Omelet de Jamon y Queso from El Fogoncito

Buenos Dias from Mexico City, specifically the Benito Juárez International Airport! We arrived at the airport at 2:30 am for our 6:30 am flight.

Omelet de Jamon y Queso from El Fogoncito

After checking in, we found a spot to crash and I slept like a baby. Then, at 5:00 am, we looked for a spot to have our last meal in Mexico City. We decided on El Fogoncito, but since it's early almost everything is unavailable. We finally decided on the Omelet de Jamon y Queso.

Omelet de Jamon y Queso from El Fogoncito

It's a fluffy omelette filled with ham and cheese. Since I'm in Mexico, it's served with refried beans and corn tortillas. It's a fitting last meal. Food here is so delicious!

Quesillo Toreada Crispy Kings from Burger King

It's our last night in Mexico City, and I'm craving Filipino food or something familiar. We couldn't find any Filipino restaurants nearby, so we quickly decided to grab burgers and fries from the Burger King in front of the hotel.

Quesillo Toreada Crispy Kings from Burger King

We ordered the heavily promoted Toreada Kings. We had no idea what it was, but we were surprised to take a bite of the burger and be greeted with fried yet creamy quesillo (cheese?) and a crispy chicken patty. It felt familiar yet new, which is a great summary of our entire trip to Mexico.

Quesillo Toreada Crispy Kings from Burger King

It feels familiar — it reminds me so much of being back home in Manila, from the weather and air pollution to the sheer number of people. But it's also different. Mexico loves corn, while we love our rice. And of course, everyone here speaks Spanish, while we only have a little left in the Philippines.

We're flying out tomorrow morning, and I look forward to returning home to Vancouver. It's been an incredible trip, and I'm so grateful for the opportunity to have experienced Mexico City. It's a city that's full of life, culture, and delicious food. I'll definitely be back someday! Thank God!

Esquites from the food stall in front of Museo Nacional de Antropología

Elotes is on my list of must-try foods in Mexico. It's even included in the Lonely Planet's Ultimate Eats: The World's Top 500 Food Experiences... Ranked! But since I'm not a fan of eating corn cobs, I opted for the same thing but in a cup: Esquites.

The vendor asked if we wanted mayo, cheese, and something else (possibly spicy). Since I figured he knew best, I just said "si" to everything.

Esquites 
Yes, under all the cheese is hot corn kernels fresh from the cauldron

Esquites
Hot, spicy, creamy, and delicious

It turned out to be the most amazing thing ever! I loved it. We savored our Esquites under the trees in Bosque de Chapultepec. That was the moment I felt the most relaxed during the entire trip - eating corn under the trees while a gentle breeze cooled us down. It was incredible. Thank you, Lord!

Churros from Churrería El Moro

After a heavy breakfast at Sanborns Café, we strolled to the original branch of the popular Churrería El Moro. We ordered the best churros I've ever had. Unfortunately, the chocolate dip was unavailable, so we had to switch it to the only other thing with the word chocolate in it - hazelnut chocolate (it doesn't taste like Nutella). It was great!

Churros from Churrería El Moro

Churros from Churrería El Moro

I wish I could bring this to Vancouver, where there's a serious lack of top-notch churros (one of the better ones is from the Vancouver Christmas Market).

Tacos de Cochinita Pibil and Huevos Sanborns from Sanborns Café

¡Feliz martes! For breakfast today, we visited Sanborns Café, a restaurant and junior department store chain recommended by my colleague.

Hubby ordered the huevos Sanborns because it has eggs and it includes the name of the restaurant. It's delicious, but we were uncertain about how to eat it. Should we dip the toast into the creamy bowl of egg or should we spread the refried beans on the toast and top it with egg and sauce? We tried both and the result is equally amazing. (Note to self: Ask colleague how to eat this dish the Mexican way.)

