Please Don't Eat Paradise Cream's "Latin Food"

"I don't think I've ever ordered a sandwich and had my expectations crushed like this before." -Scott

Today we went to the London International Food Festival in Victoria Park in downtown London, ON. This was the 3rd year I have gone, and by far the most disappointing. Perhaps that was just because there was nothing new and exciting, and we were asked for a lot of money today, sometimes a little aggressively. There were the meat pies from Wisey's Pies and Bakehouse - New Zealand inspired and so delicious (we got lamb & sweet potato this year, but I think I preferred last year's Thai chicken curry pie). There was Goodah Gastrotruck, which I have mentioned loving before. There were tasty Vietnamese fresh rolls from Quynh Nhi, a summer favourite. We got two spicy vegetarian samosas from Raja for just $3, I am still meaning to try the restaurant as their festival food is on point. On a hot day in the park, a massive cup of fresh squeezed lemonade hits the spot (followed by tons of water when you get home). These were all things we had tried before and loved, only disappointment seemed to be new this year. There was a Dr. Oetker truck giving out free slices of their pizza (even free, it sucks). Michael's on the Thames made their Food Fest debut, and it felt like we had scored a deal getting 3 meat skewers for $10, but they were each very mediocre and dry (lamb, beef, & chicken). The mango and Thai sauces they had set out made it tasty, but didn't make the lamb any less chewy. None of this really warranted a post, until Paradise Cream (they don't seem to have a real website, it just redirects to Instagram). I had the luck and privilege of being their first Facebook review, and I would paste it anywhere I can to encourage them to improve, or people not to order their food.

Just take that all in. We wondered if there was even beef involved. After careful biting...

There is a bit of beef in there. There also appear to be Hickory Sticks, and ketchup & mustard, those Latin delights. Powdered Parmesan also screams quality & authenticity. I haven't used it in my own kitchen in years, and am a little disgusted someone would like me to pay them to serve it to me. From my Facebook review:

Maybe they should stick to the ice cream & milk shakes and not the pathetic attempt at Latin food. We visited this truck at the London International Food Festival in Victoria Park and ordered the Pepito Beef, assuming it would look something like the image on the sign. After waiting 10 minutes, we were notified it would be 15 minutes to cook the beef. We sat, we waited. After 15 minutes, I mistakenly thought the cashier had called my number (it was mine +10). She didn't seem too bothered, and after a total of 31 minutes we got our sandwich. It was the saddest thing I've seen from a food truck - very little beef, powdered parmesan, shredded mozzarella, avocado, ketchup, mustard, hickory sticks? It was terrible, none of the cheese had melted at all. I didn't realize the "special sauce" was ketchup and mustard. I will do everything I can to recommend everyone avoids this embarrassing attempt at food.

Likes: literally nothing.
Dislikes: Everything! The food was disappointing, the service matched.
Food: 1/5
Service: 1/5
Would I go again?: Absolutely not, hopefully they realize this isn't what should be happening.

Goodah Gastrotruck

I have been waiting weeks for this! Goodah Gastrotruck is one of the few food trucks in the city of London, and it is great. Today, and every Tuesday from 9 AM to 2 PM until late in the summer there is a Farmer's Market on campus at Western University. It looks like the Goodah truck will be there, and I can't be the only one hoping it is consistently. Today I ordered the Jalapeno Popper and added bacon ($9):

Jalapeno Popper - blend of roasted and pickled jalapeno, mascarpone, cream cheese, cheddar and monterey jack with a pickle and side of coleslaw

After paying in advance and a wait of about 10 minutes, they called "Betty White" and the sandwich was mine. The bread was crispy and perfectly fried, oozing with cheese. I prefer my addition of 4 slices of bacon for $1.50 over the base $7.50 Jalapeno Popper. The jalapeno pepper flavour was there, but it wasn't very spicy. The coleslaw was a miss in my opinion - with apple pieces that were tasty, but it was too creamy for me. The pickle was the perfect end to a lunch, and I benefited from a labmate's pickle, too. Overall this was a very satisfying lunch, especially considering what is usually on offer on campus particularly during the summer months.

Likes: Sandwich is crispy and delicious, filled with cheesy goodness
Dislikes: Coleslaw was a disappointment and I would expect something called a Jalapeno Popper to be spicier.
Food: 4/5
Service: 5/5
Would I go again?: Definitely. I look forward to what will be on special and love cheese too much.

Eva's Original Chimneys

For our 2 year anniversary, Scott bought tickets to see Kinky Boots in their final performance in Toronto. Of course that means we needed to find food first! We decided to visit Evergreen Brick Works in the hopes of food trucks and a nice stroll. Although we were a little disappointed to see only two food trucks and another truck selling Harem Pants, there was one we were excited to try. For a couple weeks, Eva's Original Chimneys was mainly located at Brick Works, catching a lot of attention on social media. When we arrived, the sky was pretty overcast and the park wasn't too busy. We were able to walk directly up to the truck without a line and order the Sweet Apple Pie:

It's an ice cream cone made of a Hungarian pastry, known as a chimney cake. If you have never had one, its a lot like a doughnut, covered in sugar and cinnamon. The cone was filled with vanilla soft-serve with some apple pie filling. It was a pretty good sweet treat, but there was a secret surprise at the end...at the bottom of the cone there was a chocolate truffle. This little chocolate nugget was unexpected, and not all that welcome, it was really kind of strange to have. The pastry itself was crisp on the outside and soft on the inside, tasty but not too sweet.

Likes: perfect vanilla soft serve, nice soft pastry

Dislikes: the chocolate truffle was unwelcome
Food: 4/5
Service: 5/5
Would I go again?: Maybe, but there are so many other food trucks and desserts to try that it doesn't really need to be revisited