Balboa - Colombian pacific Food

Excellent colombian food with a slight twist. Went there on a Saturday for lunch, the first to arrive for lunch. The menu was very interesting, with some traditional Colombian dishes and others a bit more their twist (e.g., the sushi with plantain, and the buñuelos with smoked mackerel). We ordered a few dishes for the two of us to share. The arepas con choclo, buñelos, empanadas, plantain sushi, and the arroz atollado. It took awhile for the food to come, which I think has to do with us being the first to order lunch. The good thing is that it did indicate that the food was freshly made, rather than reheated. All in all, the plates were very tasty. My favorite was probably the arroz atollado (rice with coconut and seafood). The amount of seafood in the rice was generous, the coconut flavor and the sauce were really tasty. The crispy fried plantains added a nice crunch to it. It could have used a bit of acid, but all in all it was great. The arepas con choclo (arepas with corn kernels) were probably my second favorite, but arepas with choclo are my favorite kind of arepas. The empanadas were my least favorite. It's not that they weren't good, but I thought they could have more carne and less potatos. The amount of food was good for the two of us, no complaints about portion sizes. I read a few negative reviews saying that the food didn't have any bold flavors. I guess that many people associate Latin American food mainly with Mexican food, with their use of spices, moles, and other salsas to boost the flavor. Colombian food isn't like that. It's generally not spicy, but more about letting the flavor of the base ingredients come through. Worth noting that most of the menu is naturally gluten free.

We had an absolutely amazing brunch at Balboa and it was pure joy when I found at the waffles were gluten free. The coffee was delicious! Can't wait to go back to try the rest of the menu