Huevos Sanborns from Sanborns Café
served with ranchera sauce, rajas poblanas, cream, gratin with cheese and refried beans

I chose something not fit for breakfast - Tacos de Cochinita Pibil. Cochinita Pibil is on the book: Lonely Planet's Ultimate Eats: The World's Top 500 Food Experiences... Ranked. So when I saw it, I just had to try it. It was great. Although, super heavy and greasy for breakfast - the savoury and salty flavour is perfectly balanced by the earthy refried beans. The pork is tender and melt in your mouth.

Tacos de cochinita pibil from Sanborns Café
comes with pickled red onion, pibil sauce, refried beans, cheese and tortilla chips

I absolutely enjoyed our breakfast in Sanborns Café!

Tacos Al Pastor and Taco Suadero from Taqueria Arandas

After a long day at the Teotihuacan pyramids and lunch at Taqueria el Caifan, we went back to the hotel to rest. By the time we went out for dinner, it was raining heavily - torrential rain that I hadn't experienced in a long time! Our umbrellas could only do so much to keep us dry on our walk to Taqueria Arandas. In true foodie fashion, I ordered Tacos Al Pastor and Taco Suadero to compare them to the three taquerias we had tried earlier.

Taco Al Pastor was delicious but not as good as Taqueria Los Cocuyos, but it was close.

Tacos Al Pastor from Taqueria Arandas

Meanwhile, the Taco Suadero was truly the best one we had tried. It was juicy, tender, and just flavorful overall. One blog post I read was correct - suadero (brisket) should be ordered in the evening after it has spent the whole day simmering and developing flavors.

Taco Suadero from Taqueria Arandas

The heavy rain did not stop, and we were soaked on our walk back to the hotel.

Tacos Al Pastor and Taco de Bistec from Taqueria el Caifan

After spending the whole morning walking around and climbing one of the pyramids in Teotihuacan, we exited the tour bus near Torre Caballito. We walked slowly to our hotel and on the way we spotted Taqueria el Caifan and decided to just stop by. It’s not on any of our lists, so we’re taking a big risk here.

As soon as we sat down, they offered a bowl of guacamole topped with tortilla chips. I cannot resist that because I love chips and it’s my first guacamole in Mexico City.

Guacamole from Taqueria el Caifan

We ordered one Tacos Al Pastor and one Taco de Bistec. Both were quite plain. The bistec (beef steaks) is lightly seasoned (if any at all), which I understand because adding salsa to it makes sense.

Taco de Bistec from Taqueria el Caifan

However, the Tacos Al Pastor is not as flavorful as the one we tried from Taqueria Los Cocuyos, and it did not offer any unique texture like the one from Taqueria El Patriarca.

Tacos Al Pastor from Taqueria el Caifan

The only redeeming factor is that it’s our third taqueria, and we have a fair idea of what we like and how good Tacos Al Pastor can be.

Enchiladas and Enfrijoladas from Historico Central Hotel

¡Hola! Good morning from Mexico City! It's a beautiful Monday morning, and today's itinerary includes a visit to the Teotihuacan Pyramids. I'm excited to see these iconic structures for the first time.

Echiladas de Huevo from Historico Central Hotel

Before heading out, we took advantage of the free breakfast at our hotel. We tried two traditional Mexican dishes: Enchiladas de Huevo con salsa Verde and enfrijoladas de huevo. Both dishes are stuffed with eggs (because it's breakfast!), but they differ in their sauces and toppings.

Enfrijoladas from Historico Central Hotel

I particularly enjoyed the bean sauce in the enfrijoladas, while the subtle sourness of the green sauce added a nice touch of flavor. The breakfast was hearty and comforting, giving us plenty of energy for our day of exploring.

