You know what the weather was like today? Lashing. Windy. Cold. As I approached K Chido, though, the rain stopped. The sky cleared. The sun came out. A miracle? Luck? Fate? An omen? Nah, don’t be silly. It just happened.

K Chido is a van. In an archway. I was afraid I wouldn’t find it. But I did. It’s on Chancery Street, very close to the Four Courts and near this …

… which the older ones among you will recognise as the old motor tax office. More pleasantly, it’s near these …

… which brighten up the streetscape a little.

Just in case you missed it above, K Chido is a VAN and you’ll find it in the archway leading to Fegan’s, a wholesale specialist food merchant.

It’s colourful …

… as is the seating opposite …

Its menu is simple, and Mexican … (click makes big)

The printed menu (again, click to embiggen much) gives more of an idea about what’s on offer for a fiver …

… and there’s this which, according to their Twitter feed page, is new …

There’s a lot of love on Yelp for K Chido’s breakfast burrito, so that’s what I chose. There are some choices you can make in relation to fillings but I make enough choices at work, so I just went for the standard one with chorizo and jalapenos, following the suggestions of the helpful server.

What I got (in no time at all) was big, warm, soft and delicious. It had all the usual burrito stuff. You know, the rice, the beans, the sauce.

It had lots of chorizo. It had jalapenos. And it had a fried egg. A FRIED EGG.

This wasn’t just a breakfast burrito. It was a birthday breakfast burrito with some Christmas added for good measure. I munched and I slurped and I licked the burrito juice that dripped onto my fingers. Oh this was good. Very good. And when I’d finished, I just sat for a while and savoured the afterburritosensations. Mmmmm.

Now, I freely admit to going a little over the top here in my description. But the fact is, I love this type of food. Today, this was my ideal lunch. I loved it’s sloppy, soft warmth and its spiciness. I loved the colours on the van and the furniture. I loved the colourful bunting and the Mexican pictures on the walls. The servers were helpful, pleasant and informative, and the whole thing came together as a pleasant eating experience which I aim to repeat.

Opposite K Chido is a tiny, well-kept park, called Chancery Park, with this intriguing 1930s style building …

It’s got a fountain …

… and, according to the sign,

it should have been open. But …

… it wasn’t.

So, over two hours after my lunch today and my mouth is still tingling.

The venue today was Cafe Azteca on Lord Edward Street. Cafe Azteca has been there since 1999! That’s thirteen years. I would have thought that that’s a long time for what is a very small restaurant. It must say something for the quality of the place.

Cafe Azteca is a family run restaurant. The man behind the counter who I spoke to came originally from Mexico City and the website suggests that he’s also worked in France. It’s small (seats 18-20) and pretty unassuming from outside.

unassuming

Inside, it’s quite brown. For some reason it doesn’t look all that inviting and I can’t quite work out why. It could be the plastic cactus plants in the window or tinsel-y decorations hanging from the ceiling. I’ve walked past it dozens of times in the last few years and, until I saw the small ‘Special Offer: Beef Burrito: €5’ sign, I wouldn’t have thought about eating there.

I ordered my beef burrito (actually, on their Facebook page, the offer covers any of their regular burritos) and took a seat. I was brought a glass of water and a small ramekin of FRESH salsa.

FRESH and hot!

There were 5 other diners there at lunchtime – a couple and three men, each eating on their own.

My only other burrito experience being Burritos and Blues, where the burrito is made before your eyes and comes quickly, I wasn’t expecting much of a wait. This isn’t a fast food restaurant however, and the wait wasn’t unreasonable and, indeed, was worth it.

My burrito arrived …

It's a first for me: written-on food

Now that’s pretty good, don’t you think?

I was quite hungry and tucked in. I’ve said before that I’m not an expert on Mexican food. What I’ve eaten in the past in Mexican restaurants I’ve liked but I have no idea how authentic the food has been.

I enjoyed this burrito a lot. The tortilla wrap was substantial and inside there was a piping hot filling comprising rice, corn, beans, herbs and small strips of beef. Not mince. Real beef. The salsa was an appropriate accompaniment: its fresh tasting heat cut through the (pleasant) starchiness of the burrito and left the aforementioned tingle on the tongue. The burrito was substantial enough for a filling midday meal.

Cafe Azteca has a pretty comprehensive and varied menu and, to my eye, offers excellent value, with most main course items priced between €9.50 and €13.50. It’s not just a restaurant either. They also provide Mexican cookery courses (see their website and Facebook page for more details).

Bill (it wasn't Tuesday. It was today.)

Good value. Interesting place. I’ll go again and I’d recommend that you give it a go.

Forgot to say: Santana was on the sound system. Appropriate.

Presidential election day. Cynical timing by the Government to hold it on a Thursday, effectively disenfranchising thousands of students and closing a massive number of primary schools. How is deliberately disenfranchising young voters meant to restore confidence in the efficacy of politics?

One positive consequence, however, was that the young lad was free to join me in the latest episode of the gentle eatforafiver extravaganza. As soon as I mentioned it to him, he chose the venue: Burritos and Blues on Wexford Street.

Burritos and Blues, Wexford Street

I’ve eaten here before – twice – following a suggestion by the older lad who had fed himself there several times following late nights in the nearby Palace nightclub. Having (once or twice) visited late night eating establishments myself, following evenings spent in various hostelries, I understand how late night eating can seem to be quite a different experience from normal eating. So I initially took the older lad’s initial recommendation with a pinch of salt but changed my mind after my first visit. It is indeed a good place to eat.

