thequeenofsheba-blog
For the Love of Food
My musings on the many fabulous, and some less fabulous, meals I have had the priviledge of eating around the world
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Mexico City Recs Part 6: Drinks
Bosforo- great Mezcals, but the vibe is a bit much, with the whole no photos thing, and they refuse to make cocktails with Mezcal, which I think is a bit silly.
Tlecan Mezcaleria- fab mezcal cocktails. The Paloma here is the best one I have ever had. Would be my go to for mezcal cocktails in the city based on what I have tried so far.
Baltra- good drinks, that were very unique and well balanced.
Brujas- I know this place has a great rep but I wasn’t particularly impressed with any of the drinks I tried, none were well-balanced.
Handshake speakeasy- You need to book in advance and its so worth it, the drinks are spectacular. If you don't have a booking, they have overflow seating in their new secret basement spot where the drinks are also excellent. Both the drinks upstairs and downstairs are spectacular.
Felina- nice bar, where you can describe what flavors you want and you get a custom ordered drink. Mine was very well balanced.
Chocolatería La Rifa- the hot/cold chocolate here is fantastic. I had the fermented cold chocolate with 50% cacao and man was it good.
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Mexico City Recs Part 5: Tasting Menu
These are based on my time in Mexico City in March 2023
Em’s- all in all a good tasting menu, but not in the same league as a Pujol or Quintonil meal. The chef is pushing the Japanese fusion a bit too hard so if you want a meal that really focuses on Mexican flavors, this isnt the meal for you. And the servers do a very bad job of explaining the dishes, with our waiter mumbling a list of ingredients before quickly disappearing.
Lorea- I thought there were some real highlights in this tasting menu. Nice and refined use of Mexican ingredients with some dishes that were unique and others more Mexican. Overall a very nice meal.
Pujol and Quintonil- see my former write up from 2018 on these two:
Fusion
Mari Gold- the idea of fusing Indian and Mexican makes so much sense, and this restaurant delivers on that sensible concept. Some of the dishes felt more Indian with a twist, others more of a 50/50 blend between Mexican and Indian, and then some were unique creations of their own, using Indian and Mexican ingredients. A lovely place to eat.
Joe Gelato- We came an hour before closing time and many flavors were sold out. We had to wait on line for a while, and I have to say that the ice cream really wasn’t good enough to wait on a line for. Not sure I understand the appeal of this place, but maybe it is because I came too late to try some more unique flavors.
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Mexico City Recs Part 4: Restaurants
These are based on my time in Mexico City in March 2023
La Chaluperia- Simple place but this is Mexican food at its best, and came recommended by the head chef at my cooking course as his favorite place in the city. Don't miss getting the chalupas with mole, molotes, and tlacoyos. You can get half portions of everything. YUM!
Paradero Conocido- the food here is bright and fresh, and each dish has a twist. Excellent. I had a delicious salad, super refreshing ginger soda, fab mushroom ceviche, and a lovely fish dish. This really is a great place to eat if you are in Centro.
Ticuchi- the place has a sexy vibe and I really wanted to like it. But out of the seven dishes we got only one was spectacular, another two good and the rest not great (too bland or too sweet). Given the caliber of Olivera and the meal I had at Pujol I was quite disappointed. The one spectacular dish, a fish aguachile negro dish, have an insight into how good the meal could have been but wasn’t. They seem to rotate the menu so maybe we just got unlucky.
Azul Condesa- their mole negro really is excellent. I think it’s worth going for that alone. Nothing else was a stand out.
Mux- this is a fabulous place for authentic Mexican food with a team that can give you expert suggestions on what to order (food and mezcals). Every dish we had was stunning, from the tetetlas and their salas de mesas, to the adobo, to their moles. Fabulous.
Ciena- tasty, good quality ingredients. Solid meal but not too exciting.
Campobaja- I was really underwhelmed by the seafood here. Not worth it.
Contramar- As delicious as ever- the seafood is just great, and the tuna tostada continues to utterly delicious. They hold so many tables open for walk-ins that you shouldn’t be discouraged by not being able to get a booking.
Maximo Bistro- I preferred it on this second visit, as compared to my first time, which was at the old location. The food is largely European, which is far less interesting to me, but there are some killer Mexican dishes on the menu, and the quesabirria is just spectacular. I would go there again and again for that.
