Pujol, Mexico City

Pujol, Mexico City (MXN 2554, 1/25/2020, 7- Course incl. VAT)

The foodie scene in Mexico and in South America has exploded in the past few years. Look at San Pellegrino top 50 restaurants and you will see the big three in Mexico: Biko, Quintonil and Pujol (currently ranks #3 on the top 50 list). However, there are no Michelin-starred Restaurants in Mexico because there is no Michelin guide published for Mexico. Even though Pujol was not awarded with a Michelin star, its chef/owner Enrique Olvera owns Cosme, a one Michelin-starred restaurant in NYC. Chef Olvera, a native of Mexico, graduated from The Culinary Institute of America in 1997, has brought fame by his reinterpretation of Mexico’s traditional and popular recipes as well as his experimentation with contemporary and old culinary techniques. The name of the restaurant is a slurring of Pozole, Chef’s nickname in high school.

The traffic in Mexico is notorious because of the frequency and extent of protests allowed by the current leftist president. In the afternoon of January 25, there was a protest which almost paralyzed the cross-town traffic. To make the matter worse, our taxi driver has mistakenly taken us to the old location of Pujol. We had to walk from Pujol’s old location to the current location in Polanco neighborhood. Thru continuous texting, I was able to convince them that I was on my way to make the appointment and they were kind enough to hold my reservation despite I made it there with a 45-minute late arrival.

Chef Olvera acknowledged that the experiences in running Cosme in NYC has helped him to plan the relocated new Pujol with a more casual setting (no white tablecloth, tables are moderately close of each other), and a Mexico-themed interior design based on modern wood/stone, plants and water. He has said “We want to be the favorite restaurant of people, not the best restaurant.” The name “Pujol” is a slurring of Pozole, Chef’s nickname in high school.

There were two sets of tasting menus – vegetarian menu and regular menu, both 7- course. I chose the regular menu. It started with Amuse Bouche.

I.Amuse Bouche – Street Snacks. They were a small barrage of dishes playing on the traditional Mexican streets. Each snack was well-executed.

1.Sopecito – Also known as picadita, is a traditional Mexican dish originating in the central and southern part of Mexico. It looks like an unusually thick tortilla, made of corn dough, vegetables, meat, fried beans, cheese, lettuce, onion, red or green sauce (salsa). In this course, the shell was topped with avocado slice, serrano pepper and cilantro topping. Mexican cuisine was never my most favorite. But I had to admit this delicacy was quite pleasant.

2.Grilled Carrot – This was served in a gourd with smoking corn husks inside, contributing to the sensation that the vegetable was hot off the grill. The carrots themselves were coated with a chile mayonnaise and sprinkled with powdered spices. These two carrots were partially wrapped by corn husks, their taste and flavor were amazing. Upon inquiry, I was informed the black powder coating was Chicatana ants. It has a very sophisticated flavor, a combination of slightly smoked aged beef, shell fish and truffle.

Chicatana is a giant flying ant that emerges once a year during the first major rain of the season when they are trying to escape their flooded nests to search for food. The local indigenous communities in Oaxaca, Guerrero and Chiapas regions have been collecting and consuming these insects since pre-Hispanic times. Nowadays, they are considered a delicacy item since their price is relatively high, they are hard to catch, very aggressive, found only once a year. But these insects are also nutritious, very tasty and a great source of sustainable protein. An elaborate dish “salsa de chicatana”, which is a smoky sauce ground in a “molcajete” with garlic, salt and chilies is considered a great companion to Mezcal.

Incidentally, I found a pack of Chicatana at the museum shop of Anthropology Museum in Mexico City. I shall experiment with it one day.

II. Chayote Squash, Scallop Pico

This is the season of chayote squash which was one of the several foods introduced to the old world during the Columbian exchange. Cooked chayote squash has a firmer texture than cucumber or zucchini. In this course, cooked chayote was thinly sliced and topped by even more thinly sliced raw scallop (almost like a sheet of paper). It was a true practice of cutting technique. Chef used the same ingredients but different way of preparation. In addition to the sliced chayote squash, Chef also pickled chayote and cut them into small dice to bring out a more sophisticated flavor.

The inclusion of Manzano pepper was another kicker. Manzano ripen to a brilliant yellow-orange color ball-sized apple upon maturity. They are hot and spicy, with a refreshing citrus flavor.

Mexican like to eat chayote seed. In this course, it was placed on top and adorned with fresh fennels. To make this course more balanced, Chef used habanero oil with lemon juice for the sauce. Habanero pepper packed quite a punch for heat and flavor, moderate use was ideal for an otherwise less stimulating dish. Overall, this course was so delicate and well-balanced, yet flavorful and tasty.

