexican influx, I thought I should give these other places a try. And the place is one of the top rated restaurants in Portland and which Sherman heavily recommended me give it a try: Pambiche.

One thing that I liked almost right away was how it is set up: similar to a lot of places in Latin America (even Miami), the restaurant “spills” over the sidewalk. It might be a nuisance to some but, hey, that is part of the charm. Of course, this concept might not necessarily work in Vancouver due to our “wonderful” weather. As I arrived, they use a system similar to that of Guu and other restaurants here in Vancouver: put your name in a waiting list and they will call you as they go. And you know what? Here is the big advantage of going to a restaurant solo: In most restaurants, they will have a bar or tables for two; however, since most parties are of at least 3, you are almost guaranteed a table! As a result, I was able to “jump” the queue of three parties ahead of me and get a table right away!

Since I was able to browse the menu on-line, I already had a good idea of what to order. In fact, it was more of a matter of what *else* to order. In fact, I was so engrossed with my entree that I didn’t pay attention to the drinks. Initially, I was going to go for my “default” – diet soda; however, after quickly looking at it, I saw something that I thought might be interesting…

Limonada con guarapo. OK, a brief lesson: During the XVIII and XIX century, one of the main crops in the Caribbean was sugar cane. And what you do with a lot of sugar cane? (Aside from sugar, that is?). How about some alcohol in the form of rum? Of course, not everybody is into booze and here is one of the other uses: Just chew them for the sugary taste. Alas, in this case, the “lemonade” overpowered the sugar cane “juice” (the guarapo of the name) and the sugar cane was dry.

Croquetas de bacalao con papas, a fish croquette. No, it is not as gross as it sounds. While I could “taste” the texture, the taste of the fish wasn’t there. Now, we are not talking about that fish taste, instead, slightly salty and some sweetness as well. Still, it was actually quite good, just that it felt slightly short.

For my main, I went for the Plato Cubano or Cuban platter – The typical Cuban plate. Adobo marinated roast pork, served with your choice of Cuban beans & rice. Dinner served with yuca con mojo. I know Sherman and gang went for the tongue and ox tail and what not. While I am sure they might have been good in their own ways, my yardstick is pork. And this one would suit me fine.

The yuca con mojo, yuca as mentioned previously is also known as cassava and “mojo” (not “mojo”; the “j” is a soft “h”, rhymes with “coho” as in coho salmon) is a olive oil, garlic and sometimes lemon “sauce”. However, here is the big epic fail: the yuca shouldn’t be fried; instead, it is boiled so that it develops a slimy external texture. Furthermore, the garlic/oil didn’t really come out; instead there was some wacky “sauce”. Now, it wasn’t bad, in fact, I am sure a lot of people will eat it fine. However, that is not yuca con mojo! Want to see how it is supposed to be? Check the one I had in Guantanamera!

Ah, the pork… Sorry, I am a pork/bacon person… In this case, these were cooked quite well but, at the same time, there was something I thought it should have been better, as if there was something that ended up “short”. Probably because there was no crackling? Probably because I was expecting a bit of sweetness in it? Otherwise, it was a fine piece of pig roast.

Moros y cristianos, the Cuban version of rice and beans. If you are not used to this, it might be a bit difficult to explain. In this case, the grainy texture of the beans came out and “infused” itself into the, otherwise, bland rice. However, at the same time, I can see who are not used to eat this combination not liking it. So, in a way, it can go both ways.

When the waitress walked by and asked how things were I told her some of the “issues”, specially that of the yuca con mojo (the fried vs. boiled “problem”). I think she might have overlooked had it been another customer; except that, in my case, I was telling her that in Spanish. While she didn’t offer to change my dish (I was already done by then), at least she did get the gist.

Now, by what is being written here, you might think the restaurant was bad. That is actually not the case. Other customers were enjoying their meals and, had I not known any better, it might have enjoyed it. But the problem is that my expectations are different so, from my personal perspective, it falls short.

Asado Cucina Argentina
2810 6th Ave
Tacoma, WA

If you got to almost any steak house in North America, if you order your meat well done and people will look at you with a certain degree of disapproval. However, if you choose to go to certain parts of the world, namely South America, specially Argentina, if you order a medium rare, probably they will look at you funny. In my case, I go with the overall general acceptance, except when it is a theme restaurant. And, similar to when I went to Che Pibe, a small Argentinian restaurant in a strip mall in Miramar, Fl, I had a good idea of what to expect. So, when you call yourself Asado Cucina Argentina, I had similar expectations: a good well done steak.

The day I went to Asado (for short for the rest of this post) it was one of those days when on business travel when after finishing the day with your on-site customer, you go back to the hotel and you still have to keep on working because of stuff at your office. I am willing to bet that pretty much everybody will say it sucks but, alas, that is part of the job. As a result, it was almost at the same time as my dinner the previous day at The Swiss but, unlike that time, I was sort of ready with the addresses of some places I wanted to visit. That’s when a sad reality hit me….