Pasillo de Humo- tasty clean dishes, definitely a nice place for a meal.
Tetetlan- This place is well worth a visit if you are coming from a tour of Casa Pedregal, and the space is really cool. Food is good, I liked the tuna and watermelon tostada very much.
Bar Montejo- This is a fun spot, with a great cantina vibe. They are famous for their cochinita pibil (I really dont think its that great compared to some other spots), but I loved the mushrooms roasted with chilis.
Rosetta- The food here is fantastic, elevated Mexican blended perfectly with European. I was much more impressed than I had expected to me.
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Mexico City Recs Part 3: Tamales
These are based on my time in Mexico City in March 2023
Tamales Madre- meh is how I felt about this place. The tamales were interesting, but not fantastic, and the ration of sauce to tamale was off.
Tamales Doña Emi- the filling of the savory tamales was good, but the tamales were a bit dried out by the time we had them (around 1pm). But the dessert ones were delicious, especially the apple.
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Mexico City Recs Part 2: Tacos
These are based on my time in Mexico City in March 2023
Taqueria Orinoco- the long line of mostly Americans is off-putting, but it moves very fast. The chicharron tacos are very tasty, as are the smashed potatoes, a few of which come with your order, so you don't need a separate order of them unless you really want more.
Paramo- great atmosphere and drinks, and very good tacos (though in my view not the best in the city which is what many people claim). Be prepared for a long wait for a table.
El Tigre Silencioso- the carnitas here is amazing. Best I have had in the city. This is a sitdown spot.
El Auténtico Pato Manila "Sucursal Condesa"- WOW. stunning fusion tacos. Get the tacos Manila on the flour tortillas (I know, never would I normally recommend to go with th flour, but in this case it works so well).
Cariñito Tacos- very yummy pork belly tacos, I went for the Issan. Solid fusion
Pollos Pancho- yummy chicken, very solid.
Tacos Hola El Güero- I came too late in the day so they only had veggies left, but the two tacos I had were still very yummy.
El Turix- best cochinita pibil I have had in CDMX. I preferred the panucho to the taco but both were excellent.
Siembra Taqueria/Tortilleria- all three tacos I had were delicious, especially the soft-shell crab, but really all of it was delicious. This definitely would be one of my go-to taco places if I lived here. And I think they are way more tasty here than at Paramo for example.
El Betin- wow was this delicious. Really delectable meat. I had the suadero and pastor- both were just perfect.
Taquería EL CALIFA DE LEÓN- excellent stake taco with a woman literally making your tortilla to order. Simple and delicious.
Los 3 Reyes- This barbacoa spot is truly superb. If you are in town over a weekend you would be crazy to skip it. Make sure to do to the Pablo Verones branch
Esquites Ruls (col Juarez)- delicious esquires, the bowl with bone marrow on top was yum, as were all the salsas.
El Pescadito- not worth going here
El Compita | Birria de res- very nice birria. The quesabirria was not super cheesy but very tasty, and the consume was the real star.
Taqueria Revolucion- said to be the best pastor tacos in town and I think that reputation is well deserved. Get the gringa and volcano. FAB.
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Mexico City Recs Part 1: Breakfasts
These are based on my time in Mexico City in March 2023
Panadería Rosetta- the baked goods here are truly spectacular. Noone can come here and miss out on the guava roll, it is baked goods perfection. The cardamom roll is delicious, and very strong in its cardamom flavor, which I like. I have also had the tarragon bun (surprisingly sweet not savory, and delicious), dulce de leche bun and cacao and ricotta roll (good, not as unique), corn ricotta muffin (so, so good), fig berliner (delicious), and chocolate concha (fab dipping into a cup of mocha).
Nicos- We came here for breakfast, though of course you can have many other meals here. Everything was very good, though their baked goods aren’t at the level of Panadería Rosetta, but the highlights were a chorizo sope and the chicken enchilada. Excellent breakfast.
El Cardenal- as lovely as always. The anis bun is excellent, as is a chocolate concha (you have to ask for nata to dip your bun into). Their huevos rancheros with salsa verde is so refined, with a beautiful mild heat.
Lardo- the pastries are the ones from Rosetta so they are excellent of course. The eggs dishes are decent but I wasn’t blown away. The space is lovely though. Not too if my list.
