Hello friends,
As predicted I am lagging and blue after our honeymoon and quite frankly I can't be doing with anything. I had melon for lunch and have absolutely no interest in emptying the dishwasher. In order to cheer myself up a bit I'm reviewing some of the highlights from our trip and sharing them with you in case you decide to do exactly the same holiday that we did - which I would recommend because it was brilliant. So, here we go (just a few):
Mexico City
Pujol - we were so lucky to go to Pujol, the ninth best restaurant in the world. It was an amazing experience and everything was delicious, everyone was lovely and the place is just cool. When we were heading out, I caught sight into the kitchen from the street as they were finishing service and even the kitchen was chic. Of all the dishes on the tasting menu, including an amberjack tostada that was some both fresh and rich, the opening snacks to the menu really stuck in my mind. There was a tiny cup of mushroom broth that was so jam-packed with flavour that it must follow the same physical laws as Mary Poppins' handbag. Mole is not always for me, but the mole tasting course was rich, spicy and unique. Unfortunately, try as I might, I could not avoid dipping my sleeve in my plate, so I also learned how to remove stains from your favourite white blouse with hotel bar soap from this experience (very valuable, the key is a cold soak).
Entremar - we couldn't get into the famous Contramar, it may have been closed for Easter I'm not sure, so took a leisurely (sweaty) walk over to its sister, Entremar. We sat outside and had a lovely, long lunch featuring tuna tostadas, which were unbelievably good, ceviche, fish tacos and Pescado a la Talla, the grilled fish. Well worth the walk and perfectly match with a spritz and/or cold beer at 2pm in the sunshine.
El Caguama - we went on a guided food tour on our first full day, a great way to get your bearings in a new city, and they took us to this street vendor for seafood. Maybe that doesn't sound like the wisest choice, but this stall has been around for years and street food is huge in the city. The fish was fresh and sweet, and we had a very intense seafood bisque teetering on wobbly stools in the shade. I spilled this on myself also.
La Mascota - a cantina that may as well have swinging saloon doors. A daily menu to go along with a long list of good-value cocktails and waiters who have seen a thing or two.
Oaxaca
Levadura de Olla - our first lunch in Oaxaca and first guac of the holiday, with crunchy spicy ants. Everything we had was brilliant but the big tomato salad was the winner. It doesn't matter that I already love tomatoes, it was a big plate of sunshine and I challenge anyone to get through it with out a smile.
Los Danzantes - the beef tongue tacos were outragous, and the cocktails are delicious. I had a tamarind magarita that came to the table accidentally but was happily consumed anyway.
Boulenc - I'm fairly confident that this would be a great place for breakfast but I went for a solo dinner there instead. My husband wasn't feeling too well, so without sounding too happy about it, my fried chicken sandwich and cold beer really hit the spot. However, the real shout out was for the minestrone soup they put in a little pot with a warmed bread roll for me to take back for him, that was honestly so delicious and warming it could have raised the dead. Great service, food, atmosphere.
Los Danzantes
Playa del Carmen
We stayed in a resort with many different types of food but must give a shout-out to ranch water, my new drink of choice (tequila, soda and lime). Savoury and refrshing, and all-inclusive.
San Francisco
Swan Oyster Depot - an insitution that certainly doesn’t need my review, but can you beat a breakfast of oysters, cracked crab, sashimi, clam chowder and a beer with an Elvis soundtrack surrounded by laid-back, friendly people? No, you can’t beat it.
Tommy's Joynt - another institution where we had an early dinner consisting of absolute massive sandwiches (pastrimi and brisket) and ice-cold martinis. Leather booths and big trays of meat. Perhaps the food equivalent of a hug from Frank Sinatra?
Chong Qing Xiao Mian - the perfect big hot bowl of noodles, I personally went with the dan dan noodles and my husband went with the spicy numbing beef soup. We abandoned a pub quiz in the middle of the final round to make sure we got there before closing, which I think speaks for itself. Don't let the fact we were bottom of the leaderboard affect this review, we had been trying our best (how should I know what the state capital of Idaho is).
The Buena Vista Cafe - we had a lunch here, Caeser salad and a French dip sandwich, tasty and hearty lunch done well. However they're famous for their Irish coffees made in long lines along the bar so we had no choice but to partake. They pack a punch and I happily skipped up the San Fran hills to finish off a day of tourism.
Burma Superstar - the Bay Area has a large Burmese population and we were keen to try some Burmese food while we were there. We heard Burma Superstar was the place to go and the queues seemed to indicate the same. We got out names on the list early and snaffled down their famous tealeaf salad and recommended Burmese style beef. Even though I thoroughly chewed and ate a whole, very fiery, red dried chilli that made my eyes water (on purpose to test it out like a fool), I would happy go for another to eat there again.
I'll try not to wallow for too long if you promise to try some of the recommendations the next time you're over in Mexico or California. Back to reality, boo.
Yours sulking,
Deb