My love for Tacofino began with their food truck right at the Art Gallery and their beloved fish tacos. However, food trucks are fairly seasonal so during the fall and winter, I couldn’t get my fix. When I heard they had a Commissary, it was an obvious choice that the next time my friends invited me out I’d suggest it right away.
That particular evening I dined with Nickie, Bren and Brian – some of my adventurous food partners in crime. If you’ve ever been, you know that there can be a wait. Nickie got there earlier and was waiting at the bar for a seat. During our time waiting, I had time to admire their twisted light fixtures that doubled as plant pots. My initial thought was…how do they water those plants?
We started with the Pickle Jar ($4) – an assortment of seasonal vegetables that have been – surprise! – pickled. It was a good appetizer, but nothing too memorable.
We then ordered the Nachos served with roasted jalapeños, cheddar, monterey jack, salsa fresco and creme ($12). This dish was very filling and very tasty. The portion was perfect for four people, as nachos can look deceivingly small.
We also ordered the Tater Tots served with chorizo verde, cheddar curds, queso fundido and kimchi crema ($10). Okay not the most healthiest thing on the menu BUT SO delicious. It’s a guilty pleasure that I wouldn’t mind having when I come here. The flavours mixed very well and complimented one another. This is definitely good for four people to share.
We all ordered one of the Poke Tostada served with albacore tuna, soy, sesame, wakame and beer hazelnuts ($9). I was feeling a little blue from being back from Hawaii so these really hit the spot.
The tostada (deep fried taco shell) contributed to the crunch alongside the delicious hazelnuts. The poke was good (it was a little hard to compare it to Hawaii) but I really love the fact they put wakame on the top of this taco. It’s a beautiful fusion of Polynesian, Japanese and Mexican.
And of course, we all ordered the Fish Taco, which is Tacofino’s speciality. The Fish Taco is served with crispy ling cod, cabbage, chipotle mayo and salsa fresca ($6). And let me tell you, it’s exactly as delicious as the food truck version. To be honest, I don’t think anything could compare to Tacofino’s fish taco – even in Hawaii, I couldn’t find anything that could compare.
We finished off our meal with some desserts – Banana Churros, Lime Curd Vaso and Milk & Cookies.
The Banana Churros are served with Ibarra chocolate sand Sriracha ice cream ($7). Yep you read that right, Sriracha ice cream! What does Sriracha ice cream taste like? The initial taste is an explosion of flavour- specifically spice from the sriracha that makes your eyes widen and go, “Whoa!” and then the creamy part of the ice cream hits and you’re like, okay I can survive this. And then you go in for another scoop, you masochist! But I don’t blame you, cuz it’s amazing. The banana churros are great too, they’re crispy and served with chocolate – what is there to complain about?
Nickie had the Lime Curd Vaso ($6) served in a cute jar with brown butter graham crumb and whipped cream. She really enjoyed this dessert.
I ordered the Milk & Cookies ($6) which is served with horchata and chocolate diablo. Again this is another dessert that will tantalize and whip your taste buds. The chocolate cookies are a lil spicy and I LOVE it! How could you not love something that tricks your senses into thinking, this is going to be delicious and terribly sweet and then slap you with some heat?
I think it’s safe to say that I enjoyed my experience here and that I will be back again very soon!
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Check out their website and menu here.
