For those of you who don't venture onto the lower half of
the campus, or for those of you who don't have a VIU page in your Facebook
newsfeed, you are probably not aware that there is a unique food cart on campus
that specializes in Mexican sustenance. I was so excited to find out about it
that I nearly shouted, "Ola!"
Of course, if there is original food created on campus I feel obliged to
taste test it for the sake of this blog, and it turned out that in spite of its
appearance, the food truck is not part of a franchise, but rather is a
one-of-a-kind mobile restaurant.
A few days ago I wandered down to the Mucho Nacho food cart
and ordered some appetizers to share with my friends. The menu appeared varied and challenged my
decision-making skills, but eventually I ordered the onion rings with chipotle
aioli, and the jalapeno poppers in won-ton wrappers with sweet raspberry
sauce. I must say my overall impression
of the portion sizes was not good. I
paid approximately $11 and was presented with only about eight onion rings and six
small jalapeno poppers. Compared to the
portion sizes and prices in the campus cafeteria, I felt as though I had just
thrown away many pesos. But if the food
tastes fabulous, then who am I to argue?
Unfortunately, it didn't quite taste fabulous.
I have to admit that the chipotle aioli that came with the
onion rings was quite good, although I was unable to discern if it was made
from scratch or if it was commercially prepared. I would rather dip onion rings in this
chipotle aioli than in ketchup any day of the week. The onion rings were tasty, and reminded me
of the kind made by that restaurant that is known for having a bear as a
frequent customer (although, clearly the bear doesn't need to dig as deeply
into his pockets to buy his onion rings).
The jalapeno poppers in won-ton wrappers with the sweet
raspberry sauce were not what I was expecting.
Instead of the traditional jalapeno stuffed with cream cheese and deep
fried until crispy, this was a cream cheese ball with the occasional piece of
jalapeno mixed in, which was then surrounded by a won-ton wrapper and deep
fried. As for the "sweet raspberry
sauce" that was served with it, I am sure that my jaw fell to the pavement
in shock when the employee spooned a dollop of No-Name raspberry jam straight
from the jar to the paper condiment cup.
I am not sure when the word "jam" became a synonym for
"sweet sauce," but that mislabelling was just plain hilarious. I am sorry to say that the jalapeno poppers
were disappointing. From the fryer to my
mouth was less than 4 minutes Perhaps I should have been this fast? and in that short time frame, they had become
cold, both on the outside and on the inside, which was very unappealing. I also felt that there was too much cream
cheese and not enough jalapenos in the filling (and this is coming from a
foodie who prefers mild food). I have to
give points, however, for the creative and flavorful use of the won-ton
wrappers and the raspberry jam (or "sweet raspberry sauce" for those
of you who prefer their condiments to have a more poetic description).
If you are un comedor de rapido, if you are muy rico, and if
you are someone who doesn't mind condiments that are no uniquo, then these food
items are definitely for you. Unfortunately,
like most students, I am none of these things so can't officially recommend
these items. I can say, however, that I
am looking forward to trying some of the other food items from this cart as
soon as I can save up enough pesos.
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