Last weekend, Vince and I finally went to Mexico City to try Pujol! (As of 2021, it was ranked #9 in the world). We were supposed to go for our joint bachelor party, but was canceled due to Covid concerns. I was really sad we didn’t get to go because I have been dying to try Chef Enrique’s mole for a few years now since The Final Table show aired on Netflix. This year we were finally able to go with Brody and Marian. I would like to say Marian is my counterpart for Michelin star chasing! However, today wasn’t the day that we went..

Our trip started a little rough because we had to change our flight to a red-eye flight for Vince’s work event last week. I made some sandwiches out of Hawaiian buns for a late dinner at the airport. I put leftover Rotisserie chicken, mayonnaise and kale/romaine lettuce. It was still good! Ever since Covid, LAX got rid of all of their Priority Pass connect lounges so we didn’t get to reap any of those benefits. Boo! It was supposed to be a 4-hr flight decreased down to 3-hr. Vince and I managed to get some “half sleep on the plane.” When we landed, we heeded Marian’s advice and took an Uber to the hotel at 6am in the morning. Marian warned that there are “fake taxis” at the airport that will pretend to give you a ride but will kidnap you instead! So terrifying!

After we landed at the airport, we crashed and took a real 3-hr nap. Luckily, Brody and Marian still wanted to sleep so the 4 of us kept sleeping until around 10am ish (Mexican time).

After waking up, we walked a block or two to a nearby coffee cafe called Panaderia Rosetta to get some morning coffees! Thank you Marian for putting together the itinerary and picking coffee shops because you remembered that Vince and I like to try coffee shops! 🙂

The wait was too long so we decided to order our coffees together. Vince got the espresso shot and I got the Hojicha latte. Oh my goodness, don’t ask my why I got a Japanese latte when I am in Mexico. I normally like to order my lattes flavored and they didn’t do flavors. I also brain farted and forgot that Mexico has the Mexican mocha version so I just panicked and ordered Hojicha. The smell of the leaves were very strong and aromatic but the taste was very bland and diluted. Disappointing! Tomorrow I must order the mocha and get it right!

Afterwards, we walked a few more blocks to a fine dining restaurant called Contramar for lunch. They’re known for their tuna tostadas. I am personally not a tostada person but when I am traveling, I am down to try whatever. We got there right before opening because we heard there would be a long wait. There was quickly a line forming after us.

We were the first group to be seated of course. They started us off with some starter condiments including lime, Chile with avocados (very tasty and creamy) and with onions (very spicy) to eat with fresh tortilla chips (not pictured).

Tostada Atún (4 pieces). Marinated tuna loin, crispy leeks, avocado & chipotle mayonnaise. We each ate one piece of tostada. Even though I spent my extra time taking pictures of the food and didn’t get to it right away, the tostada was still very crispy and crunchy. Not soggy at all! The tuna tasted so fresh, cold and refreshing while sitting on top of a slightly spicy creamy sauce. I appreciated the slice of avocado. Definitely tasty.

Ceviche Contramar. White fish, celery, onion & manzano chile marinated in lime juice. The ceviche had a coconut-y and milky taste and texture to it. Even though not listed, I do feel like there was some coconut milk in it. It reminded me of a Vietnamese ceviche appetizer that is Coconut-based and at Nep Cafe in the OC Area if anyone else also knows..

This is Vince’s Margherita that is Mezcal based. I don’t drink alcohol but I did smell it and try a bit of it. By now, I know to recognize the smokiness of the Mezcal. He enjoyed it and said it was a good Margherita.

Pulpos a la gallega. Galicia-style octopus with paprika & olive oil. Okay, this isn’t a Mexican-base dish but I ordered it because it takes me back to Spain and I LOVED OCTOPUS IN SPAIN. This dish is definitely Spain inspired while in Mexico City. The octopus was chopped in bite sizes and super tender, soft and flavorful. Those square thingies aren’t pineapple. They’re potatoes! And they were delicious because they soaked up a lot of the sauce.

Sopes sencillos (4 pieces). Corn masa cakes topped with black beans, lettuce & Ocosingo cheese. I got this because I just wanted to try corn masa cakes. I’ve never tried before and decided to give it a go. The group agreed to it because they were bite sized. The corn masa cakes were yummy and definitely filling. Reminds me of a carb-heavy comforting tortilla. The black beans were yummy.

Now for dessert round! The fig tart is supposedly popular at this place. The figs itself are very fresh and thinly sliced. The white layer feels like a cheesy texture. The crush was sweet and thick. I enjoyed it!

I think I am the only one who enjoyed the cheese flan. It was thick, decadent and sweet. I love flan that has that extra dense texture and this totally hit the spot!

After we ate lunch, we walked around a park and checked out an anthropology museum for a few hours to try to get another appetite for dinner. Dinner was another fine dining restaurant picked out by Marian. Surprisingly, almost right next to the restaurant was an ice cream and chocolate shop called Caramela. We walked in and were immediately enticed by the truffle chocolate display. On vacation impulse, I bought 3 boxes of 12 truffles of assorted flavors for my mom, Vince’s mom and me.

The chocolate flavors range from pistachio, mint, pretzel, dark chocolate, dark chocolate ganache, salted caramel, passion fruit, etc. I just got one of each for all 3 of us. I tried most of them by now and enjoyed them. They were very cheap compared to the U.S! Approximately $1 USD per truffle.

Let’s make our 1730 Mexico time reservation for dinner! The entrance was small and cute.

We were the only party that got seated at the kitchen bar. Here we get front row seating to all the cooking going on! How exciting! This is also in the aroma zone too.

