Mexicali

Its been a while since I had a good burrito.

Not that I'm a burrito connoiseur. I only just had the chance to sample three burritos from particular restaurants my whole life - two from Phillipine based Mexicali and Tia Marias, and another in a Hong Kong based resto called Ay Caramba - and the last two did not exactly fit to my palate. I've always gone back to the same resto since then whenever I had my thirst for burritos, time and time again, since I discovered the Mexicali chain from my second brother back when I was still in secondary school. He was craving for jalapenos back then, and if I remember correctly, that was the only place we knew that served it. I've also had a fanciful relationship with jalapenos, but that is another matter altogether. My stomach used to be able to handle them with my gluttonous nature, but they haven't been agreeing on me the past few years. Now a few slices of them could already ease my satisfaction. But the burritos. The burritos are fine, and they suit exactly to my stomach's liking - both tastewise and capacity wise.

Now that I think about it, I think I should remember the next time I dive back home to thank my brother for the introduction. I've lived off Mexicali burritos since I was in college, and every chance I get whenever I'm near a vicinicity which had Mexicali.

And so, how could I ever turn down the chance to go back and enjoy my favorite Mexican fast food chain when I was back in the Philippines? A friend of mine asked me to take my choice of dining, and hands down, I chose to be back at Mexicali. It would be interesting to go back to one of my favorite places and see if the burritos are still the same as I remembered them.

One (and the only) dish that I order when I get there is my all absolute favorite, the vegetarian burrito. In a country , and maybe society and culture, that eats mostly meats, most go straight to ordering the steak, pork or chicken burrito. But I've always have a weak digestive system incapable of digesting meats, particularly red meats, on a normal timeframe. Once ingesting meat, I spend the rest of the day burping away shamelessly while my stomach acids churn overtime to breakdown the food, and even by the end of the day, still end up feeling very full - and lousy. Vegetables are perfect for me.

They have a really nice vegetable burrito. Supposedly, they're grilled and included into the burrito, but I've always thought that they do "cheat" a little and sautee them instead. But I've never been to their kitchens, I'm not quite sure about this, so don't take my word. Regardless, they have this very nice combination of eggplant, cucumber, garlic spiced in such a way that's just mellow to the palate without coming on too strong. Their rice within the burrito is slightly lumpy in a Aristocrat java rice sort of way, and one suspects they may have included saffron into the rice cooking process, but frankly, I don't think so. But it sure tastes like it. Not that THAT'S a problem, its actually very nice. They do include a bit of salsa and some lettuce to brighten the whole thing up, and the soft tortilla is just about right to pack up the whole thing into a nice, handy, ready-to-go-anywhere-to-be-eaten warm burrito.

Bite into it, and all the juices do come out, but not in a messy sort of way. They're just right.

Coupled with a small side dish of salsa and toasted tortillas, and we're just about ready to have a good, quick, satisfying meal.

They do pack a punch, and I'm really satisfied that my friend suggested I pick the dinner venue. With a great food and an even greater companion and conversation to go along with it, dinner was a very satisfying experience. Can't wait to be back there again with friends.