Sherman's Food Adventures: Pachamami Sabor Latino

Pachamami Sabor Latino

As much as some parts of Surrey are pretty homogenous in terms of food diversity (see: Scott Road), King George Highway is another story. From one end in South Surrey all the way into Whalley terminating at the Patullo Bridge, almost every cuisine is represented. Mixed amongst every conceivable chain restaurant, one would find Chinese, Japanese, Vietnamese, Greek, Italian, Mexican, Thai, Korean and of course Indian cuisine. However, we can add one more -Spanish. Honestly, I wasn't expecting a place such as Pachamami Sabor Latino opening up shop on KGH near 80th Ave. Furthermore, I was taken aback when they were offering a lunch buffet for $7.99.

As always... a buffet would never be the best way to experience the food, but for the price, I was game. As I walked into the brand new restaurant, I noticed it was clean, tastefully appointed and welcoming.  Similar to Sunny Noodle House, the chef did the cooking, cleaned the tables, served the customers, made coffee (which is included) and tended the till.  Maybe it was a good idea to have the buffet after all...  The first thing I tried was the Chicken Quinoa Soup.  Well, it was basically a chicken soup with lots of celery and chicken.  Flavours were mild and slightly sweet.  As for the main part of the buffet, it featured items such as Green Salad, Pasta Salad, Onion & Tomato Salad, Picante de Gallina (Spicy Chicken), Saice (Ground Beef), Rice, Majau (Rice with Shredded Beef), Black Beans and Chancho al Horno (Roast Pork).

The one thing that stood out was the Chancho al Horno.  It was moist and fatty with a nice bark.  There was a mild roasted flavour with only a subtle hint of seasoning.  I thought the Picante de Gallina was nothing but.  Although the meat was moist and tender (being dark meat), it was pretty bland.  The Majau was not mushy nor hard (even sitting in a chaffing tray) and was flavourful due to the meat. The Saice was pretty much seasoned ground beef.  It went well with the plain white rice.  Lastly, there was some store-bought Coffee Cake for dessert.  It was pretty typical.  As for the rest of the food, most of it was decent with the roast pork being the highlight. Considering the buffet goes for the low price of $7.99, this is a buffet worth trying.

The Good:
- Inexpensive buffet
- Friendly chef/server/barrista/cashier
- Clean and tidy

The Bad:
- Flavours could be more impactful
- Since there is only one person there (at least when I went), service is sparse

Pachamami Sabor Latino  on Urbanspoon

10 comments:

Mary said...

Great post Sherman! I went there last week and I really enjoyed it

KimHo said...

Flavours could be more impactful

Not too different from the concept of "regular 'white' folks" might not appreciate home cooked Cantonese cuisine (because it is a bit "bland"), most Latin food is not as aggresively spiced as some other cuisines (Indian?). So, if the assessment is the one above, then it could be "good" enough! :)

LotusRapper said...

"Not too different from the concept of "regular 'white' folks ....."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v17lMr0j2D8&feature=fvwrel

KimHo said...

LR, think Lindsay (365 Days of Dining) and why she has certain aversion to the texture of the skin of Hainanese Chicken...

LotusRapper said...

I don't see how Hainanese chicken skin texture is worse than steamed chicken feet (dim sum) texture. I love both, but when I eat chicken feet the visual reminds me of the legs of a certain:

http://ggcontent.divinecaroline.com/images/photo/image/05/05/74/photo/50574/e_slide/Big_Bird.png

Hey maybe Mr. Romney would like dim sum too ;-)

LotusRapper said...

@Kim - notice how readership (or at least the # of commenters) on 365 Days of Dining) has dropped off considerably ?

KimHo said...

LR, exactly. We know how it is, yet, others (and, unfortunately, here is where the stereotype kicks in) don't appreciate it the same way we do. BTW, those are "nice" legs! :)

Sherman Chan said...

@Mary Thanks! Yes, a real gem!

@LR and @KimHo I'll stay out of that discussion...

Unknown said...

Sherman - have you been to Luna Loca at 152 & Hwy 10 in Surrey? I so, did you write a post about it? I can't seem to find any reviews from you on that place. I trust your judgment and need to know!

Sherman Chan said...

@Satbir I haven't been there yet, but intend to soon!

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