Weekly Lunch Pick: the aromatic pozole at Tacos El Asador
Although the city is currently in the grips of a full-blown taco mania, Tacos El Asador gives Torontonians reasons to celebrate Latin American cuisine that goes beyond its namesake dish. The popular Koreatown institution has been serving Salvadoran food for nearly two decades, and has a fiercely loyal following. The pozole ($9), is a filling traditional stew made with tender chunks of pork and shredded chicken. The soup is deeply comforting and aromatic (likely due to the thin slick of chili oil and dried oregano on its surface), and is brimming with crunchy shredded lettuce and diced radish, which help quell the flavourful broth’s heat, and fat, starchy corn kernels which had us scraping the bowl clean. If all that weren’t enough, the pozole is accompanied by additional garnishes including two crispy tostadas, sour cream, lime wedges, hot sauce, diced onions and jalapeños. Between bites, we sip from a bottle of tamarind-flavoured Jarritos ($2.60), a popular Mexican soft drink that’s mildly tart, plumy sweet and delightfully refreshing.
The cost: $16 including tax and tip. Cash only.
The time: 42 minutes (about 18 minutes spent getting a table and waiting for our order to be filled).
Tacos El Asador, 690 Bloor St. W., 416-538-9747
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Although the city is currently in the grips of a full-blown taco mania, Tacos El Asador gives Torontonians reasons to celebrate Latin American cuisine that goes beyond its namesake dish. The popular Koreatown institution has been serving Salvadoran food for nearly two decades, and has a fiercely loyal following. The pozole ($9), is a filling traditional stew made with tender chunks of pork and shredded chicken. The soup is deeply comforting and aromatic (likely due to the thin slick of chili oil and dried oregano on its surface), and is brimming with crunchy shredded lettuce and diced radish, which help quell the flavourful broth’s heat, and fat, starchy corn kernels which had us scraping the bowl clean. If all that weren’t enough, the pozole is accompanied by additional garnishes including two crispy tostadas, sour cream, lime wedges, hot sauce, diced onions and jalapeños. Between bites, we sip from a bottle of tamarind-flavoured Jarritos ($2.60), a popular Mexican soft drink that’s mildly tart, plumy sweet and delightfully refreshing.
The cost: $16 including tax and tip. Cash only.
The time: 42 minutes (about 18 minutes spent getting a table and waiting for our order to be filled).
Tacos El Asador, 690 Bloor St. W., 416-538-9747){kind=link}