Candela is a tiny little store just off the tramlines on Goodwood Road. With a seating capacity of about 10, this eatery focuses on Latin American street food which consists mainly of Venezuelan dishes. There are other items on the menu which have Cuban, Columbian and Argentinian influences. The decor here is basic, however, the beautiful aromas coming from the kitchen will put you into a trance. Combined with the Latin music playing in the background, you can’t help feel that the experience will be authentic.

Today, I ordered the Pelua Arepas. An arepas is corn bread made from ground maize dough or cooked flour. The filling, in this case, is slow cooked shredded beef with Latin American sofrito (capsicum, Spanish onion, garlic and leek). Combined with cheese and their special chipotle sauce, this snack was nothing short of delicious. The beef was tender, juicy and full of flavour, while the sofrito was spicy and provided a lot of depth. The arepas was nice and warm, and it reminded me of eating a muffin with filling.

The staff were ever so friendly with one of the owners providing a detailed description of everything on their menu. The service was good and the atmosphere was relaxed. The arepas are $7.50 a pop which is slightly on the pricier side considering their small size and the fact that the average person will need 2 to fill them up. The Pelua Arepas itself was delicious and it was definitely a pocket full of flavour, however, you may need to order a drink and some of their churros to fill you up.

WHERE: 120 Goodwood Rd, Goodwood