Sometimes, you just can’t be arsed to organize for others. Today, that was me, so I went to La cocina de doña Julia on my own. It was just as well, since this spot on Dupont had room to seat only a dozen comfortably, and Julia herself prepared everything from scratch – a lengthy process.

Small and plain though it was, the restaurant was full of Ecuadorians, the usual telltale sign I was in the right place. I consulted with a family of four and chose encebollado de pescado, a fish soup and a national dish. It took forever to make and as I waited, I sipped a can of Tropical Manzana, ate a finger bowl of pork rind bits, and watched a Disney movie featuring Adam Sandler (the only low point of the excursion).

As for the soup: tuna, red onion, tomato, cilantro, cassava, pepper, rice, avocado and lime, served in generous portions. Fantastic!