mindless ramblings

It’s been way too long since we last went to Senhor Rooster, so when we couldn’t think of a place for dinner one day, we decided to make the drive up to East Vancouver to partake in some good food. Since we went back in January, they got themselves a website and I *think* they painted the walls. Anyway, the first thing that struck us was that the place was dead empty at 7pm! This was a huge change from the first time we went in winter, it was absolutely packed on a weekday night. We thoroughly enjoyed our first meal, but we were interested in trying their other dishes, so we ended up getting the daily specials for our entrees.

Prawns Piri-Piri
These were even better than the BBQ mushrooms we had the first time! The sauce was garlicky, spicy and oh so delicious! The Portuguese buns they provide are a perfect match for soaking up every single drop of sauce. The only thing that detracted from the dish were the shells on the prawns. Deshelled prawns would make the eating so much easier. Nevertheless, it managed to make a previously-full Esther discover an appetite out of nowhere.

Chouriço wrapped in pork loin
Sausages are a favorite of mine, and the potential of one wrapped in a pork loin proved too much to resist. The chouriço (otherwise known as chorizo) was nice and spicy but I thought the pork was a little dry. The sides were absolutely delicious though. The spicy potatoes (Batatas Bravas a Rooster) were so good! They were potato wedges covered with some tomato-based sauce and ridiculously tasty onions. The salad was just as good, fresh lettuce, tomatoes, onions and olives in a creamy, peppery dressing.

Basa Basa
That’s what it said on the menu and the waitress said it was some kind of flat fish. A search online doesn’t reveal much (Wikipedia), except it might be some kind of catfish. It came topped with raisins and covered in some kind of puff pastry-like skin. This was very different from my entree. The fish tasted very clean, with little extra seasonings other than salt. Nevertheless, the raisins added a nice sweetness to the fish, and I thought it was a nice and light entree.

A great return to a great restaurant… the only thing that keep me thinking was the fact that aside from a couple of take-out orders, we were the only diners in the place during our entire meal. The waitress did mention that they are pretty packed on the weekends, but I did find it weird that it was dead empty. I just wish the place was closer to me, I’d eat there pretty regularly if it was!