I have many regrets in my life. Not ordering the “Breakfast Enchilada” on that fateful day was regret #2036. Like many regrets; I’ve attempted to pick up the pieces of a shattered possibility and move on.

In this cozy establishment, some dear friends invited us to dine to our hearts content. With a name like “Culina” I imagined it being a pretentious restaurant with exorbitant prices. Instead, it’s a cozy family-friendly place with delicious food at a reasonable cost.  Our co-diners were surprised with the high chairs and plastic cups that make outings like this pleasant for their 1 year old son. I guess IKEA isn’t the only restaurant that caters to the family?

Moving on.

The server informed us of the specials at a rapid pace. I heard “enchilada” and my mind went back to the enchiladas I’ve had at various places in Edmonton. All of them failed at coming close to the mexican delicacy.  With this precedence in mind I ignored this option and went with the “Ukrainian Breakfast”. This was my fatal mistake. There was nothing wrong with the meal I ordered. The kubassa was uniquely savory. The pyrohy’s were delicious but not memorable. Although I say this that after I laid my eyes on the meal right across the table. So that may have skewed my perspective just a tad.

When the “Breakfast Enchilada” arrived I was smitten. With the promptness of Speedy Gonzalez my friend devoured it and my heart broke. Luckily for me the story did not end there. Because our friends had not felt completely satisfied by the crepes they decided to order another enchilada.  This was my second chance. With baited breath I awaited for one of them to offer me a bite. I dropped hints at how good their meal looked the second time around. It finally worked when a little bit of drool dropped on the kubassa. With their inevitable invitation I jumped on the opportunity and experienced bliss. The pork was tender and danced perfect with the spicy refried beans. Just those two elements alone were enough to fill me with regret. But then entered the scrambled eggs, the tomato-pesto and soft corn tortillas that rounded off perfection. In 3 bites I was convinced that the only way to deal with my regret would be to cook it myself.

4 days later my regret disappeared. Even though it didn’t taste anything like what Culina had made, mine was decent enough to serve as the rebound.

4 high-fives for making unpretentious Breakfast Enchiladas!