Like longing for love after enduring a painful breakup, the time between placing your order to getting your first bite is when my mouth is the most lonely. It was like cupid's arrow when I was promptly served smoky corn tortillas with a trio of dips, to hold me over until the Aguachile and Mole came.
You'd doubt you were still in a landlocked city with how fresh the butterflied shrimp are, as they give away with a subtle bounciness and tender texture, illuminating your taste buds with their subtle sweetness, prominent lack of fishiness, and an appetizing sour, spicy, and mildly smoky liquid. It's accompanied by crunchy cucumber slices, crisp red onions, and creamy slices of avocado that meld wonderfully with the acid.
Then came the Mole, which has been on my must-order for Mexican restaurants ever since my taste buds first experienced the complexity of this unique sauce. It brings the smoky depth of roasted chili peppers, that adds a salivating undertone to the sweet, umami, earthy, and cocoa flavours that drench the corn tortilla enrobing the tender, shredded chicken. Finally, it's drizzled with a mildly luscious garlic cream and milky queso fresco crumbled on top. The crisp pickled onions on the side are pretty much a bonus palate cleanser.
You don't need a keen eye to notice the smoky octopi flying off the pass, as you'll notice every table around you with at least one plate of this. Previously marinated in an al pastor-style sauce, it's finished with the fiery smoke of the grill while maintaining a tender, yet bouncy texture. The subtly sweet flavour is heightened by generous dollops of an addictingly herbaceous and fresh chimichurri sauce, made with some of the most delicious olive oil I've ever tasted. Along the perimeter, the tentacles are decorated with a melody of grilled vegetables, adding a pleasant texture contrast while offering a fresh respite between bites. Finally, the crispy potatoes and chipotle mayo sauce are a match made in heaven, all finished with a citrusy squeeze of lemon.
Seeing the corn tortilla hit the grill, my excitement matched my frustration of not being about to pronounce this Mexican "pizza" properly. Once toasty, it's topped thoughtfully with creamy frijoles and fresh ingredients like tomatoes, red onions, radishes, cilantro, and tangy queso fresco. Slices of avocado adds a nutty richness that complement wonderfully with the bursts of salty, beefy umami from the crunchy piece of tasajo.
A dessert that teeters between bold and light, it perfectly balances the indulgent sweetness of evaporated and condensed milk with the fragrant lime zest, which is all elevated with a lusciously moist sponge layer, silky smooth cream, biscuit crumble, and a fragrant vanilla aroma. With the dessert comes more free stuff, the ponche de frutas is a mix of apples, pears and raw sugar that warms the soul. read more