I thought it was very considerate and thoughtful that they would supply each guest with a little brown envelope to put our face masks in while we are not wearing it during our dining. First time!

My drink is the watermelon mint bourbon. It doesn’t look nor sound tasty, but it actually was very light and refreshing.

Our first course is called the Botanas and it consisted of 3 little bowls:

1. cactus paddle salad
2. Kampachi, grilled lacto-fermented wild mushrooms, “salsa macha” and yuzu
3. Ruby crab in green “mole” with lime kaffir, Thai basil, blue corn tostadas

Cactus paddle salad. This was slightly sticky in texture (almost like the Japanese okra). It was edible and definitely tolerable. I am personally not a fan of vegetables but hey, I can tell people I ate fresh cactus now.

Kanpachi, grilled lacto-fermented wild mushrooms, “salsa macha” and yuzu. The second bowl was the kanpachi. It doesn’t look like it because it was covered by all the pretty greens, but the kanpachi and the mushrooms were very savory, tasty, flavorful and smoky. I loved the smokiness. This was one of our favorites hands down!

Ruby crab in green “mole” with lime kaffir, Thai basil, blue corn tostadas. The crab was very plentiful and delicious with the corn tostadas. What surprised me was the green mole. It was just so refreshing yet had many layers of flavors.

Scallops from Bahía de Kino, Sonora, wasabi “aguachile”, “chiltepín.” The scallops under the pretty flavors were very tender and soft and refreshing. We all drank the rest of the sauce from the “spout” on one end.

Tacos de insectos. Charred avocado with “escamoles”, chicatana ants chorizo, santanero beans from Oaxaca, grasshopper “chintextle” “tlayuda” with spring lettuce. Now this is our taco course! We have right in front of us is a pre-made taco that is extra crispy, kind of like a thin toast. It has grasshopper topped with spring lettuce and sprinkled with cheese. It is very crunchy indeed! Afterwards, we were also given fresh tortillas to make our own tacos with the guacamole on the left, chorizo sausage and refried beans in the middle and green salsa on the right. the avocado was very creamy and refreshing. The chorizo sausage was savory. The refried beans never disappoint!

Corn chawanmushi, “uchepos” foam, ikura and vanilla oil. Next course might be my secret favorite dish because it is very similar to the steamed egg texture. It was warm, smooth, soft and comforting. The saltiness from the ikura added an element of flavor to the otherwise bland chawanmushi. There is an evident corn smell and flavor to it.

“Moros y cristianos”, pickled sea snail, wild mushrooms, plantain. By the time this course came, all of us were already full but we had to continue to eat.. This was all of our least favorite dish. I personally am not a big fan of plantain. The pickled sea snail didn’t do much for me. I actually enjoyed the wild mushrooms by itself. This dish was just way too filling..

It was served with a side of a “shot” in these oysters. I couldn’t really make out what was in it exactly but it tasted very very salty. It tasted almost like drinking straight up soy sauce.

Kampachi collar in a “chapulín adobo”, romanesco, grilled kale, celeriac dressing. Now is the fish course!! It was all very good but we were just so very full.. We did finish every bite but still so full..

Pork ribs in an “aguamiel” BBQ, “segueza”, “chilacayotes” and spring leaves. Oh my goodness and there is more meat?! When are we done with the main courses!!! I barely got myself to eat the pork rib and didn’t touch much of the condiments. It was good, juicy and tender.

We were supposed to put the pork rib and use the condiments to make a lettuce wrap out of it..

Finally onto the dessert round! Now I can reset my stomach for dessert space. This is the cactus paddle sorbet. It was extremely cold and very tangy.

Crème fraîche, passion fruit, caviar. THIS IS MY FAVORITE DESSERT EVER! And not because it has a bunch of caviar on it.. I am not all bougie like that.. But the caviar really makes it so good! So I am not a super big fan of passion fruit. But for fine dining, I’ll eat anything. Now this dessert just works! I have never had caviar in a dessert setting, but the sweetness and tartness and icy texture of the passion fruit contrasts with the more dull creamy texture of the creme fraiche. And the caviar! The mild salty flavor of the caviar contrasts perfectly with the passion fruit. It just melted together so beautifully.

Mamey fruit panna cotta. Another dessert?! What stood out to me was the crunchy minced chocolate mixed with the ice cream.

And a birthday flan for Vince! It was dense, sweet and creamy.

Oh my god.. So now let me tell you what we did next for the past 3-4 hours.. We waited outside in an undercover speakeasy called Hanky Panky. We missed our first reservation because dinner took too long so we were on standby. Luckily, the waiting area was an undercover restaurant with tables and benches to sit and wait. The exit was obviously the vending machine so cleverly disguised.

I got the Tiger’s Punch, which is like a play of the milk punch. Very delicious.

After a laaaate night of staying at the Hanky Panky for a few rounds of drinks.. The host (cashier) gave us starter shots of some sweet tequila punch. Our waiter even gave a free round of tequila shots, .. We walked back to our hotel and stopped by a taco stand that was serving tacos for 40 cents each.. That is so cheap.. We spent about the first 15 minutes watching him swiftly cooking the taco meat, warming up the tortillas and putting the meat on the tortilla and putting it on plates. He had a fast rhythm going. I tried a Longaniza taco, which is like a chorizo taco. I wasn’t even hungry but I just wanted to try a street taco.. After finishing the tiny taco, I regretted I didn’t get more. This was so good and so cheap. I hunger and crave for more street tacos because even now as I am back in SD blogging about this, I crave this. And sadly, No taco stand can match up to this street taco. Darn it!