Located on the 13th Floor of the Sofitel, Bajel is a wonderful place to visit. For Yelp users, and I guess English speakers, it isn't so easy to search for since the code behind the scenes thinks you are looking for Bagels. Well, anyway, if you are reading this at least you circumvented that hurdle!
For dinner, I experienced a tasting menu that also had wine, mezcal, and tequila pairings but for this review I am going to focus on the food. The meal started with Octopus toast, black species, Ramonetti cheese puff, Guacamole with salmon pork rinds which was a delightfully varied entrance into the world of the chef behind Bajel.
Moving on there was the Green kampachi aguachile which was a wonderful form of ceviche that I would not normally see in my previous travels. That was followed by the Black bean, avocado and chipotle meco cream. The cream was poured at the table, and I could have eaten that dish all day long!
The Holy leaf taco stuffed with grasshoppers and cheese, with molote and mole was the only tough one. Yes, grasshoppers. You will see that ingredient common in this area as with ants and ant eggs or "Mexican caviar." For me, I could get past the insect concept and go in for the taste and that's where this dish failed for me. The texture was non-existent but the taste, for me, was too earthy, and it was something that stayed with me far too long to be enjoyable.
The Grilled shrimp, pipián and purslane was amazing, and the Duo of duck, black mole and banana was the perfect way to cap off the main meal. The slice was just on the right side of being too firm, and the leg was falling apart like a pulled pork BBQ dish. It was wonderful to have those side by side on one plate!
Though it sounds strange, the Goat cheese, fig compote and Jamaican sorbet was the perfect way to end the meal. All along the way I was fascinated by the elegance of the simple black dinnerware, which is something you do not usually see anywhere. read more