See, in Vancouver, we tend to complain a lot. If it is sunny, we complain it is too hot; we complain it is cold in winter despite it seldom snows, not to mention we complain about the “rain” (which is barely a drizzle, it does not really RAIN in Vancouver). Likewise, we complain about the night life in Vancouver. Well, while in Tacoma, after hours, there wasn’t even much pedestrian traffic in the Downtown area where I was staying! Now, it does not mean there aren’t things to do: for example, there is the Glass Museum (which I didn’t go as it was closed by the time I was off). And then there is a branch of the University of Washington a couple of blocks away (but, then again, it was summer so not much activity). What I am trying to say here is that, if you think you have it bad, believe me, there are places that could be worst… So what that has to do with my search for good eats? It just happens that in my list of places to go where a BBQ restaurant as well as a Southern restaurant. That night, it was barely 8:30 p.m. when I drove by both of them and both of them were close. Now, I had to put it into perspective: these restaurants were located in what looked like a “suburb” so, granted, after certain time of the day, there is almost no reason for you to stay open. As a result, for that night, I had to scratch item past item from the list and eventually ended up in Asado.

Considering the time of the day (not even mentioning the day itself), I wasn’t really surprised it was almost empty. But, given there was still a bit of sunlight, I chose to sit outside. Unfortunately, that ended up being a bad decision because between giving me the menu, taking my order and have it delivered to my table, it was dark outside. (sigh). Yes, this is a heads up warning the pictures will be subpar…

Now, as mentioned above, when it comes to steaks and Argentina, they have their own ways and that includes really heavy portions. Since I was seated outside, I didn’t really observe what was going on in the inside. But, when I was served plate, I was having doubts of their “authenticity”… Now, this has nothing to do with portion size (compare to what I had at Che Pibe) but what ended up on the plate. But first, what was served: their parrillada mixta, i.e., the mixed grill of skewered skirt steak, jumbo prawns and chorizo ($26) and, for the sides, I chose lentils.

From a side perspective, I also ordered a second side in the form of bacon leek butterbeans. I will have to admit, these were quite good. It had that legumes starchy-type consistency, which crumbles when bitten and then there was that bacon taste in it. Along with the lentils (which, I will admit I prefer them in a thick soup style), which had also a similar texture, overall, the sides were quite solid. I think I could have easily eaten a big bowl of either.

And that brings us back to the meats. Starting with the prawns which aren’t really captured in the picture above, it was giving me bad hopes. One word: rubbery… Now, it wasn’t almost jerk like rubbery; instead it was on the lines of being too chewy. Anybody who has cooked shrimp or prawns know that timing is key. If you go past a couple of seconds, you could have a soft, smooth texture to something chewy which is not as good tasting or appetizing. In this case, they cross that small line…

That bring us to the next meat: the chorizo… Let me ask everybody: how do you like or cook your wieners? In my case, I like them with a crispy exterior which has an effect similar to the “snap” of some sausages. This is usually achieved after boiling the sausage and then cook them on a pan with some oil. If you have had bangers and mash, that’s pretty much what I would expect from it. But, if it is chorizo, specially the Latin American version of a chorizo, I prefer the “cured” type and then grill it to crisp the exterior. Regardless, the one served here didn’t go either way; instead, it felt it was only boiled. C’mon, you could have done better! But, past that “issue” the “chorizo” had a nice mix of spiciness and meatiness. Just don’t compare it to the chorizo I grew up eating…

Finally, the skirt steak, which is a super set of the flank steak. So, if you have had fajitas, chances are you have tried it. It is one of those pieces where, if you manage to make it tender, it is a thing of beauty. Here, it was good in its own ways as it had a heavy meaty taste; except it was in skewered form. But, reality is I thought there was more potential to the cut if it wasn’t because it was cut a bit too “thick” and cooked to medium rare (though, for this one, I am the one at fault). See, there wasn’t anything wrong, just that again, I believe this isn’t the way an Argentinian steak should have been prepared! To make it killer, the chimichurri didn’t really add to the meat, which I found disappointing.

In the grand scheme of pictures, it goes back to the eternal issue of authenticity. In the caso of Asado, the meat was good in its own ways but it is not Argentinian. If it was, Gardel might be stirring in his grave. As for me returning… Nah, pass.
(sigh)

Tomate y Amor
Calle 48 and Calle Uruguay
Panama City, Panama

When I went last year to Panama, there was a reason: the wedding of my friend Andrea and her now husband Enrique. If you look at the date of closely, you could easily find out it was around this time when they got married. So, more or less in their wedding anniversary, I took them to dinner. While Andrea was on holidays during those days, Enrique wasn’t. So, despite I was a bit of a foreigner (literally), I took the time to organize where and when. Originally, old schoolmate Jennifer was to join us but things happened and it was only Andrea, Enrique and me. The restaurant I chose? Tomate y Amor.

Even if you can’t read Spanish, if you speak/write/read a Romance language, you can easily guess Tomate is tomato. What about Amor? That is the Spanish word for love. According to one of the waiters, the tomato side of the name is because that ingredient adds to the overall taste to the food and love is the passion head chef Zana gives to each of the dishes. And I will have to say that, unlike a lot of chefs whose picture appear in the restaurant site, she is actually in the kitchen! (I was able to see here expediting the orders through a small window). In fact, by the end of our meal, she was making rounds and talking to the customers. When was the last time you experienced this?