III. Kampachi Ceviche, Cacahuazintle Juice, Celery, Yuzu

Kamapachi is a delicious, premium sashimi-grade yellowtail fish, has a distinctively fresh, sweet flavor and firm texture. Fish was marinated in cacahuazintle sauce (corn + ginger + yuzu) and jalapeno pepper. Cacahuazintle is an old heirloom variety corn of white dent maize originating in Mexico. Yellowtail, cut in 1 x 1-inch cubes, were served with sea asparagus, onion, criollo avocado, diced cucumber, celery, chives and nasturtium leaves. Fish was with very high quality (melt in your mouth) and perfectly flavored with the sauce. The greens vegetables were fresh and delicious. It was one of the best ceviche that I have ever had.

Criollo avocado is one of the smaller types of avocado, the size of a small egg, with an edible black skin and a large pit, has a creamy-nutty-oily flesh.

IV. Octopus, Chintextle, Pickled Carrot

Octopus was cooked until soft, then grilled with excellent taste and texture. It was served with sliced pickled carrot, carrot green and lemon verbena leaves. In addition, a variation of carrot in carrot purée was served. Sauce was made of dry chili, pumpkin seeds, chili costeño (moderately hot and fruity from Oaxaco), cilantro criollo (It tastes like cilantro, only stronger) and balsamic vinegar. My server told me this dish has been her favorite. But I prefer Kampachi because the flavor and taste of Kampachi was just perfect.

V. Striped Bass, Mole Verde, Fava Bean, Kosho

A thick fillet was grilled to perfection, the crispy skin looked quite interesting. Upon inquiry, I was informed by the server, fish skin was brushed with habanero pepper oil while being grilled under the high heat. Pea and fava bean purée was served on the side along with parsley and kosho sauce made with fermented serrano pepper and guajillo (a dry form of mirasol chili, a mild dried chile with a complex fruity flavor). The fermented pepper sauce made the overall taste and flavor distinctive.

VI. Mole Madre 2099 days, Mole Nuevo

The pre-dessert course, “mole madre” was a change of pace, and the course was very unique and special. The dish was presented with a dark outer circle of mole that had been aged for “2099 days,” while the inner portion was a brighter, newly-prepared mole on the then current day. Every other day, Chef would save close to one-third of the aged mole to mix with the nuevo portion and save this combined mole for the following day. This refill process would keep going on every day. The aged mole, as you could expect, had a smooth, rich flavor. The new mole was more salsa-like in texture, having a bit more acidity and punch to it. When you tasted both versions, you would definitely notice the difference. Mole was made of 100+ ingredients ranging from varieties of nuts, chocolate, spices, chilies, fruits, chicken broth or turkey broth. It required a lot of ingredients and took a lot of work. Our server recommended to eat the mole with corn tortillas. It was a bit too spicy and heavy for me. Someone who liked Mexican cuisine probably could enjoy it better. 

Palette Cleanser – Tangerine Sorbet with Yuzu

A scoop of lovely and refreshing tangerine and yuzu flavored sorbet. I would not mind to have another serving.

VII. Matcha Nicoatole, Soursop, Shiso, Basil

It included soursop ice cream with truffle oil at bottom. Soursop is native to tropical regions of the Americas. This prickly green fruit has a creamy texture and a strong flavor that is often compared to pineapple or strawberry. The flavor and taste of ice cream was also enhanced by shiso and basil, and the lemon infused oil at the bottom.

Ice cream was accompanied by the beautiful green corn cake flavored with Japanese matcha tea powder. Very refreshing.

The 2nd plate was the pinwheel-shaped churros with nuts and dusted brown sugar. Churros probably is one of the most popular dessert in Mexico. It was presented more esthetically in this course. In addition, the kneading, frying process and the type of oil used were better executed to produce a less greasy and longer churros.

I am grateful to the kindness of Pujol’s reservation office to hold my appointment beyond ordinary tolerance of lateness. My first Mexican gourmet meal was a delightful and a quasi-Michelin Star experience. Service was professional and in orderly manner. Chef has got an incredible sense of flavor amalgamation that enable him to explore of Mexico’s universe of ingredients, and gastronomic techniques and traditions, and to achieve the well-balanced flavor and taste while still being creative. Nevertheless, other Michelin-star restaurants offering equivalent quality with more affordability are available.

