eatvancouver.net

The Mouse and Bean
(604) 633-1781
Address: 207-B West Hastings (map)
Homepage

Bean There, Done That
a Quick Bite

By Daniel Fishman and Jason Chin
Eat Vancouver writers

After a busy morning of exercising our commercial acting chops, the Chairman and I were ready for a nice big lunch, since nothing works up an appetite like pretending to use nasal spray. We had both passed by the Mouse & Bean a lot of times, and since we were in the area, decided to check it out.

The M&B is pretty much what you would expect décor wise, maybe ever so slightly nicer than the average Mexican place in town… maybe. The menu is about the right size, with various tacos, enchiladas, quesadillas, and other Mexican specialties. The prices seemed a bit high, but since I was starving, I decided to go all out for the Pollo con Mole, at $12.95. When it came, it looked pretty good, although it was only about a quarter chicken, leg and thigh, and a small portion of rice and beans. The mole was pretty tasty, although I am a little disappointed that the waiter forced a Coke on me because it was “so spicy;” I would say it was moderately hot at best. All in all, the food was ok, but the portions were pretty small for the price. Perhaps the tacos would provide better value for the money, and given that the taste was pretty good, I might go back and check that out at some point.

Jason had similar feelings about his meal: “I ordered the chicken enchiladas with verde (spicy/tangy tomatillo) sauce which rang in at about $9. All the flavors were right on, with the verde sauce accenting the moist chicken pieces quite nicely. I also enjoyed the sharp queso fresco shredded on top of the meal. But to be honest, I know a ton of haunts back home where $9 would get me a much larger portion of enchiladas, rice, beans, and complimentary house-made salsa and chips. I don’t know how much that would cost at the Mouse and Bean, but I’m guessing it would be a lot more.”