Burbank’s Peruvian-Asian Fusion, Pablito’s Kitchen, Is ‘The Sauce.’

 Disclosure: I was invited to try the deliciousness of Pablito’s Kitchen in exchange for review.
All opinions are my own..including the opinion that this place is amazing. 

Remember that one time you went to Peru via Burbank? Oh my, I sure do.

You might remember seeing  the Pablito’s Kitchen Food Truck around town in the past. But, in October of 2016, they expanded a brick and mortar space on West Burbank Boulevard and parked their menu permanently among some of the best places to eat in the Valley.

And it is that…a really fabulous place to eat..and the sauces this kitchen pairs its food with….OMGee.

My husband and I never get away, so I used this opportunity to share a meal with someone who loves food as much as me! My husband and I definitely have different tastes in food, but when we find something that we both absolutely love…we know we have a winner on our hands. Pablito’s Kitchen is that for us.

Pablito’s serves traditional Peruvian cuisine with an Asian twist. Why, Asian? Well, because its part of the culture in Peru! In the late 1800’s/early 1900’s, Japanese immigrants started arriving in Peru for a variety of reasons. As they worked and discovered the vast lands for farming in this Latin country, not to mention the wages were double what they were earning in a poor Japan, they stayed and created a new life. By the time World War II was starting, there were already second generation Japanese Peruvians settled and flourishing.

This is where the Japanese influence comes into play…and it is so very delicious.

We started off with a mix of ceviche made of squid, rocoto, shrimp and Fluke and a whole bunch of awesome. It was slightly spicy and cooked in the best leche de tigre ever. Topped with red onions and paired with crunchy toasted corn and Peruvian giant corn..this was absolutely amazing. I could not get enough of the lime-y goodness it was soaking in. 

We followed up this dish with their most popular sandwich, the Chicharron. Made with Roasted Pork Belly, sweet potato, criolla sauce and rococo aioli…this is what my husband’s dreams are made of. Well, besides vintage cars, giant mountains covered in snow, Netflix and me, of course. (Although in his dreams, I may look more like Anna Kournikova)

 

This sandwich is decently priced at $7.99 and is a very large portion, meaning you won’t go back to work hungry on your lunch break.

In between, we completely inhaled the fried Yucca. And I mean, inhaled.
The Yuca A La Huancaina is so delicious. We’ve eaten this other places but the crispy outside and perfectly cooked middle…with the sauce of some Peruvian God made this probably our favorite appetizer ever.

 

A very traditional Peruvian dish, and one that is very popular at Pablito’s is the Lomo Saltados. We savored every bite of the beef , and it was even prepared in a wok! Talk about the Asian influence. The beef was cooked perfectly and very tender. It came in a soy based, rich sauce served with rice and over a bed of fries.

They’re serving up cultural blending at its finest!

 

After all was said and done, there is one thing that stuck out to me the most.
The sauces.

Even though every dish we savored was so very delicious, the piece I enjoyed the absolute most, was the incredibly bold flavors of all of the sauces accompanying or covering the dishes.

We were handed this bottle and told it’s called the “Magic Green Sauce” and that “People drown their food in it.”

Yes…yes, I get it. This is a little bit of cilantro/jalapeno magic. And I am now one of those people who drown their food in it.

 

We ended our meal with the Latin dessert, Alfajores with Dulce de Leche.

We are now officially fans of this new addition to our list of great places to eat in Burbank.
Pablito’s Kitchen is a must. You must stop in and eat. You must tell your friends about it. And you must try at least one of the dishes I’ve shared here.

Pablito’s Kitchen is located at

3803 W Burbank Blvd
Burbank, CA 91505
818-859-7755

And not only to they cater…but they deliver too!