Cafe Nin- the space is lovely, the pastries are from Rosetta so are excellent, and I had a delicious tamale that was super moist and full of flavor (which isn't always the case).
Fonda Margarita- this place is as fabulous as always. The standouts this time was the chile relleno, chilaquiles, and the beans omlet. And the churros are just the best.
Expedio de Maiz Sin Nombre- come hungry and try to get through as many courses as you can. It is all delicious, if quite meat-heavy. Sadly the place has a bit of an arrogant vibe and service isn't great. But still delicious!
Saint- good bakery, pastries are very solid, but far less interesting than the ones at Rosetta.
Ojo de Agua- I didnt go for the typical breakfast, but instead went for an acai bowl which was lovely, with very tasty ripe fruit.
Maiz de Cacao- this place is spectacular, their corn dishes are amazing, their salsas are so unique, and their atoles (get the one with cacao and blue corn) are delicious. Really, really fab. Their sesame chilaquiles is like nothing I have ever had, their gorditas are fantastic, as are their memelas. And for dessert it’s so worth getting the chocolate tamale.
Tierra Adentro- fabulous. Really worth going here. The eggs dish I had, huevos motulenos, were so delicious.
Casa del Fuego- excellent coffee, and yummy breakfasts. But not a place I would go out of my way to try.
Arca Tierra- We went to their once-a-month 10am brunch. It is really cool to get the boat out to Arca Tierra to see how they are trying to rejuvenate the agricultural scene in Xochimilco. The food was very tasty, but I would say that there was very little of it, given the hefty price of the event.
Lalo!- Its good but definitely not my favorite breakfast place in town. The chilaquiles are very famous, but the way they serve them is slightly too far (i.e. doused in parmesan for example) from what the dish is meant to taste like in my view and they just aren’t as good.
Maque- I think the conchas here are among the best, or indeed the best, in the city. And their chilaquiles with the maistro (guajillo) salsa are superb. Am close to saying these are my fav chilaquiles in the city.
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Puebla City Recs
These are based on my time in Puebla in March 2023
El Mural de los Poblanos- I must say I was not overly impressed. The space is nice but the food was a bit underwhelming, especially the 5 moles. The mole poblano was good, the rest were nothing to write home about.
Salón Mezcalli- the chalupas here were good, but all the other dishes disappointed, including a lamb cooked in adobo that was rock hard and dry.
Maíz Criollo Mexico- Loved this place and every corn dish we had. I would definitely come back here.
Maizante- This place is magical, with two women making a myriad of different delicious things out of blue corn. It is such a simple spot, and its simple at its best.
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Oaxaca City Recs
This is based on my time in Oaxaca in April 2023
Fonda Rosita- This is a famous breakfast spot in Merced market, with renown chilaquiles. They bake the tortillas in a deep bowl with the salsa and then add the eggs on top. As a result the tortillas arent crunchy and the whole thing becomes a bit of a soupy mess. The red salsa I had was good, but because of the way this is served, I won’t go out of my way for these chilaquiles, I have more in Mexico City that I prefer.
Criollo- I had heard from a few people before coming here that they had found the meal to be rather muted and uninteresting. I on the other hand thought it was fantastic. Nothing was that spicy, but everything had a complex flavor, and the mole negro was fantastic. The one course I thought was no good was the dessert- three different desserts came and none were great. But overall it was a lovely meal, in a great space and well worth it.
Casa Oaxaca- The vide here is great, as is the service. The food however I didnt find to be anything particularly exceptional. Both starters we had were boring, and one of the mains was no good and we sent it back. The other main was good, but that was the only dish of the meal that we liked.
Alfonsina- I loved it here. The space is great, and the tasting menu was interesting and veggie heavy which in Mexico is not common. I thought the mole coloradito was insanely good. My few gripes with the place are that the portions were rather large, and service wasn’t great. But the food was well worth the trek to get there.
Tlamanalli in Teotitlán del Valle- I was very, very disappointed by this meal. We drove out to Teotitlán del Valle to eat the food of the great Abigail Mendoza and her sisters. We had the three main dishes of the day, a squash blossom soup that was fine, a pre-Colombian mole and chicken that was also fine, and a mole negro that was nice, but not the best I have had. And that was it. It really was not worth the drive.
