So the first thing I will be getting into is food! Here are some pictures of the goodness that went into my stomach during my time here throughout the cities of Guayaquil, Coca, and Quito:
Natural Fruit Drinks. They love their shakes over here. Nothing unnecessary added. Just fruit and water (or milk). That's it. This one here is just straight Mango.
Camarones a la plancha at Frallejon Restaurante. Grilled shrimp with a garlic sauce, rice, and small salad of lettuce and tomato. My tastebuds were loving this. Everything here and at all the restaurants were just perfectly seasoned and balanced with great flavor.
Churrasco at Restaurante Vasija de Barro. Beef was tender to the bite and savory. Charred enough to my liking.
Te con leche. My favorite drink in Argentina, besides yerba mate! It was simple and good over here but I really prefer it only in Argentina. I guess it just goes with the environment whereas Buenos Aires is a happening city with cafes everywhere, and Ecuador, the vibe is different, and chocolate is more interesting to me over here than tea.
Yes, a little Westernized but it isn't bothering me or keeping me up at night because I did that! I love churros. The only difference is they stuff their churros here with either sweetened milk or chocolate, so it isn't exactly the same thing we do here in the states. Oh and can I also mention that I love their fried bananas too! I need to do that more often.
*FAVORITE DISH IN ECUADOR* Camarones al Ajillo at the Ecuadorian Food Quito Tempo Restaurante. My mouth is watering just thinking about this dish! The shrimp was cooked to perfection, sauce has a slight cheesy taste to it with a kick from the pepper and lovingness of the green onion. Simple as that. Oh to be able to enjoy this again..NOW!
Another natural fruit shake. This one here is a blend of papaya and maracuya (passionfruit). Wanted something else to add to it, like guanabana, but they were out of it. Sweet and refreshing. The passionfruit used in Ecuador has a slight acidic/sour taste to it so they either let it wrinkle to bring out the sweetness or add some sugar to it so that the dish or drink it is used in is less acidic. I'll show more about the maracuya when I blog about my time in the Galapagos.
Chicken Shawarma at Marhaba Shawarma y Pipas. I'll be honest, the chicken was less tender and flavorful and more somewhat dry. Wish the sandwich was just equal. But I did love the spicy kick from the skhug (mango, vinegar, salt, mustard, turmeric, and chili) with the smooth, calming toum and a hint of tahini. I think the young owners were too busy having fun to notice the chicken! This was a happening place for the young crowd.
Yes, I did. I got meringue at the Pasteleria Deleites. 40 cents for one. I liked it until I got to the middle and it was soft and a little gooey/sticky. Not completely cooked. I just couldn't finish the rest of it. But it was good up until that happened!
How I just love fresh fruit. Delicious.
Fritada at Fritadas Cesybel. Made up of fried and fresh corn, fried goat, fried potato, and fried banana. I think my arteries were fried after this! No, but really, this was very good and is a traditional dish found in the cities here in Ecuador. Put this one on your list when you journey onto Ecuador.
Popcorn. Yes, popcorn. I actually saw this first in the Amazon before here at Cafe Amazonas. I learned there that Ecuadorians make popcorn to add to their soups and sometimes as something to snack on instead of bread or peanuts. We use those oyster crackers for our chilis and soups; Ecuadorians use popcorn. I tried it in my soup in Yasuni but I didn't really like how soggy the popcorn got, so I just ate it as is. :) I will say they make damn good popcorn here! I love the butter and salt!
Caprese Sanduche. All I have to say, besides I love Caprese, is I love how they used that bread.
Los tradicionales Churros rellenos de majar. I actually preferred the street cart churros better!
Pasteles from Panaderia y Pasteleria. Good but I think I much prefer the facturas in Argentina! Either that or I should have tried this earlier on in the day, not in the early evening.
Trucha con salsa cremosa de uvas, papas al vapor y trio de legumbres at the Swiss Bistro. Flavorful and light, yet fatty at the same time with the sauce. I enjoyed this filling dinner.
Peras al vino tinto con helado de vainilla. Delectable. Craving satisfying. Sexy. AmaZING. I would and will make this for any ladies night or a relaxed night in.
My Sanduche de Pollo and Flan de Coco in the Guayaquil airport at 2:30am. I have never in my life had food at this time. Ever. It was free. Long story. All I'll say is don't fly with LAN. The positive though, is that I loved the chicken sandwich and flan!
Next up I'll be digging deeper into the cities and reaching up high in the sky.
