Sherman's Food Adventures: La Conquistadora

La Conquistadora

Much like Kim, I find myself eating an inordinate amount of Mexican food despite the fact I'm not a big fan of the cuisine. Don't get me wrong, I don't dislike Mexican food, it's just not my first choice. Although, it's tough to be anyone's first choice since there are not that many authentic Mexican restaurants in a sea of Asian establishments within the GVRD. That would probably explain a somewhat understated enthusiasm when I heard about La Conquistadora. Located on King George Highway near 104th, it is not much to look at outside. In fact, I driven by this place many a time without even noticing it. Well, it's hard to notice anything on King George Highway since there is store after store of similar facades. It's much like Kingsway, you really need to stop the car to find what you're looking for.

Well, I knew exactly how it looked like since I had tried to visit it on Monday (it was closed). Once we passed through the front door, it was surprising to see that it was a restaurant/store. It was nice to see that nothing on the shelves were labeled "Old el Paso". Rather, it was all authentic Mexican products, with a dash of El Salvadorian (the place is a Mexican/El Salvadorian restaurant). I made sure that Sexi Mexi joined us for this meal. She was my official "Authentic Mexican Food" police. The first thing she did was the "ordering in Spanish" test and the place passed with flying colours. She decided on the Tostada and it was alright. Taste-wise, it was subtle while the tostada was a bit thick for her liking.

Personally, I didn't want to eat anything I could get a Taco Bell, so I went for the Enchilada Mole. I find that there are not many places that serve a good mole in the GVRD; in fact, not many places serve mole in general (it takes awhile to make). Alright, by looking at the picture, you're wondering why I'm eating something that is smothered in a black sauce. Don't be alarmed, the mole has chocolate in it; thus I believe this is a Mole Pablano. I found the mole to be a bit sweet with an underlying heat. Honestly, I haven't had a whole lot of mole in my life; therefore, it's a bit hard to compare. Overall, I found the dish to be quite pleasant and a nice departure from the usual red or green sauce. The Soft Tacos were not too bad, except for the watery mess made by the pico de gallo. These are not as good as the ones from La Taqueria; but again, it is located in Downtown. Thus it is not fair to compare due to distance alone.

The Quesadilla served with rice and refried beans was nothing much to look at; yet was pretty good. Filled with a good amount of chicken with Monterey jack and cheddar cheeses, it was grilled up until it was a bit crispy. Sexi Mexi summed it up best. The food here at La Conquistadora may not be the best the Mexican food she's ever had; but it is indeed authentic. Furthermore, the prices are very reasonable and the staff are personable. With not much in the way of competition (other than Luna Loca), La Conquistadora is probably the place to go for Mexican food in Surrey.

The Good:
- Reasonable prices
- Authentic
- Friendly staff

The Bad:
- It's authentic, but there is better albeit much farther away
- Not much of a dining space, but it does the job

La Conquistadora on Urbanspoon

2 comments:

KimHo said...

Thanks for the shoutout!

I am willing to try this place just for the mole. Was there any other dish "Sexi-Mexi" would suggest?

Sherman Chan said...

Yah, the mole was decent. As mentioned, I haven't had a lot, but this one tasted good. She thought the mole was alright too. However, much like you, she prefers home cooking. Naturally, we're accepting what we have here. It'll never compare to the food in Mexico or the Southern U.S.. I'm not sure what else she'd recommend. She only has the tostada. But she did say it was authentic. However, authentic doesn't necessarily mean great either. It's good for Surrey, let's put it that way.

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