Having gone through a Japanese food phase followed by Chinese (remember those daily lobster or crab, then peking duck dinners?!), Shanghainese then Korean, throw in some occasional steakhouses, fine dining and noodle shops, that pretty much sums up my last view blog posts. So looking for a new cuisine to try, I started craving for some Mexican food after trying Sal Y Limon (which I totally recommend!) and found myself at Vallarta's Mexican Restaurant.
Vallarta's Mexican Restaurant is a small casual family run business. The interior is squeaky clean and there are less than ten tables. On our visit, many people grabbed take out instead of dining in too. As for the atmosphere, there are plenty of El Salvador decor and the restaurant has a home style vibe. The restaurant is also well ventilated and has a high ceiling.
SOPA DE TORTILLAS, TORTILLA SOUP ($10.00).
BURRITOS DE POLLO, CHICKEN BURRITO ($12.50).
The burrito is quite a large portion and is stuffed with rice along with chicken. The diced pieces of chicken breast have a nice charred flavour and tastes moist as well as tender. As for the tomato sauce, the flavours are fairly simple. There is only a hint of spices and spiciness whatsoever.
Moreover, the hot sauce that is provided on the table only has a hint of spiciness! This may be good news for those who prefer less spicy food, but I personally prefer a medium to hot spiciness. A side of creme agria is also provided on the side which tastes faint and light, which I prefer.
TACOS DE POLLO, CARNE O CAMARONES. CHICKEN, PORK AND PRAWN TACOS ($12.50)
The restaurant offers three types of taco; pork, chicken and prawn. We ordered one of each but received an order of chicken and two orders of pork. I assume because we arrived an hour prior to closing, the pork was easier to cook or the prawns were not available? Perhaps the prawns are more of a hassle to defrost for only one word? Regardless, each taco is served with a fair amount of shredded lettuce, diced tomato, fresh ripe slices of avocado and a generous amount of meat.
Both the chicken along with the pork have a nice flavourful char and the meats taste quite tender. I also like how each taco comes with only one tortilla because two is not always needed. The protein is well executed overall, but the tacos taste too simple. Even using the mid tasting hot sauce did not really provide that much extra flavour. Although there is not anything wrong with simple tacos, these jut taste too simmer to what I would make at home if I am eating clean. This may be a biased thought however, thinking that Mexican food should have more flavour.
ENCHILADAS DE CARNE, BEEF ENCHILADAS ($12.50).
An order of enchiladas includes three pieces and although there is a decent amount of mozzarella and cheddar, the flavour is… too simple. The tomato sauce tastes very light and mild, where some additional spices would result in more flavour. As for the diced beef, the meat tastes quite tender and has a flavourful marinade. Also, the fresh and ripe slices of avocado are appreciated.
As for the accompanying sides, the rice is perfectly cooked and tastes soft along with fluffy. And the beans have a nice smooth as well as creamy consistency.
TOTAL: $49.35 + TIP $5.65 = $55.00.
We tipped a bit less than 15% overall because there was no service and according to my friend, most people do not tip much at a fast food joint? Plus, we walked up to pay? Despite the minimal contact and that no words were spoken to us, the owners were friendly and did say bye. In the end, Vallarta's Mexican Restaurant seems like a fast food business that caters to the neighbourhood.
POSITIVES
- Big portions
- Fresh vegetables
- Well executed protein
- Big portions
- Fresh vegetables
- Well executed protein
- Friendly owners and staff
NEGATIVES
- No service
- No service
- Food tastes too simple
- Closes early at 8:30pm!
- Closes early at 8:30pm!
LITTLE THINGS
- I prefer Sal Y Limon much more
Food: 2.5/5
Service: N/A
You were right, you totally need more cheese! It barely even covers it.
ReplyDelete