Tortilla Soup and Veggie Panini from Café Central inside Historico Central Hotel

After a truly terrible time at Estadio Olímpico Universitario, we finally managed to find an Uber and head back to our hotel, absolutely exhausted. We had planned to walk around the historic center to look for tacos, but it's already after 10:00 PM. Thankfully, our hotel offers free food from Café Central. I got the last serving of my favorite Tortilla Soup, and we paired it with a healthy Veggie Panini.

The tortilla soup has a thicker consistency than what I'm used to getting in Vancouver (see: Patron Taco and Cantina), but it's absolutely delicious. It's creamy, with avocado slices and tortilla chips, and it's just so comforting.

Tortilla Soup from Café Central inside Historico Central Hotel

Meanwhile, the veggie panini is delicious too. I absolutely love the cilantro pesto and fresh vegetables between crusty bread.

Veggie Panini from Café Central inside Historico Central Hotel

I'm sure I'll sleep soundly tonight after this last meal of the day.

Game Day Food at Estadio Olímpico Universitario

The main reason we went to Mexico City was to watch the Vancouver Whitecaps FC compete in the CONCACAF Champions Cup Finals. It was their first time reaching the finals, and it was a great excuse for us to take a vacation and visit Mexico City.

Estadio Olímpico Universitario

However, the game didn't go as well as we had hoped. The Whitecaps lost 5-0, and the food inside the stadium was a poor representation of the amazing dishes and flavors you can find in Mexico City.

There were no concession stands, but people were walking around offering drinks and food. We decided to try the Tacos Arabe. They were cold and just not very good. I imagine they would be amazing if they were warm and fresh from the kitchen.

Tacos Arabe

We also ordered French fries and chicken nuggets with cheese sauce. It's hard to go wrong with French fries, and these were pretty acceptable. They weren't stale or hard, and the cheese added some creamy texture.

Chicken Nuggets and Fries

I'm glad this part of our vacation is over so we can go back to just having a great time in Mexico City.

Costco Food Court Menu and Prices | Lindavista, Mexico City, Mexico

I love Costco! Okay, after a hearty and heavy breakfast at La Casa de Toño en Madero, we spent the morning attending Mass in the beautiful Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe and walking around the grounds. We are grateful to have the opportunity to travel and be here. God is good.

After spending time in the Basilica, we walked about 30 minutes (1.6 kilometres) to the nearest Costco. Why? I wanted to see their food court menu. I have done so when we visited Los Angeles, California and Austin, Texas in the United States and Melbourne, Australia. Of course, I also have records of the food court menu for three locations in Metro Vancouver.

• Australia - Docklands warehouse in Melbourne, VIC
• Canada - Willingdon warehouse in Burnaby, BC
• Canada - Richmond, BC warehouse
• Canada - Vancouver, BC warehouse
• Mexico - Lindavista warehouse in Mexico City (this post!)
• USA - S Austin warehouse in Austin, TX
• USA - Hawthorne warehouse near Los Angeles, CA

Costco food court Menu in Mexico City

The menu is very similar to the one in the USA with the addition of Torte de Pastor (Pork Sandwich). All prices are in Mexican dollars (pesos) and are subject to change without prior notice.

• Pepperoni and Cheese (Pepperoni, queso y combinada)
• Rebanada (Sliced) - $50.00 
• Completa (Whole Pizza) - $239.00 
• Ensalada Cesar Con Pollo (Caesar Salad with Chicken) - $99.00
• Chicken Bake - $95.00
• Hot dog de carne de res include refresco 600ml con refill (Beef hot dog includes 600ml soft drinks) - $35.00 
• Smoothie de mango (Mango Smoothie) - $45.00
• Frappe de cafe o mocha (Coffee or Mochae Frappe) - $45.00
• Sundae - Helado de vanilla topping de fresa o chocolate (Sundae - Vanilla ice cream with strawberry or chocolate topping - $55.00
• Helado vanilla o chocolate (Vanilla or chocolate ice cream) - $45.00
• Galleta de doble chocolate (Double chocolate cookie) - %40.00
• Fresco 600 ml (Soft drinks) - $15.00
• Agua 500ml (Bottled water) - $5.00

Costco Food Court Menu in Mexico City

Chilaquiles and Molettes from La Casa de Toño en Madero

¡Buenos días from Mexico City! For breakfast, we walked to the popular and highly recommended La Casa de Toño en Madero. Unfortunately, a miscommunication (and language barrier) resulted in us ordering two Chilaquiles with Egg dishes — one with red sauce and the other with green sauce. I had hoped to get one Chilaquiles dish with both sauces. We also ordered some cochinita molettes for sharing.

