PICA PICA .....A RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE!

I was HUNGRY and my mouth craved a flavour party and my stomach shouted FEED ME NOW!  I'd been to the Venezuelan inspired Pica Pica Maize Kitchen the week before and had enjoyed it but I wasn't desperate to go back again, it was tasty but not wow and the tofu in my vegan was too soft and bland.   Nevertheless, I found myself walking back through the doors on Mission Street.  This time I decided to make the menu my own, I smiled with all the sweetness I could muster, as I asked the helpful, but dour, manager for the grilled corn flour cake, the No.5 La Shuli to be stuffed with plantain in addition to the tomatoes, black beans and herbs.  I also caved into my yearnings and  ordered the smashed, crispy plantain cake and the yucca fries, oh and a small side of avocado.

I don't know what happened since the previous week,  but Oh my good GOD!  The food was amazing.  AMAZING.  The arepa was transformed and made a thing of utter bloody perfection by the omission of boring mushy tofu and the take-over by the sweet plantain. A genius move by me (thank you me).  The slightly sweet plantain, the earthy black beans and the finely chopped, herbed tomatoes were a perfect marriage, and their take on guacamole that I smeared with abandon on the roof of the cornbread nearly had me in tears.  My eyes tolled reverentially to the heavens.  I was undone with joy.  Oh Jesus..... and the fries.....oh, bloody hell they were salty, garlicky, crispy and left a yummy film of oiliness on my lips.  Oh feck.  I was in LOVE.  Right in the middle of it; if love was a spinning of flavours and textures and gorgeousness then I was at its CORE.  Ha, ha.  I could of laughed at the joy of it all.  I was so happy I could of danced on the tables and done star jumps all the way to the counter before planting a huge smacker on the chef's fissog and bursting out onto the street to tell the WORLD of the scrumminess I'd discovered!  But...I didn't.  I quietly told the chef he was fabulous and walked out with a smile like you get when you've just had great sex.

GO THERE NOW!

PICA PICA...THANK YOU  THANK YOU THANK YOU !!!!  times a million.