The gastronomic avant-garde of Mexico is cooked in El Pujol
Make no mistake: burritos are an invention of the gringos, natural children of Tex-Mex. A cursed miscegenation a scourge that weighs on one of the most fascinating cuisines in the world , the Mexican, the only declared intangible heritage of humanity.
Since pre-Hispanic times, techniques and ingredients have been preserved that have been enriched with history in a natural fusion. The repertoire of sauces (moles and pipianes) is so wide that it is difficult to find -except perhaps China- that equals it . Along with corn and chilies, basic ingredients, we discover an unknown universe of fruits, vegetables, herbs and insects, impossible to cover without a dictionary: achiote, escamoles, ajiaco, tomato, huitlacoche, cajeta, chipotle, xoconostle, izote , enchilada, corn, epazote, gorditas, sopes, pozoles... Wealth and ignorance.
And what had to happen happened. A new cuisine has germinated on the rich substrate, respectful and cheeky at the same time , who knows history but is a daughter of her time and loves modernity. A kitchen that sublimates the popular soul while preserving its magic and character. A kitchen that is called to amaze the world. These are the trendy places that you cannot miss if you travel to the Mexican capital.
Chapter 1: Mexico City
Pujol: Enrique Olivera leads young Mexican cuisine from this elegant restaurant, ranked 36th on the 50Best list. Few tables, careful service and dishes that are born in the tradition and are projected on the Vanguard . Modern techniques applied to ancestral ingredients such as escamoles (ants eggs) considered the caviar of the Aztecs, the crunchy maguei worms or the no less exotic grasshoppers . The changing tasting menu is a journey through Mexican cuisine in a contemporary key. The tortillas they are of an extreme delicacy, the same as the pozoles , the moles or the pipianes . The only drawback is the lack of light that prevents enjoying the view of the dishes and the excessive noise that is concentrated in the premises. Excellent selection of tequilas. Average price: €70.
Pujol Francisco Petrarca, 254. Polanco. Mexico DF.
Paxia restaurant lounge
** Paxia: ** Daniel Ovadía is the latest revelation of the federal district. His dishes are full of strength and are eye-catching; its powerful flavors , however, bow to the elegance of balanced recipes, in which sour and spicy they are always present, and transmit the powerful influence of popular cuisine. Both the conception and the aesthetics of his proposals are profoundly contemporary , and in some cases they accommodate foreign elements, thus the black bean soup is accompanied by 'Joselito' Iberian ham tacos. wonderful the green shrimp aguachile , chinicuiles with molcajeteada chili sauce and cochinita pibil sopes. Large place where families extend the time of the meal until almost dinner. Curious!
Av. De la Paz, 42. San Angel. Mexico DF. Between Insurgentes Sur and Revolution.
Biko, Spanish-Mexican fusion
bikko: Bruno Oteiza, Mikel Alonso and Gerard Bellver are three spanish who arrived in Mexico in the mid-1990s. Trained alongside Juan Mari Arzack , his challenge has been how to integrate Mexican ingredients into Spanish recipes, or vice versa. yours is a kitchen rabidly contemporary , naturally mestizo, who has personality and character. By applying techniques developed in Spain to the Mexican pantry, they have managed to give dishes such as 'liquid' mushroom quesadilla and epazote . They offer a tasting menu that changes weekly and harmonizes with Spanish, Chilean, Argentine wines... Very elegant, bright and cozy place. It ranks 38th on the 50Best list.
President Masaryk, 407. Polanco. Mexico DF.
The charming terrace of the Azul Condesa restaurant
Blue Countess: Chef Ricardo Muñoz Zurita is a great student of Mexican cuisine. His work is Encyclopedic Dictionary of Mexican Gastronomy , an essential book to manage with some ease in the kitchens of the country. After several years, he has made the leap to the neighborhood of the Countess and the endearing Blue and gold , a university dining room, has been transformed into an elegant restaurant. Muñoz Zurita's recipes rescue tradition and put it on the table without hardly changing it. Panuchos of cochinita pibil, bean tamales , deer salpicón, cilantro cream, guacamole with grasshoppers... A festival of Mexican flavors, suitable for all audiences.
Av. Nuevo León, 68. Countess. Mexico DF.
The unique room of La Oca
** The goose: ** Vicente Torres is a Valencian chef in love with Mexico. His restaurant is a space contemporary and cosmopolitan where the kitchens of the two shores shake hands. An unusual staging in the city, with a terrace, various heights and a vertical garden . The aesthetic sense is transferred to the plates in compositions of great plastic beauty. On the menu, together with the Callo de Hacha (aguachile made with callus claw of the lion, tomato, lemon and frozen cucumber) we find a succulent foie royale with sweet wine jelly, lychee gel, sprouts and flowers . Delicate cuisine, technically very solid, which is very attractive to locals. Cocktail bar.
Moliere, 50. Polanco. Mexico DF.