Narisawa, Tokyo

Narisawa, Tokyo (36,300 ¥, 11/14/2019, 13-Course incl. VAT & Gratuity)

Chef Narisawa was born in Aichi prefecture in 1969, to a baker and travelled to Europe at the age of 19. He polished techniques and skills in France, Switzerland and Italy before returning to Japan in 1996. He opened Napoule in Odawara, Kanagawa in 1996. In 2003, he opened “Les Créations de Narisawa” in Tokyo and renamed it Narisawa in 2011. Narisawa has ranked on The World’s 50 Best Restaurants list for a few years. He has built his fame on promoting organic and natural ingredients as a part of Japanese cuisine.

Narisawa is located on the ground floor of an office building in a relatively quiet neighborhood. It is relatively easy to find. The décor was simple, sleek and contemporary with white table cloths. Tables are located in a small square room with an open kitchen concept, can accommodate approximately up to 32 guests. You can observe the chef and staff through two panels of glass doors. In addition, there are two panels of wooden sliding doors which allows restaurant to close the kitchen view.

Narisawa only serves a set menu of 13 courses. The menu came printed on a little booklet finished with unbleached white hand-made Japanese paper and tied up with hemp string. It included an explanation on the Satoyama Scenery landscapes and Narisawa’s Sustainable and Beneficial Cuisine philosophy. Japan is 70% covered in forest, a highly mountainous groups of islands, the sea and the forests are never too far from the cities. Satoyama refers to this landscape of forests between the mountain and the towns (sato is village and yama is mountain).

To begin with, we were offered a red small shallow cup/plate and our server poured some 1-year old young Sake, from Ishikawa prefecture in Honsu, into ours cups. This red lacquered cup is called “Hiki Sakazuki” and is used to drink during a formal tea ceremony. Using this plate signifies the start of an important meal. Guests usually will ceremonially say “Kanpai” before drinking Sake. It is a gesture of cheer.

1^st Course – “Bread of the Forest 2010”. Moss

As the date indicates, this dish has been a feature on the menu for years. The live bread was brought over to our table and kept warm for 5 minutes by a candle underneath the bread box. Bread container was placed in the middle of a large plate filled with gorgeous looking autumn foliage and fruits. After the 2^nd Course Satoyama Scenery was served, our server grated some chestnut sprinkles on the dough and transferred the bread dough to a pre-heated stoneware (slightly greased at the bottom) at 200 C degree, covered the stone bowl with a piece of wood board and let it baked in the hot stone on table for 20 minutes.

The end product was two small bread balls cooked to a slightly chewy texture. The best part of this course was the butter. Butter was from Hokkaido, looked like a moss-covered rock in the forest, covered with black olive powder and green moss (spinach powder and matcha) and made for a great companion to the bread. After I made comments to our server that I hated to see leftover butter goes to waste, he brought a few more bread rolls. 

2^nd Course – Satoyama Scenery and Essence of the Forest

This dish is a great representation of Narisawa’s Satoyama practice and the most well-known of his signature dishes. The dish was served on a wooden slate covered with varieties of mixed herbs and greens in artistry multi-colors presentation. The black particles consisted of bamboo leaves ashes and coarsely grounded cooked soybean while the green particles consisted of spinach ashes and coarsely grounded soy bean with spinach juice. The brown stick was root vegetable burdock which tasted almost like fried yam skin. The little round piece of green was tempera of forest herb. In addition, there was a few mukago (Japanese baby potato). All these ingredients were laid on a bed of fermented soy bean yogurt (in light green color) and garnished by murasaki shikibu (the little red ball). This dish was paired with a small flask of bamboo filled with cedar and oak infused water, probably to evoke senses of walking through a lush bamboo forest.

The artistic presentation was fabulous and using of soy bean yogurt to smooth the taste bud was another outstanding innovation.

3^rd Course – Sea Snake, Okinawa.  Soft Shelled Turtle. Saga

They caught and dried the snake, and then brought it to the table. The flavor of the soup was rather subtle with the slightest tinge of chicken soup. There were cooked chrysanthemum flower pedals and turtle meatball in the soup. According to Chinese herbal medicine theory, snake is very effective on cleansing your body. So do the chrysanthemum. Turtle meat are rich in micronutrients. The turtle meatball was tender and delightful. Had I not known that the key ingredients were snake and turtle, I would have guessed them chicken soup and chicken meatball.

