Burritos, etc. are good but try something different
Mark Laba
Province
Roberto Molina of Mi Mexico restaurant, with a dish named Camarones Al Mojo De Ajo (prawns, garlic oil, rice and salad with tortillas). Photograph by : Arlen Redekop, The Province
MI MEXICO
Where: 3853 Hastings St., Burnaby
Payment/reservations: Major credit cards, 604-677-1602
Drinks: Fully licensed
Hours: 11 a.m.-2 p.m. lunch; 5 p.m.-9 p.m. dinner; Tues.-Sun., closed Mon.
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It was another beautiful Vancouver day. Beautiful if you were a snail or slug, anyway. But X-Man and I were headed to a Mexican shindig out Burnaby way to throw a little sunshine into our dismal surroundings. I’d heard the view was great from this place on the second floor of a row of non-descript stores and, from the outside looking up, this joint appeared to be no great shakes but the inside told a different story.
Tropical hues, Mexican-themed artwork festooning the walls, a beach umbrella opened in the centre of the room to guard against an invisible sun’s rays, exotic plants with lazy fronds that you could picture waving in a tropical breeze and, over the tiny bar, a TV broadcasting satellite soccer games.
X-Man and I grabbed a table near the window and put our peepers to the panorama. It was a looker, highrises framing the scene but in between was a clear view of a valley of greenery stretching out to distant condos on the horizon.
“What’s that area called?” I asked X-Man.
“Still Creek,” X-Man said. “That’s the kind of name they retain for what places would look like if they didn’t touch them. I used to live on a street called Wild Brambleberry Way where you’d have been hard-pressed to find even a weed pushing up through the concrete.”
The owner of this eatery is Roberto Molina, who plays on the B.C. Men’s Wheelchair Basketball Team. Suffice to say this restaurant is completely wheelchair accessible, from the washrooms to the second entrance around back. His aunt, Dona Molina, is the cook, whipping up some hearty Mexican home-cooking.
X-Man and I put the pedal to our molar metal with the complimentary homemade chips and great salsa while awaiting the main event. For me, on the advice of our server Tara (who also makes a mean margarita, according to the regulars) was the chicken molé ($12.99), while X-Man opted for the whole fried tilapia ($14.50). Tilapia to me is like the baloney of the sea — popular, found most everywhere, breeds in the most adverse conditions and, depending on what you do with it, can be OK or downright exhilarating.
The chicken molé was a deep, rich, reddish-brown mire, served with rice and beans and tortillas on the side. The sprinkling of sesame seeds overtop this dish was a nice, authentic touch and the sauce had all the pizzazz of ground chili peppers tempered by bittersweet Mexican chocolate.
X-Man was impressed by the visual display of his plate. The whole tilapia had a forlorn expression as if saying “Why me?” but who cares what he thought. Proclaimed to be seasoned with grandma’s secret recipe, the crackling skin had a salty finish and tender, slightly sweet flesh that added a nice balance. X-Man wasn’t crazy about the dish but I think he had a bone to pick with all the bone-picking the fish necessitated.
If you visit, maybe overlook the usual burritos, enchiladas and quesadillas (not that they’re not tasty) and instead venture into new territory with the Camaron à la Diabla, a prawn and chipotle– chili sauce concoction, the Chiles Rellenos or the Alambre with peppers, onion, sausage and cheese. And for dessert, the homemade flan is excellent.
“So, what say you, X-Man?”
“What with the food, the Dos Equus and the hurricane outside, I feel like I’m on my last Mexican vacation.”
THE BOTTOM LINE: All the trappings of a day in the Yucatan, minus the iguanas, of course.
RATINGS: Food: B+; Service: A-; Atmosphere: B
© The Vancouver Province 2007