On the Taco Trail
Tacofino’s legendary fish taco
Hello there, pretty ponies!
Monty and the gang at Horsing Around Headquarters have been on a mission of grave importance. We have been on the hunt to find Victoria’s most tantalizing tacos. It is a tough job, eating all that fab Mexican food, but dog gone it, someone has to get in the trenches, and that ain’t just a load of guacamole!
H.A. staffers sampled tacos and burritos from three separate eateries: Tacofino, La Taquisa, and La Cocina de Mama Oli. While we had some subtle differences of opinion in our findings, we were unanimous in picking our favourite. Our top pick for burrito was the medium chicken burrito at La Cocina de Mama Oli. Cocina’s burrito’s claim to fame is the contrasting textures, crunchy cilantro flecked slaw, tender pieces of chicken, tomatoey rice and a creamy, smoky chipotle cream sauce that is so delicious you’ll wish you could eat it on its own with a spoon. The burritos at Tacofino and La Taquisa, while certainly having appealing flavours, are uniformly soft and squishy. While we shouldn’t wag our fingers over the gargantuan portions, the Tacofino and Taquisa burritos are so large and unwieldy they coalesce in to a sort of mush. If you like a burrito that is soft throughout, this may not be a deal breaker for you. We did like the saucy, cumin-y black beans in the Tacofino creation (we tried the chicken), but it is the La Cocina burrito that has earned our undying devotion (note: we preferred the chicken over the steak).
La Taquisa tacorific platter
On the taco front, all three establishments served up seriously crave-worthy tacos. At La Taquisa, we favoured the bean and cheese (love the meaty pinto beans) and the fish al pastor (mild sweet cod is bathed in adobo sauce and baked). La Taquisa is the only eatery to offer a choice of salsas from mild to fiery. If you are bored with the ubiquitous pico de gallo, try the tangy green tomatillo salsa. Chili fiends can go for the brava super spicy (a fruity habanera with lime) if they really want to blow the roof off. I loved the light-as-air fish taco at Tacofino, especially with the accompaniment of chunky, ultra-fresh guacamole. My cohort thought there was a little too much breading and, while he enjoyed the Tacofino version, he felt La Cocina’s fish taco was just a smidgen superior. La Cocina’s fish has a crunchy coating and meltingly tender fish within and again there is that smoky sauce but, really all these tacos from all of these taquerias are pretty great. It would be hard to put a foot wrong whatever you choose to order. If you are new to Latin American food, we suggest you try all three to figure out your own personal preferences. Tacos, in addition to being yummy, are an affordable way to fill your belly. La Taquisa’s tacos ring in at just $2.50 each or you can get five whole tacos for just $10.00. If you share with a friend, you get 2 ½ tacos each for just $5.00. La Cocina’s fish taco is just $3.50 and, with owner Olympia commanding the stove, you’ll feel you got your money’s worth and then some, and you might have enough change left over for a side of her guacamole or some refried beans spiked with chorizo and gouda. We think that is pretty good-A.
Do you have a favourite destination in town for Mexican food? Visit our Facebook or Twitter page and tell Uncle Pete all about it. If you aren’t familiar with authentic Latin American food, now is the time to give it a try. You won’t be disappointed. Bon appetit, everyone!
Love Monty, Pete and the whole gang at H.A.
Olympia’s legendary guac – La Cocina de Mama Oli