Since I was on holidays, I arrived around 7:30 p.m., the time we originally planned the dinner for. If you have been long enough in Panama, one of those things that can really piss you off is how leisurely things work, not to mention the inefficiency. As, similar to what happened in Ten Bistro, I will have to admit that the service was top notch after I walked in. From guiding me to the table, timing, and so on. OK, it is not perfect by any stretch of the imagination; however, compared to what I have been used to, service was pretty good! Anyway, while waiting for Andrea and Enrique, I ordered a drink.

I am not that much of a beer drinker; in fact, I seldom order drinks. Once in a while, I will open a bottle of wine (just to consume a glass and a half at most, the rest to be cooked) but that seldom happens. In this case, I ordered this drink because of its silly name: Green beer. Yes, it was indeed green. Makes me wonder if they missed the memo about St. Patty’s day already past… Anyway, either I have been building my tolerance or what but this is a really light beer. In fact, it tasted almost like a herbal soda. I won’t try to give any judgement about this drink given my lack of experience with alcohol.

Now, moving to the actual food. I offered to pay for the whole meal, again, given it was their anniversary. However, because of this fact, I have the odd suspicion they held back on the dishes to order. For example, Andrea was originally going to order a sandwich. A sandwich??? OK, she is thin (according to her, size 5/6?) but, c’mon, a sandwich??? I told them not to hold back – after all, last time, they paid for me… Regardless, after flying all the way, I won’t stop by ordering just the main dishes. So, we started with…

Patacón de pixbae. First, as a reminder of what is patacón, please check mi visit to Mi Ranchito. The twist here is that, instead of using green plantain, it uses a fruit called pixbae (colloquially pifa or piba). In its raw form, this fruit that resembles a miniature version of a young coconut. After it is boiled, that resulting fruit (smaller than a tennis ball) has a starchy, fibrous texture with a bit of a nutty, dry taste. Here, it was prepared with a twist by boiling it in salted water (and normally, it will end here), smashing it and then frying it lightly to crisp it. I will have to say this is quite an acquired taste and, in my case, given I have eaten pixbae in its “normal” iteration, I found it interesting but I will rather stick with the normal version.

Last week, I posted pictures of ceviche but intentionally skipped this one. Here, ceviche de corvina C’mon, you got to admit this looks GOOD!!! While the one I had in Mi Ranchito had a lot more of lime/lemon juice, here it was less marinated in the citric juices, hence it was more borderline a fish version of a steak tartare. In addition to the light citric taste, it also had a coconut taste to it. I won’t necessarily call it ceviche but, regardless, taste wise, it was good….

Complimentary bread and butter drizzled with balsamic vinegar. This was quite a nice touch. The bread was still warm and several types was offered. What really blew it was the butter drizzled with balsamic. Usually we have either butter or olive oil (this later one, usually with balsamic vinegar). However, they mixed it in this case. Normally it won’t be a big deal except the butter was soft and the balsamic vinegar taste was infused into the butter. Ah, the best of both worlds!

Spaghetti en salsa de tomate de la casa con albóndigas de carne angus or Spaghetti in house tomato sauce with angus beef meatballs. I will forgive Enrique for ordering this: his original thought was to order a steak but they ran out of it that day… So, in the end, he ordered spaghetti and meatballs. Truth is, I really wanted him to order something else. The dish wasn’t bad, just that… Well, it is a bit too simple of a dish. The pasta was cooked slightly past my preferred al dente level but, otherwise, it is what you would expect from it.

Risotto De Mariscos y Azafrán or Seafood and saffron risotto. As mentioned originally, Andrea wanted to go for a sandwich. I managed to convince her to order this dish instead, despite her hesitation. As for the dish itself, I know it is orange yellow. A bit too much orange yellow you might say… But, this is mainly thanks to the saffron. And, despite it is not that noticeable, it had a lot of small chunks of different type of seafood. The consistency was quite thick and creamy. If it didn’t know better, you could say it had cream in it! This was definitely a winner.

Once again, remember this picture?

Yes, it is a whole octopus! Or, as per their menu, grilled whole octopus, served with capers and potatoes. It was well cooked, with some bite in it but, by no means, chewy. A contrast from the one in Ten Bistro, yet good in its own ways. The octopus itself didn’t have an unique taste; however, the grill taste was there (which was also balanced a little bit by the mayo). A little bit of an acquired taste but worth a try.

Sorbeto de Maracuyá or passion fruit sorbet. Unlike most girls, I had to really push Andrea to order a dessert. In the end, we ordered this to share between the three of us. I am sure most people have had some form of passion fruit dish but a lot of times its taste is quite standard (similar to that of mango lassi where, regardless of the restaurant, it taste exactly the same). Here, it had a fragrant taste in it, plus it had acidic note. If you like passion fruit before, you will definitely like this; if not, you could still eat it without much complaining. The mint on top, well, just topped it!

