Sunday, January 16, 2011

WHERE NOT TO EAT

In Sooke there is a quaint little spot called the Lazy Gecko Mexican Eatery. Located in same location as the former, fabulous Farmer's Daughter, Lazy Gecko is a bad mexican stereotype. The brightly coloured walls and comfortable bamboo chairs are the only charming accessories in this abysmal cafe.

We ordered the beef tacquitos, soft corn tacos (chicken) and the veggie quesidilla. The snack-size meal came and was truly a disappointment. The tacquitos tasted like the frozen ones you can buy in bulk at a big-box store. They were served with cold "refried" beans topped with pre-grated cheese and green onion. The green onion was the highlight of the meal. The beans did not taste like anything. Re-fried beans out of a can lightly sauteed with onion would have had more flavor. I'm not sure what recipe they are using, but they seriously need to consider trying something better - how about Old El Paso?

Unfortunately, there was more to this non-descript meal. The quesidilla was made in a flour tortilla. I'm not sure how it was cooked, but the cheese was runny and resembled cheese whiz. The quesidilla had no particular flavour to it, just cheese and tortilla. It was accompanied by a strange side of shredded iceberg lettuce and some tomato sauce/salsa type condiment. Finally, we had the soft taco. Now, we are used to the unbelievably fresh and savory tacos at Hernandez*. So, our standards are pretty high. The Lazy Gecko soft taco is soggy and flavorless. This dish is also presented with the iceberg lettuce / sauce combination.

This new restaurant is set up to serve both take-out and eat-in. Though, it is more cafeteria style eating, where you order and pay for your food and then wait for someone to bring it to you. That is not a-typical nor unexpected. At Hernandez, they do something similar, and it works great. Unfortunately for Lazy Gecko, their LAZINESS did not help them serve us. When we were finished our meal and about to leave, the owner came and asked how our meal was. We had to tell her the truth. I said that I was expecting a fresh home cooked meal and I was very disappointed. The one thing the owner did right was to refund our money immediately. When she passed me the refund, I said, "maybe adding some cilantro and lime?"

Adding cilantro and lime to pre-processed food might not help though. Try grating the cheese yourself. Make your own beans. Put out a nice looking plate. Add a fresh salad to each meal. It could be a "mexican" salad - mixed greens, corn, black beans, lime, cilantro & chipotle dressing.
What about seasoning your cooking with appropriate spices? Have you ever heard of cumin?

So, if you're ever in Sooke needing a bite to eat, do not eat at the Lazy Gecko. Unless you want over-processed, bland, soggy stereotypical mexican food.