By Sherman Chan,
Special to The Post

We started off with some Papusasincluding the Revuelta (with pork, beans, cheese and sweet pepper) and the Queso (with cheese & zucchini). They were fairly "light" for a papusa. I enjoyed the meat version more as there was a more inherent robust flavour. Loved the cheese in both as they were not overly greasy. The side of spicy slaw and a mild tomato sauce helped elevate the impact of the dish.

The Tacosincluding Al Pastor, Carne Asada, Pollo and Veggie were neatly constructed. I thought the Pollo (pulled chicken, cilantro, cream & pico de gallo) was the best as it was well-seasoned while being tender.  The meats in both the carne asada and al pastor were on the drier side, which is par for the course. They had nice caramelization and meatiness. The veggie was surprisingly good.

We tried the Bandeja Polito's with well-done chopped rib eye steak, beans, rice topped with a fried egg, maduro fried plantain, guacamole and pico de gallo. With similar elements as a cheesesteak, the meat was crispy and well-seared with a smoky caramelized flavour. We also had the Mar Y Tierra with a marinated skirt steak topped with grilled prawns. The steak itself was not super tender, but I found it sufficient and still tasty.

As for our desserts, we had the Tres Leche and Chocolate Flan. They were very good. Light and fluffy, the tres leche cake was purposefully sweet. The flan was nicely smokey and caramelized where it sat atop a moist chocolately cake. We enjoyed our meal at Polito's. Some things could've been a bit better, but overall, the food was appealing.

Polito's Latin Café

942 Westwood Street, Coquitlam, BC

The Good:

• Super friendly people

• Quality food

• Love those desserts

The Bad:

• Meats could be a bit more tender and moist

• Menu could be larger

Sherman Chan is the #1 ranked food blogger on the Vancouver portal of Urbanspoon.com. Read more of his reviews at www.shermansfoodadventures.com.