While my visit to Ten Bistro was a look from a chef from afar taking a stab at local Panamanian ingredients, ultimately, my visit to Tomate y Amor is a look from a local chef taking a stab at the same ingredients but trying to make it with a more international twist. In the end, I believe it succeeded. Would I come back? If it wasn’t because I can only go to that many restaurants when I go to Panama, I would definitely do so.

Ten Bistro
Calle 50
Centro Comercial Multiplaza (location visited)
Panama City, Panama

There always seems to be a cultural flip when people travel from/to different countries. When I first moved to Vancouver, I was really happy to try things we didn’t have in Panama (or, at least things I considered “exotic” back then). For example, I visited one or two Korean restaurants, then moved to Indian, Vietnamese restaurants, Japanese restaurants and so on. Why? Because in Panama, these weren’t mainstream back then! Of course, things have changed and yesterday’s post of Sushi Itto is a sign of that. Of course, since I was out of the country for so long, that meant I really wanted to try the “local” fare, not things I could also find in Vancouver, as well. Alas, my mom was cooking almost every single day for me and my parent’s friends which limited my opportunities of eating out. But, I had a wild card: meeting my own friends. As mentioned yesterday, I went out with GN and the meeting place was a mall where we had a light snack in Sushi Itto. Later that day then, it was time for dinner and the question was… Where? In the end, we went to Ten Bistro; however, believe me, there was a bit of thought process behind it!

Prior to even meeting GN at that mall, we were considering different options. The fact that neither one of us had a car in Panama (while I could rent one, Panamanian traffic is not something I am willing to deal with anymore), plus the fact that public transit is a pain and cabs are another pain in their own way, meant the meeting place had to be somewhere manageable. For her, another important detail was that the place had to be somewhere with A/C – after all, the temperature on those days were ~33C and over 75% humidity! For me, as long as there was a good restaurant, hehehehe. We ended up going to Multiplaza, a local relatively big sized mall with the intent of going to a restaurant afterwards. The problem was that GN was a bit enthusiastic on some American chains! For example, she wanted to visit originally places like Bennigan’s or TGI Friday’s – and I will admit that 10 or so years ago, it would have been fine to me… ^_^;;; By the time we finally chose to go to have dinner, we were a bit lazy to go out of the mall which left us which a limited number of options. Following that initial non-North American chain line of thought, I “convinced” GN not to go to Tony Roma’s and Benihana. And, while my wish to go to a more traditional Panamanian restaurant was partially squashed as well (there weren’t any in the mall), we ended up in a compromise to go to the first non-North American restaurant, non-food court restaurant we could find. And, somehow, we ended up going to Ten Bistro. OK, I fib… On our way there, we pass through two other restaurants; however, (1) We thought they were part of the same restaurant and (2) we didn’t want to sit outside, despite it had cooled down a little bit by then.

I know these two restaurants names (next to Ten Bistro) do not mean a lot to you but, if you watched the Panama episode of Anthony Bourdain’s No Reservations…

However, visiting Ten Bistro, has its own share of pros. While in the past I had gone to traditional Panamanian restaurants (Mi Ranchito, El Trapiche, et al), I was also curious as to what would happen when a French trained chef takes the local Panamanian ingredients. Sure, I want my sancocho or ceviche but, at the same time, you want to expand those borders. So, in its own odd ways, I had my share of enthusiasm coming to this place.

Now, it wasn’t GN’s first visit – she went there a couple of weeks prior to my visit to Panama. In her case, she went during an event to that similar of Dine Out Vancouver was going on. OK, just in case to those who are also NOT from Vancouver: During a two week period, local restaurants have prix fixe menu (ranging from $18, $28 or $38 in 2010) to entice customers to visit restaurants. While that sounds good, I have mentioned in the past I have doubts about it. Specifically, the experience in such events does not necessarily reflect what you get in a regular (in our case, weekend) dinner night. With that in mind, we sat down and looked at the menus…

Because of the “snack” we had prior to visiting here, I wasn’t really that hungry so I devised a plan of my own: order two small dishes. On GN’s side, she wasn’t sure what to order either and, eventually I decided for her by choosing a dish I would have ordered had I plan to eat a full meal. However, there was a small problem: they weren’t sure if that dish was “ready” yet (more details in a moment), so the waiter had to go to the kitchen to verify. When he came back, he mentioned it was but, it might not be at its optimum. GN had her share of doubts whether to go for that dish or another she was pondering about while the waiter was checking with the kitchen. Eventually, I “convinced” her to go for my option. But, here is the kicker… After her order was taking and I made mention I wanted two small dishes instead of one, the waiter asked GN if she was interested in another dish (i.e., appetizer), since mine would be served one at a time and she would then have something at the same time. Well, it seems that was the only push she needed, as she ordered it on the spot! Yes, I will admit the waiter did quite a good job selling the menu…

Now, I know I was a bit vague about the dishes so let’s jump to it, starting with GN’s first dish (the one she had originally in mind)…

Crema de Zapallo or cream of squash, though the translation of this name will have a small caveat: that of using “squash” as a generic term, not as a specific type of squash. I managed to have some of this soup and I will have to admit it was pretty darn good. It was quite thick, though not necessarily due to dairy but partially due to the squash itself, as if they used a lot of squash to prepare the soup, blend it and then add some dairy to call it a “cream” rather than add a heavy dose of cream. Not necessarily a complain… Furthermore the squash taste was heightened by a heavy pinch of nutmeg. It could have been borderline overpowering but it did quite a good job.

