The Vancouver Foodster 8th Annual Taco Challenge was a success featuring taco creations from restaurants around Vancouver. Each restaurant featured their taco creation from May 6-30, 2021. Our media judging panel determined the ultimate winners of the challenge, and this was quite the task as each judge who tasted each creation with a rigorous process based on taste, originality/uniqueness and presentation/appearance.
The Winners are:
1st Place (tie):
{101 points}
Baja’s Food
Surf and Turf Taco Duo
Price: $15
Created by: Chef Luis Ponce
Description: Braised Pork Belly taco with Baja’s Food’s curated dry rub: black pepper, oregano, cumin and epazote. Braised. Finished with a roasted tomatillo verde puree. Corn tortilla, chicharron dust, cilantro, red onion and cucumber pickle. Red chile morita orange coulis.
And the Bajas’s Fish Taco a deep-fried battered red snapper. Corn or flour tortilla, coleslaw, mango pico de gallo, red onion, and cucumber pickle. Red chile morita orange coulis, and avocado crema.
Ingredients:
Pork Belly Taco: pork belly, salt, oregano, epazote, black pepper, tomatillo, garlic, onion, pork lard.
Fish taco: red snapper, salt, pepper, flour, carbonated water, mustard, baking powder, oregano, garlic and onion powder, cumin, avocados, lime.
Offered: Tuesday – Saturday 11am – 4pm
Available: takeout and delivery by uber eat and doordash.
Baja’s Food
302 Industrial Avenue (Pickup location)
Tel:778-926-7089
Instagram @bajasfoodcom
1st Place (tie):
(101 points)
Little Mexico Cantina
El Pulpo
Price: $6
Created by: Chef Bruno Prada
Description: El Pulpo (the octopus) is a unique taco with the tastes of the seas. Created in Steveston village by the water, the natural habitat of this authentic species of the sea. El pulpo with his long tentacles is inviting everyone to little mexico cantina to join a lovely experience.
Ingredients: Soft corn tortilla topped with chipotle mayo, smoke paprika octopus, dry chorizo, corn salsa, pickle onion and cilantro.
Offered: all the time
Available: Takeout and delivery
Little Mexico Cantina
3131 Chatham St #150, Richmond
Tel:(604) 272-5123
Web:https://www.littlemexicocantina.ca/
Instagram: @littlemexicocantina
2nd Place:
(97 points)
Lucha Libre Truck
Chilorio Especial
Price: $4.50
Created by: Esteban Cuevas
Description: It’s a 4-inch tortilla made in a comal with a bed of cheese and chilorio (Pulled pork cooked in adobo cooked for 7 hours) topped with mermelada (red salsa with chile de Arbol and chile Morita) and us Jardin (cilantro and onion).
Ingredients:
Offered: Lunch and dinner on the days the truck is operating
Available: Takeout only
Lucha Libre Truck
(rotates locations)
Web:https://luchalibretruck.ca/
Instagram @luchalibretruck
3rd Place:
(93 points)
Guacamole Mexican Grill
Rajas Taco
Price: $14 (order of 3) or $4.66 each
Created by: the team
Description: The Rajas taco is a traditional home favorite, simple in composition yet full of flavor. It’s main ingredient is the Poblano Chile which can be known to be spicy but more often than not mild. So the flavor varies from taco to taco. The taco is a traditional Mexican Recipe
Ingredients Smoked Poblano Chile, corn, Cream base sauce, Premium Mozzarella cheese.
Offered: Takeout – Monday to Wed 4 PM to 8PM, Fri 4 PM to 8PM, Sat and Sun 11:30 AM to 8 PM
Guacamole Mexican Grill
13646 Grosvenor Rd, Surrey
Tel: (604) 580-0840
Web: www.guacmexgrill.ca
Instagram @guacmexgrill
In the People’s Choice Awards category, the public who tried the Taco Creations were the ones who had the opportunity to cast their vote throughout the challenge.
The Winners are:
1st Place People’s Choice:
Baja’s Food
Surf and Turf Taco Duo
Price: $15
Created by: Chef Luis Ponce
Description: Braised Pork Belly taco with Baja’s Food’s curated dry rub: black pepper, oregano, cumin and epazote. Braised. Finished with a roasted tomatillo verde puree. Corn tortilla, chicharron dust, cilantro, red onion and cucumber pickle. Red chile morita orange coulis.
And the Bajas’s Fish Taco a deep-fried battered red snapper. Corn or flour tortilla, coleslaw, mango pico de gallo, red onion, and cucumber pickle. Red chile morita orange coulis, and avocado crema.
Ingredients:
Pork Belly Taco: pork belly, salt, oregano, epazote, black pepper, tomatillo, garlic, onion, pork lard.
Fish taco: red snapper, salt, pepper, flour, carbonated water, mustard, baking powder, oregano, garlic and onion powder, cumin, avocados, lime.
Offered: Tuesday – Saturday 11am – 4pm
Available: takeout and delivery by uber eat and doordash.
Baja’s Food
302 Industrial Avenue (Pickup location)
Tel:778-926-7089
Instagram @bajasfoodcom
2nd Place People’s Choice:
Little Mexico Cantina
El Pulpo
Price: $6
Created by: Chef Bruno Prada
Description: El Pulpo (the octopus) is a unique taco with the tastes of the seas. Created in Steveston village by the water, the natural habitat of this authentic species of the sea. El pulpo with his long tentacles is inviting everyone to little mexico cantina to join a lovely experience.
Ingredients: Soft corn tortilla topped with chipotle mayo, smoke paprika octopus, dry chorizo, corn salsa, pickle onion and cilantro.
Offered: all the time
Available: Takeout and delivery
Little Mexico Cantina
3131 Chatham St #150, Richmond
Tel:(604) 272-5123
Web:https://www.littlemexicocantina.ca/
Instagram: @littlemexicocantina
3rd Place People’s Choice:
Guacamole Mexican Grill
Rajas Taco
Price: $14 (order of 3) or $4.66 each
Created by: the team
Description: The Rajas taco is a traditional home favorite, simple in composition yet full of flavor. It’s main ingredient is the Poblano Chile which can be known to be spicy but more often than not mild. So the flavor varies from taco to taco. The taco is a traditional Mexican Recipe
Ingredients Smoked Poblano Chile, corn, Cream base sauce, Premium Mozzarella cheese.
Offered: Takeout – Monday to Wed 4 PM to 8PM, Fri 4 PM to 8PM, Sat and Sun 11:30 AM to 8 PM
Guacamole Mexican Grill
13646 Grosvenor Rd, Surrey
Tel: (604) 580-0840
Web: www.guacmexgrill.ca
Instagram @guacmexgrill
Our media judging panel determined the ultimate winners of the challenge, and this was quite the task as each judge who tasted each creation with a rigorous process based on taste, originality/uniqueness and presentation/appearance.
Each media judge scored each creation with a maximum of 40 points as follows: Overall Taste 20 points, Originality and Uniqueness 10 points, Presentation and Appearance 10 points. The highest number of points a challenge creation could have been awarded is 120 points.
Our Media judges for this challenge were: Shelley Hayashi, Tara Lee and Yuki No
Thank you to all the restaurants that accepted my invitation and featured the Taco Challenge creations on the menu for the past few weeks during this challenge.
I encourage you to visit the winning restaurants to try their Taco creations! See all the Taco Challenge Entries Here.
By: Richard Wolak