MISS VANCOUVER PIGGY
After rescheduling 
La Casita is a Mexican cuisine restaurant that offers a very extensive menu, from ceviche to tostadas, taquitos, fajitas, enchiladas, flautas, tacos, quesadillas, chimichangas and burritos. But how is the quality of food? With regards to the interior, La Casita is a very large restaurant and the seating arrangements are not too cramped. There are also plenty of staff and our server was friendly.
Poncho's Mexican Restaurant is located in Downtown Vancouver, on Denman and Robson Street. The restaurant is Mexican owned as well as operated, and offers a variety of authentically prepared Latin American cuisine. There are the usual quesadillas, fajitas, enchiladas and burritos, along with meat entrees on the menu. However, we are here for the paella. I do not know of many good restaurants that serve paella anymore, but there is something about Poncho's that lured us in when we walked by.
We arrived on a weekend for dinner and were originally offered a table for two, but we requested for a larger table which was fine with the staff. There was no BS that larger tables are reserved for three people and we did not have to restrict the amount of food we ordered to prevent juggling dishes around, like next door at Simba's Grill.
As for the interior, Poncho's is a squeaky clean restaurant, one where I could not find dust anywhere even if I tried to. The seating arrangements are also comfortably spaced out and not cramped one bit. There are also plates, sombreros and paintings on the wall which add to the homey atmosphere.
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.
I have mentioned before that I occasionally circle around streets or spend over an hour looking for a restaurant (to be honest, usually it is an hour and a half to two hours LOL). Why? Because I want to have a good meal! And am indecisive. So after driving up to Park Royal and going through the Capilano and Lonsdale area, my friend and I came back to Vancouver and agreed on a Mexican joint that is supposed to be popular… she claims there is always a line up! Plus, she is reliable and never falls for hyped restaurants. Moreover, Sal Y Limon hangs a banner declaring to be the winner for best tacos in Vancouver on Taco Wars!
Yeah… I do not even know what that is and honest to truth, it does not matter to me since many of my friends have already told me that this place is pretty good, way before they put up the banner! The Mexican joint is fairly small and customers order as well as pay at the counter, then grab their food. One of the most eye catching things would be their self serve bar, consisting of eight sauces(!), lime wedges, plastic cutlery and containers. Unfortuantely we did not try any of the sauces though since the food was flavourful enough. I will probably try some on my next visit though!
A restaurant that I have wanted to try for many years has been El Caracol Cafe and since I have been in the area for the last week or so, I finally made the visit. 
The restaurant is on the smaller side with only seven tables and the interior has bright orange coloured walls, yellow tables, with a counter resembles a cabana. In addition, there are a few nicknacks such as a Mexican pinata and a Japanese lucky cat. Furthermore, the restaurant has a case of jewellery for sale beside the pop machine and the back of the counter has DVDs available to purchase.
I can admit, La Taqueria was not my first choice and I actually really, really, REALLY wanted to go to Tacofino (I LOVE their tuna taco) but that darn food truck never showed! Since parking has been paid, my friend and I decided to walk to La Taqueria. We came around 1:00pm today and there was a line up. La Taqueria has a very efficient system. One man heats the taco shells and adds the fillings, and a lady adds the finishing touches of cilantro and onions.
The seating is very limited and I assume most people grab the food to go. I would rather eat in though since the tacos would probably get soggy with the whole steam being strapped in the container. Red onion, jalapeño and hot sauces (mild, medium, spicy and hot) are available on the side.