4^th Course – Amberjack, Hokkaido.  Kabosu, Kagoshima

The English term for Kanpachi is “Amberjack”. But, because Yellowtail can also be called “Japanese Amberjack”, oversea sushi diners sometimes think they are the same fish. Amberjack is the species Seriola dumerili which is less fatty and not as much exported. Amberjack has pale pink flesh and sweet flavor. Compared to its cousin, it is lower in oil and its flesh is a bit softer. Amberjack from Hokkaido is marinated in Kabosu sauce with olive oil. Kabosu, from Kagoshima, is a citrus fruit of evergreen broad-leaf tree. It is popular in Japan, where its juice is used for improving taste of many dishes such as cooked fish, sashimi and hot pot dishes. It tasted less citric than yuzu and its aroma was less pungent than yuzu. The sliced Amberjack sashimi was garnished with sesame seeds and julienned colorful vegetables including Japanese green onion (green), carrots (yellow), carrots (orange), and radish (red). Chef has prepared this dish with minimalist approach by using top grade ingredients only. The cutting technique and preparation were superb and the presentation was artistic.

5^th Course – Buckwheat, Hokkaido.  Wild Mushroom, Shizuoka

This was a Japanese version of pasta dish. Gnocchi was made with buckwheat from Hokkaido and served with the great savor enhancers - wild mushroom from Shizuoka and white truffles from Alba, Italy. Gnocchi was flavored in chicken broth sauce with white cheddar cheese and foie gras from Nagano. Pasta and truffles always made a good pair. Chef Narisawa has fully applied his western technique on this pasta dish, it was truly sumptuous.

6^th Course – Conger Pike, Aichi.  Sudachi, Tokushima

Conger Pike (Hamo) is a species of eel. This dish was a Conger Pike roll filled with matsutake mushroom from Aichi prefecture. Conger Pike roll was coated with panko to keep it juicy and tender throughout the frying process. It was served with sudachi foam from Tokushima, red sauce made from plum and red leaves, and sansho pepper, shiso purée (small green dots) made from Japanese sansho pepper, shiso leaves and white miso. Sansho’s distinctive feature is the unique refreshing aroma and spicy taste, and shiso has the pungent and grassy flavor of spearmint, anise, basil and cinnamon. Sudachi is a small, green citrus fruit of Japanese origin that is a specialty of Tokushima prefecture. It is a sour citrus, not used as fruit, but used as food flavoring. Chef used the sauce and sour sudachi to balance the overall-taste.

For centuries, Hamo has been considered inferior and unpopular because it contains hundreds of tiny bones. It was only when one clever soul invented hamokiribocho, a special knife that separates the bones without destroying the delicate white flesh, then hamo in “already deboned and filleted” became available and grew popular.

It is a contentious issue among the Conger Pike experts regarding when is the best season to eat Conger. Some claim that Hamo taste the best in July when it takes just enough fat because Hamo spawn in autumn. The regions around food crazed cities Osaka and Kyoto (the old capital) have been in love with Conger.  Traditionally, it was served with sour plum. Kyoto aficionados have always considered the autumn versions are the tastiest.

7^th Course – Inaniwa Udon, Akita.       Sea Urchin, Hokkaido

                    Salmon Roe, Hokkaido.   Green Yuzu, Shizuoka

This was another Japanese version of pasta dish, udon. Udon is a thick round shaped spaghetti (without egg) has more body and chewy than the ordinary pasta. I have never tasted any overcooked udon.

In this course, Inaniwa udon from Akita prefecture was served along with fresh sea urchin (uni) from Hokkaido. Uni was so cleanly fresh, not even the slightest ocean smell. Salmon roe from Hokkaido was succulent and not too salty. It was served with sauce made with white tomato sauce, olive oil, and yuzu kosho (literally yuzu and pepper, made from fermented chili peppers, yuzu zest and salt). Yuzu is a green citrus fruit tastes like a mix between a Meyer lemon and grapefruit, while yuzu kosho is fragrant and packs a lot of heat. In this course, chef used green yuzu to complement uni’s taste while used yuzu kosho to offer a little kick to uni and udon.

8^th Course – Langoustine Shrimp.  Kanagawa, Kanto

It was an unusual combination, Chef used meat based “Luxury Essence Soup” instead of shell fish based soup. Luxury Essence Soup was made by steam cook pork, chicken and ham for 6 hours and extracted the broth for serving with a dash of olive oil. Langoustine shrimp from Kangawa, Kanto prefecture (south of Hokkaido) was used. Langoustines look almost like Maine lobster (and are the lobster family), and are much smaller, far slenderer thru the body and have elongated pincers instead of wide claws. The major differences between lobster and langoustine shrimp probably are size and price, langoustine usually priced less than half of lobster’s price.

Langoustine shrimp was very tender and succulent, served with varieties of colorful fresh and tasty vegetables including radish, beet, carrot, Brussel sprout, yellow carrot, broccoli and baby okra.

