Hernande'z, Downtown Victoria

I used to love Hernande'z when I worked down town or I had cause to be downtown for a fast and fresh lunch.  The mixture of a lightly spiced burritos and fresh local food was a delight.  As I've moved out to the sticks to work, I'm not there as often, and have tended to eat at the Interactivity Board Game Cafe before or during my weekly evening gaming sessions.

But I had noticed a regular weekend brunch with my very favourite meal : 'Huevos Rancheros' taking centre place in the menu.  I prepared with a  fifteen km run with Andrea, then met with the lovely Brunette of my Acquaintance and two of my best-est friends.

We got seated in the walk through mall that Hernande'z lives in, on a little table opposite the closed coffee shop. We ordered in shop water and my friends got in a small basket of nachos to warm up with.  The server was young and had the slight confusion of a teenager in her first job, but with plenty of enthusiasm, so no real problem there. One of the chefs did mention they wished there was coffee available when they opened on a Sunday, and it is one miss on the menu for brunch.  I wonder if there is a quick and easy, but authentic coffee substitute they could offer?

I ordered the standard Huevos, served on thin corn flour tortillas, while the Brunette went for the Huaraches Rancheros.  These are much the same but with one big, thicker corn tortilla that looks a bit like a sandal (and where the name comes from), made from a maize dough and lightly fried.  Both dishes were served with fresh eggs, fresh made beans, fresh salsa and a small heap of a potatoes.

There has been talk that the quality at Hernande'z has gone down hill in the last few years.  This is not apparent in the brunch.  The eggs and beans were as fresh as promised, and tasted wonderful.  The beans had that mushy, grainy feel with a savoury and, well, beany flavour. The salsa was  lively and tangy but not hot, just a bite from the tomatoes.  And those breakfast potatoes were parboiled, fried up a bit and served hot, and kept the new potato taste in there - slightly waxy, slightly earthy.

The tortilla was fresh, soft and you could taste the corn flour, the gritty, savoury dough warm and just a bit of a resistance to the bite. The huarache as more of the same but thicker with a slight crumble to the texture.  Both meals were plenty for one hungry person, and my friends shared a plate between them and were well satisfied.

A great brunch pick up for fresh and fast food.

EDIT : Quote from the Brunette 'Probably the best Huevos I have ever had'.