Chilaquiles with Egg from La Casa de Toño en Madero

The Chilaquiles were delicious. The green sauce was tartier than the slightly sweeter red sauce, but I'm a sucker for tortilla chips, so Chilaquiles is my jam. This version is also so much better than the one we had in Austin, Texas.

Chilaquiles with Egg from La Casa de Toño en Madero

On the other hand, the Cochinita Molettes were too salty.

Molettes Cochinita from La Casa de Toño en Madero

Honestly, the experience at La Casa de Toño en Madero was the worst one during this trip, but it is what it is.

Tacos Al Pastor and Quesadilla de Pastor from Taqueria El Patriarca

After our first taco for lunch today, I was craving more Al Pastor for dinner, so I checked the list my colleague gave me and we walked to Taqueria El Patriarca.

We spent the afternoon doing a free walking tour around the historic center of CDMX when it started raining heavily in the middle. After resting and drying off a bit in our hotel, we walked to Taqueria El Patriarca for dinner. We ordered Tacos Al Pastor and Quesadilla de Pastor, and paired it with horchata and jamaica.

The Tacos Al Pastor wasn't as flavorful as the one earlier, but it had crispy edges that gave it a bacon-like texture. Unfortunately, this also made it dryer.

Tacos Al Pastor from Taqueria El Patriarca

Meanwhile, the quesadilla (our first in Mexico!) was piping hot and covered in melted cheese, but it was a tad too greasy and heavy.

Quesadilla de Pastor from Taqueria El Patriarca

Both the horchata and jamaica were also too sweet for my liking.

Jamaica from Taqueria El Patriarca

Overall, it was a good decision to visit Taqueria El Patriarca, because it made me realize that the tacos from Taqueria Los Cocuyos are still my favorite.

Tacos Al Pastor and Taco Suadero from Taqueria Los Cocuyos | Bib Gourmand MICHELIN

After a hearty breakfast at Café de Tacuba and three hours in Templo Mayor, we strolled through the bustling streets of Ciudad de México (CDMX), taking in the sights and sounds of the city. Our destination: Taqueria Los Cocuyos, where we were about to embark on our first taco in Mexico.

Naturally, we had to try the Al Pastor Taco, a local specialty.

Pastor Taco from Taqueria Los Cocuyos
Marinated Pork

But we also decided to give the Suadero Taco a try, as it's mentioned in the MICHELIN Guide.

Suadero Taco from Taqueria Los Cocuyos
Brisket

To cool down from the temperature and humidity, we also ordered some horchata and tamarindo. Personally, I preferred the tamarindo, as it had a nice tartness to it.

Horchata and Tamarindo from Taqueria Los Cocuyos

The Suadero Taco was good, but the Al Pastor Taco was truly exceptional. So much so that I'm eager to try other taquerias to see if it's just a case of "first-time" bias, or if my colleague really did recommend the best taco place in Mexico City. (Spoiler alert: this was the best taco I've had during this trip!)

Tamales and Huevos Divorciados from Café de Tacuba

Buenos Días from Mexico City! It's a beautiful sunny Saturday morning and our first stop is Café de Tacuba for breakfast.

Hubby got to order café de olla while I enjoyed the smooth Chocolate Tacuba. It reminded me of tablea hot chocolate when I was in Cebu, Philippines.