Sirilo- the seafood here is very tasty, maybe not the best in town, but definitely satisfying.
Las Quince Letras- I only got to have breakfast here, but it was absolutely delicious.
Mezcal Library- this was a superb place do to a mezcal tasting. They have really unique mezcals and you learn a lot.
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Merida Feb 2023
What a great foodie city this is, though I only had 2 days in town so didn't try nearly as many places as I wanted to. But here are my main takeaways:
TACOS
Wayan’e- absolutely delicious (especially the chicken verde), and their tacos with eggs in them make the perfect breakfast
Taquería De La Unión- excellent, with their castacan being the highlight. And its a good idea not just to get tacos but to get one or two panuchos- the fried taco gets deliciously crunchy.
Manjar Blanco- their one taco, with cochinita pibil is good but not outstanding and I wouldn't go out of my way for it.
RESTAURANTS
Ramiro- this place is phenomenal. The day we went was quesadilla day and we had the most delicious quesadillas with cauliflower, another with pasilla chili, and another with pumpkin, and a lovely dish of two moles served with plantains. The quality of the tacos is outstanding and their flavors are spot on.
Micaela Mar y Leña- we had a stunning dinner here. This definitely is a modern and superbly executed take on Mexican food. Highlights included the tuna crudo, tuna tacos, the very strange and remarkable salad with roasted carrots, the bone marrow, and the amazing mole short rib.
Kuuk- this meal was a total bust. The place doesn't have a great atmosphere despite being in an amazing villa, the service was terrible the night we were there, and the food just really didn't do it for me. The chef is trying to emulate Pujol/Quintonil, but I think he sadly is nowhere near skilled enough to be trying to pull of such complex dishes. Few of the bites were actually delicious, and most were not executed perfectly. I was very bummed to have wasted a dinner on this restaurant. And based on what I saw, I don't think the chef will get there with time, I think he really just doesn't have it.
I would have really liked to try Pancho Maiz, this place looked great when we swung by for a delicious cafe de olla.
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Japan Trip Jan-Feb 2023
Part 4- Tokyo Tea Houses, Sake, and Food Shopping
TEA SHOPS
Morinoen- if you like Hojicha, its worth coming here for the ice cream and black bean dessert, but its not a charming tea shop in any way.
Saryo Tsujiri- this place is a real disappointment, not worth it as there are better tea desserts elsewhere.
***Omotesandō Chachanoma- this place is spectacular. Their selection of teas are amazing, and getting the tea brewed the four different ways, including on ice, is really the most exciting way I have ever tasted green tea before. And their matcha desserts are YUM. It is a lovely place to come to taste green tea.
*Higashiya Ginza- as a sit-down I am not they have the best concept- their tea pairing with sweets is heaving on the hojicha and light on the green tea, and in the end you don’t feel like you really got that much tea in the end, though their wagadashi are really tasty. But sitting in their café is an incredibly zen experience. But as a shopping experience it is the best. It is the one place we found that has a guide to their extensive tea collection, and staff that can help you select the perfect green tea, hojicha, or blend to match your liking. Both of their shops are beautiful places to visit.
**Yamamotoyama Fujie Sabo- despite being in the heart of Ginza, this place is wonderfully zen and a lovely place to come to enjoy a tea. Their three tea tasting, with each tea being served in three flushes is just wonderful, and they roast your hojicha for you on the spot.
SAKE
*Ponshuya- this place has an excellent sake selection, really fabulous stuff that ranges in flavor, including some of the more exciting and cutting edge sakes that are being produced at the moment- well worth it to spend a night here tasting things.
Karasu- this was not one of our favorite places to taste sake, even though it’s a spot where folks doing sake tours bring their clients. The sakes we tried were all very sour and a specific type, which doesn’t happen to be the flavor that we like.
*Craft Sake Shoten in Yokohama- run by an American, this place is a great spot for exploring sake, and being served by someone who can engage with you in English on all things sake, and offer you some really cutting edge stuff.
FOOD SHOPPING
Marugoto Nippon is the best place to go if you want to buy Japanese condiments and other ingredients to take home, and to purchase everything tax free.
