Fireworks in K-Town

In search of an exciting taste experience, a few friends and I hit up Tacos El Asador in Korea Town. That’s right, across the street from Korean supermarket extraordinaire P.A.T. and nestled amidst cafes serving panchan (one of my favourite things, by the way; all the little dishes, such variety! Screw my imperialist ancestry, I love me some Korean chow) sits a Salvadorian restaurant. Well, perhaps restaurant is going a bit far. Tacos El Asador is more like a roadside food stand that somehow managed to find itself surrounded by four walls and a ceiling. Diners sit at picnic benches and the tacos, enchiladas, tamales, and pupusas are all served on wax paper in baskets. You feel like you’re on a rainy-day picnic; you’ve already packed the sandwiches and salads, why not camp out in the kitchen? Judging by the hordes that descended around 7pm last night, this haphazard atmosphere has gone over big with hungry Torontonians. As it should; the place is bright, lively, and the staff is very friendly, if a little frazzled.

And the food. Well, it was alright. Given the dearth of tasty Latin American eateries in Toronto, Tacos El Asador fares better than most. The chicken tamales were quite good and I really liked the coleslaw that accompanied the pork pupusas. But everything else - the various tacos, the enchiladas, the pupusas themselves - suffered from a surprising lack of flavour. I wanted taste fireworks: chilies, fresh herbs and spices, juicy meat and vegetables. Isn’t that what Salvadorian food is all about? What I got was more like the Roman candles my father used to light on Victoria Day; nice enough, but not the pyrotechnics I was anticipating.

But it was a warm night in Toronto and perfect for a spot of after-dinner strolling. And what, you may ask, is the perfect after-dinner snack in K-Town? Fried chicken crackers that come shaped like drumsticks.

When thrown on the sidewalk, they sound like glass breaking. So the evening ended happily; I found my taste explosions.

- Andrea