As for me, I ordered a cold lasagna, with oxtail meat and ravigote sauce. Based on the description, I was expecting something meaty and, from that perspective, it didn’t disappoint. Oxtail meat? Hey, sign me in! Unfortunately, that was the end of it. I won’t argue the meat was tender; however, the dish had a acidic, sour taste to it. Now, it wasn’t rotten or anything like that, instead, it was mostly due to vinegar/mustard in ravigote sauce which gave those tones. While I don’t have issues with eating/drinking bitter dishes/drinks, I found this one way past what I would normally like, hence I didn’t even finish half of it. On that note, when our second dishes were served, our waiter dropped by and wanted to confirm if there was anything wrong… (The dishes were taken away by a different waiter).

GN’s second dish was osso buco (though the restaurant has it listed as “Ozo buco”), which was served with chickpeas. Before going to the meat, the chickpeas weren’t as soft as it could have been and, flavourwise, additional seasoning would have helped a lot. However, I must keep in consideration that we were warned that they were just finishing and additional resting period would have helped. As for the meat, it was a really large serving, not to mention it was fall off the bone. It had a somewhat heavy tomato taste, which I didn’t mind, though I felt something to balance the taste could have helped a lot. Not disappointed overall, though, again, there was a bit of room for improvement.

My dish was sauteed octopus with potato aioli. While dishes like rice and beans is the core of more traditional Panamanian cuisine, given the abundance of seafood in Panama, dishes like octopus this would be something you would see when you go out on a weekend night. And, in this case, it didn’t disappoint – it was the most tender octopus I ever had. Sure, some people look forward to that “snap” when eating octopus but, here, it was as soft as if it could be. OK, no melt-in-your-mouth feeling but it had the texture of shrimp, i.e., a slight inital resistance and then soft afterwards. The potato didn’t do much (it felt like a mashed version of a potato salad) but, fortunately, it didn’t get into the way of the main star.

GN didn’t finish her dish; however, I managed to convince her to order dessert. OK, there wasn’t too much convincing required, after all, girls love their desserts… Last time she was in Ten Bistro, she ordered profiteroles and, for comparison purposes, I suggested it. So, we ordered one to share. If I compare it to the one I had at Bistrot Bistro, I will have to say there weren’t as good. The main problem was that the choux was baked crisp in some parts and, as a result, a bit difficult to break into. GN commented it wasn’t like that last time she had it so it seems there is a bit of consistency issues. As for the ice cream was average but, at least, managed to “soften” the crisp choux pastry. I won’t say it was the best in the world but, at least, it got the work done…

One thing that really (and I have to emphasize on really) impressed me was service. While it wasn’t overly attentive (we had to “chase” them down for the dessert menu), at no times the glasses were empty and dishes were cleared in a timely manner. And the fact that I was asked about any issues because I didn’t finish my dish topped it all. I wanted to mentioned this because, in the past, service was (still is?) one of the main issues in the hospitality industry in Panama. So, from that perspective alone, kudos to the restaurant.

Overall, despite some things went sideways, I like the direction the restaurant takes. Sure, it completely overlooks traditional dishes (there were no rice and beans or ceviche – for the later one, I should have gone to one of the restaurants outside Ten Bistro), it still prepares dishes locals are still familiar with a foreign methods. Granted, the average Panamanian might not go often to this place (think of it as somebody in Vancouver going to Market by Jean-Georges every weekend) but I found it was worth while. Finally, just for comparison purposes, other than the osso buco, which was $15, the rest of the dishes were less than $10.

The Lion’s Den Cafe
651 East 15th Ave
Vancouver, BC

Not sure where the idea came originally. It might be thanks to a comment from jlomein in my Delicias de Alicia post or probably because he wanted to go there from the very beginning but Karl organized a mini-gathering of sorts in The Lion’s Den Cafe. Originally, it was supposed to be Sherman, Karl and myself; however, since Jessica joined us last time in Royal City Thai, we thought we should check on her as well. And, guess what? Elaine asked if we were up for lunch on the same day and we told her of our plans. Result? An additional person in this mini-gathering!

Of course, it begs the question: what is so particular about Lion’s Den? Well, it has Caribbean food! Wait, that is not all… How about Japanese food as well? Yup, Lion’s Den has both Caribbean AND Japanese in the same menu! (Or, as they call it “Japaribbean”). With such odd combination, one of them quite popular in Vancouver, the question is how well would both combine…

Update: below are the links for everybody’s posts!