Chocolate Tacuba from Café de Tacuba

For food, we shared dos tamales de pollo con salsa verde and rancheros con frijoles refritos o divorciados. Both items were recommended from my go-to travel book: Lonely Planet's Ultimate Eats: The World's Top 500 Food Experiences... Ranked.

403. Savour tamales in a Mexican restaurant

MEXICO // There's nothing better to unwrap than freshly cooked tamales, a dish that embraced the slow cooking movement before the phrase was coined. Prior to assembling the package, the outer wrapping of corn husk must be soaked overnight to make it pliable. In the morning the husksare stuffed with tamale dough and meat, and the ends tied together with strips of husks before being steamed. Unwrapping the tamale reveals delicious soft pork or chicken.¹

EAT IT! A staple of Mexican restaurants thrroughout North America, it's also a snack sold by vendors in Central America.

Dos tamales de pollo con salsa Verde from Café de Tacuba
Two tamales with chicken in green peppers sauce

178. Meet your match with Mexico's huevos divorciados

MEXICO // Eggs are as much a part of Mexico as Mayan wonders like Chichén Itzá, and one of the best egg dishes in the country is the acrimoniously names huevos divorciados, or divorced eggs. Two fried eggs are separated on the plate by two sauces - green apple salsa and spicy red tomato. Far from the flavours beging irreconcilable, they're very compatible - so there's hope of a reunion, though not if your dish comes with a dividing line of refried beans.¹

EAT IT! The grand Café de Tacuba will unite you with this troubled breakfast. Calle de Tacuba 28, Centro Histórico, Mexico City  

Rancheros con frijoles refritos o divorciados from Café de Tacuba
Divorced eggs with refried beans

¹ Lonely Planet Food. (2018). Lonely Planet's Ultimate Eats: The World's Top 500 Food Experiences... Ranked. Lonely Planet.

Molettes and Torta from Café Central inside Historico Central Hotel

¡Hola! I'm writing to you from Mexico City. Our flight from Vancouver was delayed for an hour, so we didn't get to our hotel until after 1:00 a.m.

Air Canada gave us pretzels and liquids (juice), but we hadn't had dinner yet. We were starving! Luckily, our fantastic hotel (Historico Central Hotel) has a 24-hour café that offers complimentary food to guests. They only had a few food items available, so we decided on molettes and torta.

CAFE Central

Molettes is a beloved Mexican open-faced sandwich with toasted bolillo (a crusty white bread roll) as its base generously covered in refried beans, melted cheese, and ham.

Molettes from Café Central
Toasted bread, fried beans spread, melted cheese, bacon, and ham

Meanwhile, torta is a classic Mexican sandwich. Between the same bolillo bread are creamy cheese, turkey ham, and sun-dried tomatoes.

Torta from Café Central
Bolillo bread, ham, pickles, menonita cheese, chorizo-onion mayonnaise

The food was so comforting, especially at 2:00 a.m.! I can't wait to share more about our food adventures in Mexico City.

Raspberry Danish and Blueberry Muffins from Illy Coffee in YVR

Since our flight is delayed, we grabbed a couple pastries from Illy Coffee.

I went for blueberry muffins while hubby chose the raspberry danish. It's not something we always get but he said that it's in honour of the Whitecaps FC manager (he's Danish). 😂

Blueberry Muffins from Illy Coffee

Raspberry Danish from Illy Coffee in YVR

Both pastries were warmed up which made them even better.

Minced Pork Dry Noodle and 3-Item Noodle Soup from Hanami Express

Happy Friday! I'm writing this in Vancouver International Airport (YVR) while waiting for our delayed flight to Mexico City.

For lunch, we stopped by Hanami for noodles. We chose the Minced Pork Dry Noodle which looked amazing but is absolutely bland which is unfortunate.

