Vancouver Foodster’s Tasting Plates Taco Crawl
Tacos, as well as your favourite TV series and hearty laughter, are one of the things in this universe that I feel defies the rule of “everything in moderation”. The perfection of a floured shell, the juicy nature of the fillings, the vibrant flavours of the fixin’s. These should be indulged in with vigorous excitement and set to the tune of lively mariachi music.
Vancouver Foodster Richard Wolak has produced numerous Tasting Plates food-crawl events, offering a terrific opportunity for food lovers to experience an array of eateries in a single evening. By showcasing a selection of restaurants, Wolak has shined light on some hidden treasures and culinary experiences. On September 28th, he applied this same magic to the inaugural Vancouver Taco Crawl, directing participants through a touring journey of taco joints.
While Wolak’s Tasting Plates events in the past have been more centralized, focussing on neighbourhoods such as Marpole, the West End, and Gastown; Taco Crawl felt like a gastronomic “Amazing Race” as we made our ways across Vancouver to enjoy five different eats including dosas, bubble waffles and the ever-adored classic taco.
Starting at Kalai’s Dosa Hut in the South Fraser area, we commenced the crawl with the South Indian delight of dosa; crispy rice flour pancakes wrapped around savoury chicken, veggies, cheeses and more. The restaurant itself has the charm and warmth of a family restaurant and serves up Indian street fare accompanied by perfectly seasoned papadum. The crawl won us over right off the bat, promising that the event would be showcasing a diverse spread of food, allowing me to feel like Anthony Bourdain for the evening.
After getting our map guides and devouring our dosas, we headed off for tacos. With five destinations to hit, the crawl style format allows you to explore in your preferred order and pace as you travel from restaurant to restaurant.
For our second stop, we enjoyed a dynamic duo of tacos at Patron Tacos & Cantina near the corner of Robson and Cambie Street. The Nopales cactus leaves taco went hand in hand perfectly with the pork based Cochinita. Served up with refried beans and beers, it was an ideal taste of Mexican dining. The restaurant is a great spot for casual, cheap eats that still provide quality service and a sit down dining atmosphere.
After Patron, we headed to the other end of downtown towards English Bay to visit La Catrina Tacos on Denman Street.
This vivacious nook dishes up fast, tremendous tacos. Biting into the potato-filled Papas Mexicanas and the braised beef Res en Cascabel beckoned the question of why I had never visited before. The best part of this pre-arranged crawl is that Vancouver Foodster was able to direct us to destinations that we may never have discovered otherwise. La Catrina Tacos should be on every foodie’s bucket list.
Before starting the crawl, I questioned whether eating at five different taco spots over the course of four hours would be excessive, but sitting down at Las Tortas Mexican Gourmet Sandwiches on Cambie was proof that I could apparently win a taco eating contest. The pulled pork took my heart as my favourite taco of the day and the Mexican zucchini taco was equally enjoyable. Taking a look at their diverse menu, offering a range of Latin eats, was so compelling that I’m already antsy to go back.
To round off the evening, the Tasting Plates tour led us to TMix Tea and Dessert Bar for a sweet alternative to tacos: a bubble waffle. These delicious made-to-order desserts were a perfect addition to an otherwise savoury food adventure. Topped with house-made ice cream with unique flavours such as the Earl Gray and the White Chocolate Lavender. I dived into a scoop of the Frozen Crème Brûlée Banana and fell madly in love with it. Beyond their bubble waffles and ice creams, they also serve bubble teas, macarons, and shaved ice; a heavenly venue for those with a sweet tooth.
Vancouver Foodster continues producing terrific food crawl events, including the upcoming Tasting Plates Yaletown taking place on October 19th; highlighting some of Yaletown’s finest. This makes for a great date or group activity and incorporates some fun with your food. Spacing out your dinner not only helps you truly savour your food, but turns the whole evening into an adventure.
Next time you find yourself craving a taco, skip Chipotle and visit one of these delicioso, local spots.
Kalai’s Dosa Hut
7233 Cambie St
Patron Tacos & Cantina
265 Robson St
La Catrina Tacos
1187 Denman St
Los Tortas Mexican Gourmet Sandwiches
3353 Cambie St
TMix Tea and Dessert Bar
3432 Cambie St
All images courtesy of Jorin McSween