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Japan Trip Jan-Feb 2023
Part 3- Tokyo Restaurants
MEAT
Dinner at Yakiniku Jambo Hanare was good, but it really doesn’t stand up to Sumibi Nakahara- two key differences, one is the atmosphere which is much better at Nakahara, but the other, which is more important, is the lack of use of coals. The meat is grilled on a gas grill, and that means you lose out on that lovely smokey flavor. That said, his steak rice pot is the BOMB, and the other bits were all super tasty.
Tonkatsu Narikura(Minami-Asagaya) is probably serving up the best Tonkatsu out there, but you really need to know which cut will make you happiest in order to order right, and we were unlucky that Tokyo X pork wasn’t available on the day we were there so the meal was good, but not spectacular. That being said, it was still the most juicy and well-prepared pork I have ever had.
TEMPURA
*Mikasa in Kanagawa is a real gem, and in the end it isn’t that far from Tokyo. We had a fantastic tempura meal here, and what wowed us was the creativity of the chef, who served us the most creative tempura we have ever had- things like a tempura walnut, lemon peel, and a slice of scallop sandwiched between two slices of yam. It was really, really excellent.
We had lunch at Fukamachi and I am frankly quite surprised at how highly it is rated on tabelog- it was a pretty average tempura meal in my mind.
SUSHI
***Sushi Kimura- dinner here was spectacular. His plated dishes were some of the most creative bits we had all trip, and while his rice and shari, and therefore nigiri bites, were not out favorite, the overall meal was spectacular and I did love the al dente cook of the rice. He also has a lovely demeanor, and really enjoys having foreigners at his sushi counter, which isn’t the case at many other
Dinner at Kanesaka was good. The space is very nice, and some of his bites were very tasty. I didn’t love his rice and shari, nor the crowd, but all in all a very solid Tokyo sushi experience.
Dinner at Sushinanba Hibiya was bad, something I never would have expected based on the sushi chef’s tabelog rating. We booked the dinner through tableall, which didn’t tell us that the foriegners that they get bookings for are seated in a back room at the end of the sushi counter, with a door separating them from the main room. Yes the chef did come into our little room to serve us the nigiri, but the room looked more like a storage closet, with a messy vacuum and boxes in the corner, and being enclosed and cut off like that from the main room was very unpleasant. In addition, we didn’t get to see any of the fish being cut, it was cut by the sous chef in the main room, and came to us pre-cut. Given that seeing the chef and watching his knife skills is core to the sushi experience, this really limited our enjoyment of the meal. And none of the dishes or bites were the best of the trip. It really makes no sense to me why this place is so highly rated, even for guests who are in the main room. There is nothing spectacular about the rice, shari, or fish here in my view.
NOODLES- RAMEN
***Nakiryu- spectacular tantamen ramen. WOW!
Hachigo- I appreciate that the chef is making ramen that more resembles a beef consommé, and his toppings are admittedly spectacular, but I think the broth is more intereresting for a Japanese audience and less so for a western one. If you didn’t need to wait an hour and a half I would say it would be worth a try, but given the crazy line, I really don’t think its worth it.
***Kagari Echika- I was so worried the tori paitan ramen here would have gone down hill once it became a chain restaurant with multiple locations, but I was wrong, it is still spectacular, and specifically the original broth, not the shoyu one. It is stunning.
NOODLES- UDON
We had udon at Kamachiku and the noodles are superb. Their chop and bounce is unparalleled in my view.
***Maruka- while the noodles here are the faintest hair less good than at kamachiku in my view, here you can get your cold udon (which is the best way to get it if you want the udon texture to be at its best) with egg, yam, and wasabi. The frothy deliciousness that is that bowl of udon really is the best bowl of udon one can get in my view.
OKONOMIYAKI
Okonomiyaki Fukutake- The okonomiyaki here is good, and the proprietress who makes it for you is really awesome. But she uses very few ingredients, essentially cabbage, egg, and then whatever protein you pick and some pickle, but I thought that without the yam, it lacked that yummy batter flavor you hope to get from an okonomiyaki. Wouldn’t be my go-to, but in Tokyo I am not sure there is a better option, given my disappointment at other top spots I have tried.