9^th Course – Eel, Aichi.  Rice, Kyoto

Unagi eel, from Aichi prefecture, was served with rice from Kyoto in a traditional Japanese way. Unagi is the Japanese word for freshwater eel while anago is the Japanese word for saltwater eel (Conger Pike). Unagi is more expensive than anago because they are born in the ocean, migrate to rivers and then go back to the sea to begin the cycle again. In this dish, Chef charcoal grilled and slathered unagi with delicious house made Teriyaki sauce (soy sauce, sugar, mirin, sansho leaves).

Koshihikari rice from Kyoto was boiled first and mixed with vinegar, sugar and mirin before it cooled down completely. Koshihikari is considered the best rice in Japan, it retains moisture longer to assist in perfect sushi shaping. Its texture and taste are soft, moist, springy and slightly sweet. Freshly grated wasabi was also adorned on top of unagi along with black rice powder around the bowl.

10^th Course – “Life & Death” Yezo Shika Deer, Hokkaido

My taste bud was still lingering for more Kobe, I requested for Kobe beef as an alternative to deer meat. Therefore, I got Kobe beef and my companion got deer meat.

a). “Life & Death” Yezo Shika Deer, Hokkaido

Yezo is the Japanese word for baby, Shika is the Japanese word for wild deer. Wild baby deer fillet mignon from Hokkaido was served with varieties of vegetables (beet root, roasted pumpkin, red & yellow sweet potato, fresh gingko nut) displayed in the plate like beautiful autumn foliage. It was served with brown sauce made with orange juice, coriander, cinnamon, beef broth and red sauce made with wild berries juice, beet root juice. In addition, there was onion foam made with onion purée and cheddar cheese. Best of all, more white truffles from Alba, Italy and a rare scene of caramelized edible maple leaf. Since the flesh was from a 6-month old baby deer, it tasted tender and succulent without any gamy taste. It almost dissolved in your mouth.

b). Ichibo, Kobe

I noticed the appearance of this Kobe A5 was different from what I had at Gyuma, Osaka. I got a quick education from my server on Kobe steak. What I had at Gyuma was from Kobe A5 Sirloin steak which was significantly more marbled while what I had at Narisawa was from Ichibo A5. Ichibo was a cut of steak from the rump. A rare part of cattle called Ranichi is marbled meat of thigh, Ichibo named after it because it connects to H (“Ichic” in Japanese) shape bone. Visually, I can see the tissue and texture of rump is different. Rump has longer fiber tissue. However, because its A5 grade, it dissolved in your mouth. In other words, rump was leaner than sirloin. I hate to admit, I prefer more to the flavorful and fatty sirloin, hence tastier, sirloin.

The arrangement and presentation for the Kobe A5 rump was the same as for the wild deer. They were equally scrumptious and enjoyable.

11^th Course – Melon, Kumamoto

This course was a palette cleanser with a theme flavor of melon, with several variations on the main ingredient element similar to the Pierre Gagnair style.

Mellon bits from Kumamoto was accompanied by white foam of melon juice, vanilla ice cream, melon granita, melon soda, melon parfait and passion fruit seeds. It was refreshing and delightful.

12^th Course - Chestnut, Kyoto.  Green Yuzu, Sizuoka

There were two parts on this course:

a). Roasted Chestnut – Mashed chestnut from Kyoto was shaped like a ball, wrapped in chestnut leaves and roasted. Autumn is the season of chestnut; chestnut flavor was in full swing from the roasting in wrapped leaves.

b). Vanilla Ice – Vanilla ice cream was served on a bed of roasted chestnut and mochi with chestnut sauce. What made this sub-course unusual was the grated green yuzu on top of ice cream made your palette invigorating with citric flavor to complement the earthy flavor of chestnut.

13rd Course – Yame Matcha, Fukuoka

 This was the last course for the Tasting Menu. Two crispy rice shells look almost like macarons. Crispy rice shells were outsourced to Monaka and made with a distinctive logo of Narisawa – a bee. Chef Narisawa believed bees are an important specie in the world, therefore, he chose bee as the logo for Narisawa. Crispy rice shells were filled with varieties of delicacies in multi-colors:

a). Green – matcha sauce and matcha jelly

b). White – shirotoma, like mochi

c). Brown – brown sugar jelly made by finely ground brown sugar (wasannbonn), and sweet red bean paste balls

We got a nice surprise, Chef was kind enough to offer us a complementary anniversary cake, a layered matcha cake. It had 3 layers with matcha sauce and matcha cream fillings. On the top, it was adorned with two lovely matcha flavored macarons and white chocolate slices. It was the best matcha cake that we have ever had.