El Mae Restaurant – 1165 St Clair Ave W, Toronto, ON M6E 2B1
Country: Costa Rica      
Must-try dish: Fish Ceviche 
Seating: Indoor seating only, small food hall with 4 stalls no alcohol
Dinner guests: Dancing Queen and The Vulture 
The high: The homemade hot sauce here is amazing. 
The low: The ratio of rice to protein in the dishes is off, so don’t fill up on the copious amounts of rice! 

Pura Vida: This is a Costa Rica expression that translates into “pure life”, but the meaning represents a way of life. The good life.

Cuisine in Central America is similar from country to country with staple ingredients like rice, beans, corn, and plantain. But each country has its own speciality that distinguishes it from its neighbours. There are also regional dishes depending whether you’re eating on the coast or in-land. 

Despite its size, Costa Rica has borders on both the Atlantic and the Pacific oceans so it’s common to eat fish and seafood, but the mountainous areas inside the country use much more chicken, pork, and beef in their recipes. 

Although many Canadians have travelled to Costa Rica, there isn’t a large population of Costa Ricans living here, and El Mae Restaurant is one of the only places that serves this country’s cuisine in Toronto. The restaurant is located in a small market called La Tienda on the strip of St. Clair West that’s home to several Latin American restaurants. El Mae shares the space with a few other restaurants from Mexico, Cuba, and Colombia. If you head all the way to the back, you’ll see several Costa Rican flags and hear Spanish music playing from the speakers. 

The Fish Ceviche immediately jumped out to us since it’s fresh with either a fish or a shrimp option. Fish is more traditional and tends to have a better texture in this dish, so it was an easy decision. It’s made with a light white fish that’s marinated in citrus juices, onions, peppers, cucumber, tomatoes, and cilantro. It’s topped with avocado and served with tortilla chips for dipping and accompanied with a tico sauce which was creamy with a little spice. This was the must-try dish of the night because it was light and flavourful unlike the other dishes that are delicious but made with heavier ingredients. 

Ordering a Mini Tamale each was immediately obvious. These were small and cute, unlike the usual size that  would fill you up completely for a meal. It offered a little taster that you can unwrap and enjoy with homemade hot sauce. Tamales are made of ground up corn called masa usually with pieces of meat inside then wrapped up in a banana leaf and steamed until it’s cooked. When you unwrap it, the banana leaf acts as a plate. The Mini Tamales at El Mae Restaurant have chunks of pork inside and taste best with a little hot sauce. 

Another crowd pleaser within our group is the restaurant’s signature dish called Chifrijo, which is essentially a burrito bowl filled with delicious ingredients. Like many dishes from this part of the world, the base is made from a seasoned rice and beans mixture then topped with slow cooked pork, pico de gallo, and avocado, tico sauce and tortilla chips to add some crunch. This is a hearty dish, and unless you have the most massive appetite on earth, it’s likely better to share. 

The last dish from our dinner was recommended by the Costa Rican chef as being one of the most traditional plates on the menu, and his personal favourite. It tends to be more of a breakfast dish called Gallo Pinto. A mountain of rice and beans are served on a large plate with two fried eggs, choice of protein, which we chose the slow cooked beef, and fried plantains that add sweetness to this breakfast of champions. The only thing this plate was missing was more plantains as they are always a crowd pleaser.

The portion sizes are massive here so come hungry, or at least with a gang of people to share the various dishes. With winter on the horizon in Canada, El Mae might bring you a little taste of being away. 

Eat with you soon, 

Mandrea Bike
(Mat & Andrea)