3-Item Noodle Soup from Hanami inside YVR

Minced Pork Dry Noodle from Hanami inside YVR

Thankfully, the 3-Item Noodle Soup has a wonderful beefy broth. The beef was so tender while the BBQ pork slices were good too. The wonton dumplings is the worst of the three items part acceptable too. 

If you need a warm dish for any tummy ache before catching your connecting flight, this is the spot.

Vancouver International Airport (YVR) Food Options After Security International Terminal Checklist

Happy Friday! We're flying out of Vancouver International Airport (YVR) today to visit vibrant and exciting Mexico City.

I'm sharing this blog post as a checklist of available food options after security in the International Terminal of YVR for my own reference.

The following food options are available:

🗹 A&W

🗹 Church's Texas Chicken

☐ Hanami Express

☐ illycaffe and Relay

☐ Lift Bar and Grill

🗹 🌟 Salmon n' Bannock On The Fly 🌟

🗹 Starbucks

🗹 Subway

☐ Sweet Maple Lounge

The chains marked with a check are ones I've tried here or at other locations.

'Veggie Style' Cheeseburger from Burger Crush

Happy Thursday! For our company-paid team lunch today, we strolled over to Burger Crush to indulge in some classic burger goodness. I opted for the "Veggie Style" Cheeseburger, and it was absolutely delicious.

"Veggie Style" Cheeseburger from Burger Crush
Hand-made vegan patty served with regular cheese on a brioche bun

The burger arrived perfectly assembled, featuring a juicy vegan patty nestled in a creamy cheese blanket, all nestled in a slightly toasted brioche bun.

AAA Beef Volcano Ramen from Yuu Japanese Tapas

We're celebrating my youngest sister's birthday today, and she wanted the family to enjoy a meal at her favorite spot: Yuu Japanese Tapas.

AAA Beef Volcano Ramen from Yuu Japanese Tapas
AAA Beef Slices, enoki mushroom, bean sprouts and onion

My husband ordered the AAA Beef Volcano Ramen, which is as interactive and fun as it is delicious. It was served in a hot stone bowl, and a server poured broth inside the bowl and covered it, causing steam to cook the AAA Beef Volcano.

AAA Beef Volcano Ramen from Yuu Japanese Tapas

The tonkatsu broth was perfect, and the noodles were perfectly al dente.

Curry brisket on rice from Yuu Japanese Tapas

Crispy deep fried pano bread crumb pork cutlet served with seasoned mayo from Yuu Japanese Tapas

I went for my favorite dish ever—Japanese curry, specifically the curry brisket on rice topped with crispy deep-fried panko bread crumb pork cutlet served with seasoned mayo. Unfortunately, we didn't finish my order and focused on the ramen.

Fried Chicken Nuggets and Taiwanese Sausgae from Pearl Castle Cafe

Happy Saturday! We're celebrating my sister's birthday, but we arrived at the strip mall about half an hour early. To pass the time, we decided to grab a quick snack at Pearl Castle Cafe.

Fried Chicken Nuggets from Pearl Castle Cafe

We ordered our usual Taiwanese favorites - the crispy fried chicken nuggets and the sweet savory Taiwanese sausage.

Taiwanese Sausage from Pearl Castle Cafe

Just as we finished our food, I got a message from my siblings saying they were at the other restaurant.

Coffee Break and Croissants from Pallet Coffee Roasters

Happy Saturday! We're picking up a package near Cambie and West 39th Avenue, so we decided to walk there from our apartment. Halfway through our walk, we stopped by Pallet Coffee Roasters along Oak Street for breakfast.

Hubby went for a latte and double-baked almond croissants.

Double baked almond croissant from Pallet Coffee Roasters

Latte from Pallet Coffee Roasters

While I got a butter croissant and a mocha.

Butter Croissant from Pallet Coffee Roasters

Mocha from Pallet Coffee Roasters

We enjoyed our pastries and drinks while continuing our walk under the beautiful Vancouver spring sunshine. Thank God for moments like this.