Tacofino – Ocho

THE PREAMBLE

What. A. Year. If there were ever a time that a stabilizing presence was needed, a comfort akin to a grandmother’s embrace, it would have been 2020. Now we’re into 2021 and it’s a NEW year, one with NEW hopes, NEW dreams and NEW nachos to devour. Considering the state of the world, we have to put things into context. Are things perfect? No. Can we expect them to be perfect? No. If you thought that life was going to be perfect in a pandemic then pour me a glass of whatever Kool-Aid you’re drinking because it sounds BEE-EE-AY-UTIFUL. At this point, I am overjoyed to break the shackles of old and get the cogs in the blog machine rolling again. TO THE ‘CHOS!

THE PLACE

Full disclosure, somehow I had never heard of this place and I thought it was a one-off joint. It turns out there are more than ten locations in B.C (if you include food trucks, which you should of course because otherwise you’re missing out on some absolutely A-star food out there, especially nachos because food truck nachos have that “from-the-streets” feel that adds to the taste. If you don’t know, now you KNOW).

Pictured above: not a food truck

I must have had my head buried in the sand… or perhaps in a mountain of N95 masks. There’s something about this restaurant that gives me good vibes. I should note that the rating scale doesn’t capture “vibes”, but sometimes you go places and feel like, “yeahhh, I am in the RIGHT place at the RIGHT time.” That was the vibe I picked up. (I should note “vibes” are not meant in a spiritual aura, wear-metal-bracelets-around-my-wrist-while-clutching-energy-crystals kind of way, but more in a general atmospheric sense.)

Moving on from the tangents of vibes and my general lack of attentiveness to local joints, this place was authentic. I give mental points when an establishment embraces its identity and doesn’t try to be something it’s not. Is the owner a middle-age divorcee trying to recapture his or her youth? Own it. Is the owner a surf bum / hipster kind of person who has that laid back kind of groove like this owner probably is? Hell yeah, put the knick-knacks on the wall next to the ‘stick-and-poke’ style art (more this place). People pick up on authenticity. Give the people what they want.

TO THE ‘CHOS

Served on a silver pan classic of a Mexican surf joint place, these nachos had floor presence. Maybe it was the fact that it had been months without nachos, but as the server walked out with them, I had to resist the urge to bury my face in them like James Franco finding water after 127 hours.

Had to add the guac myself… like some sort of peasant

I was torn on how to rate the toppings. The chipotle fresca was a delight. I’m a huge sucker for feta and the addition of this to the toppings list was a sweet deal. The downside was the topping depth was lacking. The top layer was so great that the contrast made it quite obvious that the lower layer was left wanting for more than just dry chips. Ultimately I settled on docking marks because (1) the additional add of carnitas were only lukewarm and realistically tepid nachos are most definitely not “totally radical, man”, and (2) there was NO FULL FAT SOUR CREAM??

Overall though, they tasted solid, the presentation was great, and there are some simple low-hanging fruit to fix that would make this a cracking platter. I might be turning into a softie with the rating, but, hey, cut me some slack; this was the first externally sourced nacho order I’ve made in more than six months. I’d come back.

RATING:

  • Overall: 15/20
  • Taste: 4/5
  • Presentation: 4.5/5
  • Mouthfeel: 3.5/5
  • Toppings: 3/5

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