Elaine
Jessica
Karl
Sherman

Originally, we were supposed to be there by 12:30 p.m.; however, due to a snafu on my part and due to people not knowing how to park (a couple of SUVs took the equivalent of four parking spots), I was late. Of course, with a group of food bloggers, hunger could cause riots! Anyway, with such a “large” group, we were set up outside, rather than inside the restaurant. See that table in the picture above? Yup, we were seated there under the sun and the falling cherry blossom petals… Too bad none of them fell on the food or any of the glasses of water – I am sure it would have been a really good photo opportunity. And talking about drinks…

Both Karl and Sherman (whom, BTW, wasn’t 100% healthy that day) ordered ginger beer, while the rest of us went for eau de Vancouver. Unfortunately, since I didn’t try it, I can’t really comment much on it. Sorry!

As for the food, we were having a long debate of what to order. Since we were sharing, the “problem” was to order different enough dishes. Some of them are easy to share while others not necessarily so. For example, how do you share a roti??? Eventually, we “agreed” on the dishes and made the orders. Now, if there is a big flaw of the restaurant, it was experienced as soon after we ordered our dishes. It took *forever* for the food to arrive. In fact, the owner even had to go out to fetch some ingredients! Of course, it could also be the Caribbean lax attitude but, as mentioned above, when you have a group of hungry food bloggers… ^_^;;;

Eventually, they started serving us food, starting with some green salad. The one thing I am not sure is that we were given one portion of each one of us; this is because one of the dishes does not technically come with salad. I guess that, as a courtesy, they added one more serving so we all had one. As for the salad itself, it is your generic green salad and, in my case, it was overdressed. Not much to comment about….

The first dish to arrive was the jerk chicken – spicy Jamaican style chicken roasted with 18 different herbs and spices”. Somebody (M?) mentioned the chicken was served in pieces, rather than chunks, as a result, we ordered two plates instead. The chicken was full of flavour and it was agreed that this was the best dish of the whole meal. The Caribbean rice and beans was on the lines of what I would expect from such dish – difficult to explain but made up its task as a filler.

The next dish is another “classical” Jamaican dish, curry goat. Unfortunately, it did not live up to expectations. It was a bit too boney and the curry did not have too much “punch” in it. In fact, had I wasn’t told this was a curry goat, I would have said it was a regular stew. Ouch…

At the beginning of the post, I mentioned share a roti. OK, here are the roti shells, which was filled with a yellow split pea. On its own, it might be an acquired taste, as it really needed some sauce (like the curry above). It was OK but, if I compare the roti shell from the roti I had in Rehanah’s Roti, this was a bit drier and not as stretchy/doughy.

Followed by the roti was the oxtail stew, yet another Jamaican “classic” dish. Similar to the curry goat, the chunks here were boney; however, in this case, it was sort of expected. It had a gelatinous texture in it, which I found quite pleasant to eat. However, once again, similar to the curry goat, we thought it needed some additional seasoning.

Given they have Japanese dishes, needless to say, we had to order a Japanese dish. Originally, we ordered ginger beef; however, they didn’t have it. The other dish we ordered was this, okonomiyaki (in this case, the pork version), sometimes referred to as Japanese pizza. One thing that became quite evident when it was cut was the pieces of pork. Make no mistake – these are actual pieces of pork, not ground pork. And, as a result, it provided that pork goodness taste to it. Alas, too bad the batter didn’t really lived up to the pork, as it was quite doughy and couldn’t taste much of the vegetables in it. The sauce also didn’t add much, which was a bit disappointing.

After the meal, when we were about to pay, we were asked to go inside for Ken, the owner, to tell us the story of the restaurant, including its name and a mounted lion in the restaurant itself. I won’t spoil the story: if you haven’t been there before, go just to find out about the story.

As for the food itself, there were some hits and some misses. Regardless of this, I am surprised at how the food was produced, mainly because of the chaotic kitchen. Because it has a charm of its own, I think it is worth coming back. However, the question is: how hungry should I come back? Given the time it took for the food to come, if I am too hungry, due to their pace, I might consider crossing the street for some banh mi instead. If I am not that hungry, I might miss some of the dishes. I guess if I can find partners in crime like this time…

Guantanamera Restaurant and Bar
334 Sixth Street
New Westminster, BC

A couple of weeks ago, I visited Delicias de Alicia for some Cuban food. I really wanted to like the restaurant, given the lack of such restaurant types in Vancouver but, in the end, I thought it failed to deliver. In the comments for that post, reader yoyo mentioned a new Cuban restaurant in the New Westminster area. So, to show some love to that part of Metro Vancouver, for the third time this week, I went to Guantanamera Restaurant and Bar.

Here is one caveat: knowing they have a live band on Friday’s, it might be an understatement that it is somewhat more lively than what I experienced in Delicias. However, this might be a case of apples to oranges. Had I gone on any other day, who knows what it would have been.

After been seated and given the menu, I started looking at the different dishes. Since they made no mention of anything, I would assume all the menu was available. To test that, I ordered lechón something that has to be prepared in advance – though it can also be kept for some time.

