I am originally from Los Angeles. I grew up on a diet of pretty much Mexican food and even after I moved away it is still my native/comfort food. I have been searching all over Montreal for something that would remind me of the little "whole-in-the-wall" places with great food that I ate at while growing up. This is the closest thing I've found to it in Montreal.
The food was excellent. I had the pulled beef which was very similar in taste and texture to barbacoa. I had them make a "plate" so I got to sample a little of their salad, rice, slab of cheese, black beans and plantains. The worst of that group was the rice. It was OK but the rest just melted in my mouth. I was instantly transported back to my youth. Sort of like the scene from the movie Ratatouille where the food critic, Anton Ego, samples the ratatouille that Remy the rat (main character) has just made and is transported back to his childhood. While I am not as old as that character appears to be in the movie am not in my 20's either.
I set at the little breakfast bar that passes for the shared eating are (with the falafel place) and savored every morsel. Each nibble was sort of a trip down memory lane for me. The tastes, while not exactly identical, were so similar that it was as though time had temporarily reversed. I didn't snap out of my trance until I went to stab the next tasty bite and realized almost nothing was left to spear with my fork.
The avocado sauce was tasty and of course I had to try the hot sauce. I grew up on very hot peppers and love them all if they have good taste. I don't like spicy without good flavor. The hot sauce had just enough kick to satisfy my spicy food craving. If you are a gringo, it might be a bit to spicy so try just a little at first.
My only complaints were the rice was nothing to get excited about and I wish there had been more plantains than the 3 I received. I even felt compelled to speak in Spanish to the person working behind the counter and comment; muy sabroso! So while my French may be my handicap here, my Spanish finally found a place worth using! I likely may be back every day while I am here.