Empanadas y Almojabanas

Today I checked out the Colombian empanadas at this tiny downstairs place (Bloor and Palmerston):



It's the tiniest place, and I couldn't find it until Ian showed me where it was. I ordered up two Colombian empanadas ($1.25 ea) and one almojabanas ($1.00). Unlike other empanadas the Colombian ones are fried and the filling is mainly meat and potato. These ones look homemade. They are crispy and pretty filling for the size, but two of them is maybe a bit too much grease. Also, you need the hot sauce to give it some zip. But for the price it's one of the best little snacks or appetizers around.



The almojabanas on the other hand came out of this box :



...and they weren't exactly what I expected. I would describe it as a bun that is infused with the taste of that cheese that doesn't melt (similar to paneer). But there's no chunks of cheese in there. Not bad, but it's just a Colombian convenience food. I think real almojabanas (as opposed to the fast food version) are more like empanadas and less like buns.