When I made my order, the waitress walked away right away without checking which sides I wanted. I though “well, it is not necessarily two sides of my choice!” Five minutes later, she came back and asked to verify. It happens she recently started and hasn’t yet familiarized with the menu. But, just to cover all the bases, I asked for a third side.

Not sure if these are complimentary or they gave it to me because they noticed I was taking pictures. Regardless, I had some funny feelings. I mean, it is not that they HAD to give these free (specially if it was the second case) but the fact that I don’t recall corn chips (or corn in general) is used often in Cuban cuisine! I might be wrong on this statement but, if I am not, it falls back into that Mexican stuff I have had problem in ages… Now, as for the pico de gallo/salsa itself, it was OK. Probably a bit too minced but otherwise average.

And here starts my order… I ordered congri, that Cuban rice and beans mixed version and, along with it, a side of ripe plantains (which was ordered as the third side). In some places, like the US South, rice and beans might be served on top (the beans side looking more like a stew), whereas in others they are cooked together. I personally don’t care which one it is, as it is usually delicious. However, it might be a bit of an acquired taste, as, by itself, it can be somewhat bland. Regardless, the rice and beans here worked quite well for my rice and beans fix. As for the ripe plantain, it was prepared in a way similar to how my mom used to. No, my mom is Chinese but, when she was working in restaurants, this is something she would make for customers – and they enjoyed it.

This is the second side: yuca al mojo. Yuca, aka, cassava root, which is use to make tapioca, is one of those tricky tuber used as food. Usually boiled before other preparations (here, with garlic “sauce”, cooked in soup or fried, as seen here in my trip to Panama). Again, it might be a bit of an acquired taste and I will have to say these were quite good. The texture is similar to that of a starchier potato with garlic goodness taste to it.

Finally, the pièce de résistance, the lechón, or roasted pork. It was a good effort but, unfortunately, there were parts that failed at the end of the day. It has some of the pork goodness I was expecting; however, it lacked *something*. Among things it lacked was some crispiness from the pork rind (I was hoping for cracklings) and I felt some of the juices were lost. It was moist, sure but, there was something missing. Sure, compared to Chinese roasted pork, this one was moister but far from the best lechón I ever had. But, it falls back to the issue of, given the few Cuban options found in Vancouver…

I am sure the question of comparison with Delicias will be made. If I have to say, Guantanamera delivers a better end result. The congri were about par; the two plantain dishes are apple and oranges (given one is semi-green, the other is ripe) but the yuca delivered and while there were faults in the pork, I believe it was way better than the ropa vieja at Delicias. But, then again, there is a bit of apple to oranges.

In my case, I think it will improve with time and, again, given the limited non-Mexican, Latin food, this place will be in my list of will be going back.

Delicas de Alicia
4854 Imperial Street
Burnaby, BC

I have complained a lot of times in the past that we do not have non-Mexican, Latin American eateries. While you have gems like El Pulgarcito, El Inka Deli (here and here), i.e., given the large land mass that is Latin American, these restaurants are just a spec of what that part of the world has to offer. Of course, me being raised in one of those small regions, makes me crave that food in a way quite different from the usual Vancouverite. Try cooking it myself? Well, I wish… Unfortunately, I didn’t really learn… So, when I found out Delicias de Alicia (literally, Alicia’s Delight) opened, I was more than excited to give it a try.

Here is a wacky note of the restaurant. A couple of weeks ago, I wrote a post of Betty’s Fish and Chips and, I mentioned, that place used to be a sushi restaurant and, prior to that, it was Betty’s. Guess what? Delicias de Alicia is located in that exact same spot. I hope this is not setting a precedent…

When I went, they were having a limited menu. That was because they were open only for a week or so. That is fine, as long as I can get some Latin food, I ought to be good! Now, as mentioned above, cuisine across Latin American is varied depending on the region; however, in the Caribbean area, there are certain combinations that you will find in any of those countries: rice and beans, plantain, et al. And, then, there is a particular stew: ropa vieja. Since it was in the menu, that day, I thought, hey, I want some ropa vieja

But, first a drink. When I saw it in the menu, I wasn’t sure what to expect until I was given that plastic cup. Unfortunately, my experience with this drink (the brand, specifically) hasn’t been the best and I barely had half of it. On that note, it was supposed to be mango pop/soda but tasted anything but…

A token side salad I would have been able to live without…

OK, here it is, ropa vieja served with congri and fried plantain. Actually, in the menu, it was supposed to be yuca con mojo (cassava with garlic); however, they made a switch without telling me. You know what? I would have preferred the fried plantain anyways! I am sure that, by now, you would have noticed something really odd: Yes, it was served in a cardboard plate…. Now, I am not blasting them for doing that, specially considering the location (and the location’s history). I just felt… Weird to be served in that way after all these years in a sit down restaurant… (Yes, in Panama, you would be sered in such plates and/or styrofoam). As for the food itself…

This is the best fried plantain I have had in a while – In fact, it was better than the ones I had in El Inka Deli. However, there is a bit of apple and oranges situation here: whereas El Inka was served in patacón form (i.e., smashed flat), here, it wasn’t completely flat. The difference between the two methods is the resulting “starchiness” in the middle. I know that, for most, this might be a non-issue; however, as I have mentioned, I grew up eating this and I take it (somewhat) seriously. There was one point that failed, though. As in most fried food, it is best to season it as soon as it leaves the fryer. Here, I wished they sprinkled it with a bit of salt.

