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.
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