Burritos and Blues has three branches (I think. The website is not too clear, or up to date): one in Wexford Street, one in Stephen Street and one in the IFSC, near the National College of Ireland. The Wexford Street branch is small but brightly decorated with seats inside for about 24 or so and two tables outside. It also has a counter in the middle on which I suppose you could lean, if necessary.

There’s a big poster behind where they make up the burritos which explains the permutations and alternatives. But it’s easier just to ask. And then it’s entertaining to watch.

The menu (click to embiggen cromulently)

One of the things I’ve liked about Burritos and Blues on each visit has been the good humour and pleasantness of the staff. You’re invariably met with a smile and your questions are answered with good grace and humour.

We both chose to have burritos, the young lad getting the student option (€5) while I chose the Diet Burrito (€4.15). The burritos are made in front of you and you choose between certain options. The tortilla wrap is placed on the counter and you choose between two bean paste options. Rice goes on next and then you have a choice between minced beef and chicken. The young lad went for beef and I chose chicken. The wrap is then passed to the next server who adds a salsa. There’s a choice of 4 different strengths, from mild to ouch. The young lad went for number 2 and I, for the hell of it, opted for number 4. Grated cheese, lettuce and chopped tomato are added and the burrito is quickly and expertly rolled up and placed in foil.

We asked for glasses of water, paid and took our seats. It being the end of October, the young lad chose to sit outside.

The restaurant was pretty full at lunchtime. Mostly students, at a guess (DIT is very close) with a fair smattering of besuited blokes also. Not many women, now that I think of it.

So, the burritos –

The young lad tucking in to his student burrito

My diet burrito

I asked the young lad was he enjoying his. ‘Hell, yeah’, was the response, which I took as a positive. He couldn’t quite finish it and I had a bite of the left-overs. It was tasty with no part of it dominating any of the other parts. It kind of feels healthy too, for some reason.

Mine was hot and I don’t think I’d go for salsa number 4 again. It was quite overpowering and somewhat eye-watering. I could still taste the other components but only just. At a previous visit i opted for salsa number three which is hot enough and complementary rather than dominant. The diet burrito was filling, though, and excellent value for €4.15.

I’m not averse to a burger when I have the hunger but this is a tasty and far more interesting alternative and it feels a lot healthier. I’ve looked at the prices in some of the other burrito joints in town and Burritos and Blues is the only one that has food for a fiver or less. Fair play to them. I’ll return, probably frequently.

The damage:

Stuffed x 2 for €9.15. Result!

The Epicurean Food Hall between Abbey Street and Liffey Street has been going since 1999 and is now looking a little shabby. I’ve been there a few times over the years, usually to grab a bagel or a filled roll. I actually don’t mind shabby, as long as it’s reasonably clean. And it is. Reasonably.

Just having a look at some reviews on the internet reminded me that the variety of food on offer in the Hall has reduced over the years. I hesitate to say that the place is in terminal decline but it’s definitely not the ‘hidden gem’ that it used to be referred to as a few years ago. The Hall’s own website domain has expired. As .com domains cost about €6.50 a year, that’s not a good sign and perhaps shows that whoever owns the Hall has either lost interest or lost their shirt.

Yesterday at lunchtime, the young lad and I paid a visit. We were heading for a place in the Hall called Taco Taco, but we had a little look at what else was on offer. Not much for a fiver, I’m afraid. On the Liffey Street side, Burdocks had fish goujons, chips and a drink for a fiver. And there was a small portion of paella available for a little less, at the Abbey Street entrance.

Most places seemed to have ‘all you can eat’ offers for about €9.50, with ‘small’ plates of food for €7. You could have your choice of Turkish/Mediterranean, Chinese/Thai, Italian and Greek. The small plates were very small but if you’re looking for a feed for a tenner, the €9.50 option in the Greek place looked like good value.

Other stalls offered Brazilian food, hand-made burgers and baked potatoes. The bagel place is gone.

Taco Taco has a pretty good selection of Mexican items, as you’ll see from the menu, with everything under €8:

Taco Taco menu

The options for a fiver are limited to tacos, vegetarian tostadas and vegetarian mollete. We went for the tacos, the young lad opting for chorizo and I for chicken.

The tacos were … meh. I mean, they were OK, but a lot blander than I expected. The taco shells were crispy, which was good. The fillings were fine. The young lad was happy with his chorizo. My chicken tasted less of chicken than the oil it had been fried in. The tacos were covered in reasonable sour cream, rather insipid guacamole and, inexplicably (to me), a sprinkling of packet parmesan cheese. The garnish comprised shredded iceberg lettuce and a slice of tomato. No sign of the tomatillo Mexican salsa mentioned on the menu.

Chorizo Taco

Chicken Taco

(I have to day that they looked more appetising in reality than they do in these rather dull photos taken with my phone.)

Realistically, for €4.65 each these were fine and quite filling. I was just a little disappointed with the blandness. I hadn’t expected my head to be blown off but I had expected some heat. Then again, I’m no expert on Mexican food. Maybe we caught them on a bad day.

The bill:

Yesterday, the Epicurean Food Hall was busy, but not packed and we had no difficulty finding a vacant table. There were quite a few elderly American tourists and interestingly, not many children. I may be mistaken but I suppose many parents, in town on a Saturday, take the easy option of McDonalds or Burger King for lunch. Understandable, but a pity.