The congri, the Cuban name for rice and beans dish. Whereas in New Orleans, you would serve it on top (i.e., cooked beans on top of white rice), in several parts of Latin America, the beans might be cooked in the rice. I know this might sound really foreign to most people as it is starch in starch but in a way it complements each other. Depending on the beans used, taste-wise, it might be either unnoticeable or contributing to the otherwise plain rice. One thing that might be more noticeable is the resulting texture. I know it is difficult to explain unless you actually try it… As for the one served here, it was OK, not the best I ever had. At least, again, it wasn’t plain white rice (not complaining here!)… And the main part of the meal: the ropa vieja. Literally meaning “old clothes”, this is a flank steak stew, as you can see from the strands. However, despite of those strands of meat, it is really soft. OK, some chewing required but not more than what you think. Unfortunately, I thought it felt somewhat short. Now, I am not sure if it is because Cubans cook it this way or because I have grown up eating it with a heavy sofrito, that combination of tomato, bell peppers, garlic and oil, which provides a heavier taste “punch” to the meat. In this case, while edible, I thought it lacked some more flavour.

After I paid and left, I was a bit confused with the food served. From a price perspective, it falls on the expensive side (> $12). While the plantain side was good, the rest felt below par. That ranking might be even worst if I took off my “grew up in Latin America” hat off for a moment. Since a side does not make up the dish, I am not sure how willing I am to come back. Don’t get me wrong, I really want them to succeed as that will provide me with another outlet for Latin food. But not if the meal falls short like this…

Calli Restaurante Mexicano
1102 Davie Street
Vancouver, BC

Sometimes I have to wonder myself… If I have a bias against a “cuisine”, why do I choose to go to such restaurant type over and over? I guess I do have a hope that I will hit jackpot and find something I would like and change my mind. But, in the case of Mexican, given that most of the restaurants here offer basically the same dishes, my expectation for that has been really low. With that in mind, I went to Calli Restaurante Mexicano, a new restaurant in Davie Street.

While the location is prime in terms of Davie Street, somehow, a lot of restaurants have opened – and closed – something that does not bode that well, if you ask me. But, still, I was there for the food and was about to find out what these new place had to offer.

The restaurant itself isn’t that big; at least they were able to accommodate about 10 tables. Provided there was a fast turnaround or a lot of take out customers, that shouldn’t be a problem. Since I arrived first, I could choose any table. Since it was a sunny day (as a reminder, the time between my restaurant visit and blog post is about a week or so; this week the weather will be… crappy), I obviously chose the window one.

After getting the menu, the first couple of dishes were… Stereotypical at best. However, going through the list, I noticed one that would have worked. So, I made my order and waited…

I received things a little out of order. In this case, here is the drink I ordered, “Jamaica” or “agua de Jamaica”. If you recall my post on El Centro, Jamaica does not refer to the country, it refers to the drink made with Hibiscus/Roselle/sorrel. Not much to comment in this case. As for the basket with the blue cloth, it had flour tortillas. Not much to mention; it was pretty much the same flour tortillas you can find anywhere.

Here is what I ordered, pollo con mole. As mentioned above, most of the dishes were the stereotypical ones, here is the one that you usually won’t find/order. True, I did have it in La Taqueria but it was in a taco. I was ordering this in a dish. Along with the pollo con mole, the same order had some rice and beans.

The rice was almost your basic rice; except it wasn’t the parboiled rice you usually see in Greek restaurants. The beans wasn’t that much different from the beans you can find in other Mexican restaurants, with one minor exception: See the cheese on top? It looks like mozzarella but isn’t; instead, it is Oaxaca cheese, which is quite similar but different at the same time. It didn’t add much in terms of taste but texture. Still, I found it was interesting to eat.

Because I haven’t had mole that many times in the past, I wasn’t sure what to expect. I have heard it contains chili peppers and chocolate, among other ingredients. While that would have indicated something bitter and spicy, the end result didn’t really tasted like that. Instead, it was a thick slightly sweet sauce. This might sound like the teriyaki sauce found in Japanese restaurants but it wasn’t. Along with the shredded chicken, which gave some savouriness, it was a different experience to the usual Mexican fare. I know this does not really explain what mole is. It is a you must try it by yourself type dish so you can find out. Even then, depending on where you get it, it might still be different as everybody has their own recipe (based on the chili used).

Now, the meal wasn’t a perfect one. As you can see, the portion size leans towards the small size. Granted, though, the meal was ~$9. Also, service was somewhat slow despite there were only that many customers in the restaurant. I will give it some allowance as it was manned by an elder couple during lunch. Would I come back? For the mole only, I might. However, I might end up ordering two servings rather than one.