PIZZA
Pizza Studio Tamaki- yes its expensive for pizza, and very slow, but wow, it is delicious. The ingredients are superb but what really stands out is the dough, which is heavily salted and umami and really is totally addictive. Not sure if this is the best pizza in the world, as some claim, but man its delicious
CREATIVE
Den Kushi Flori- I really like the French Japanese fusion concept, and the space, but I think that the dishes were a mixed bag with some being excellent and others less so. The great dishes were GREAT, and I do think that with some time they will be able to hit their stride and have a menu where each dish knocks it out of the park.
DESSERT
***Azuki to Kouri- this is the best kakigori I have every had, and the skill that has gone into designing each of their concoctions is really stunning. So delicious, and their French toast is also incredible. This really was TOP.
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Japan Trip Jan-Feb 2023
Part 2- Kyoto/Wakayama/Matsusaka/Kanazawa/Nagoya
Kyoto
*We had dinner at Tempura Matsu- it’s my second time going- and while the meal was shorter than last time, and more expensive, it was as delicious as the first time I went 5 years ago.
We also had dinner at Sumibi kappo Ifuki and it was a complete waste- there was nothing special about the meal in my view.
Kii-Tanabe, Wakayama
***We had lunch at Sizen Mukuan and this was the absolute highlight of the trip. The chef sends people who want to eat there a page of all the special ingredients of that month that he can get his hands on, and guests select the top five items they most hope to eat, and then over several phone calls, the chef and guests agree on a menu and a price. The creativity and beauty of the meal was stunning. The chef offered to help us hire a translator because he is so keen to share with you details of what you are eating. We didn’t go for that (too expensive) but through google translate were able to engage with him considerably. The dishes were so unique and his creativity really was unmatched by anyone all trip. It really is worth it to come here for a meal.
Matsusaka
***We ate dinner at Wadakin, to try Matsusaka beef and wow, this beef is hands down the best I have had in my life. We got one sukiyaki and one steak on the grill, and they were both spectacular. This was one of those once in a lifetime meals.
Kanazawa
***It was our second visit to Sushi Mekumi, during his crab season. He yet again floored us with this sushi meal, and the crab he served was so spectacular that its hard to imagine getting better crab anywhere in the world ever again. He continues to be our favorite sushi chef in Japan, and his counter, and his space really attains perfection beyond anywhere else we have ever eaten. His tea pairing, when its available, is also something really special.
Nagoya
We ate soba noodles from lunch at Gensui, we told them we didn’t want tempura, only soba, and we were able to try 4 different varieties (made with different strains of buckwheat, all with different widths and textures), as well as a stunning buckwheat ice cream at the end. These were hands down the best soba noodles we have ever had, and this place is well worth a visit and stands head and shoulders above the top soba places in Tokyo and Kyoto in my view.
We had a tempura dinner at Niitome- said to be the best tempura restaurant in Japan. The pacing of the meal (starting at 5pm and lasting for 3 hours) was good, and some bits were excellent and a testament to the high quality of ingredients the chef is using. But his plated dishes were really not great, and his meal lacked creativity, with him serving the same tempura dishes that one gets at most high end Japanese tempura restaurants. His batter is excellent, and so is his technique, but its not the best tempura meal out there. *We had lunch at Unafuji and man is that the most spectacular bowl of eel and rice that is out there. Really, really superb.
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Japan Trip Jan-Feb 2023
Part 1- Overall tips re bookings and Kyushu
We spent 18 days in February 2023 eating fabulous food across Japan and I wanted to post some notes. I have starred the meals that I think are not to be missed. First thing to point out is that nowadays almost all restaurants that need a booking work with Omakase, Tablecheck, Pocket Concierge or Tableall, so spendings lots of money on a hotel that has a good concierge service (which was the wisdom a few years ago) might not get you very far with bookings.
Second, some places take bookings 6 or 3 months out, a few more take bookings 2 months out, most take bookings 1 month out, and then some take bookings 2 weeks or 1 week out, and bookings go fast. On this trip, I relied very heavily on Tabelog and I think the ratings for the places we went to on Tabelog were spot on in almost every instance so I think it makes sense to use that as your main resource for picking restaurants. It makes sense to investing some time into playing around on the website so that you can figure out how to search for exactly what you are looking for in each city.
Below and in the following posts are my write-ups on all our meals from the trip. I have starred the meals that I would strongly recommend.
Hakata/Fukuoka
We ate dinner at Sushi Sakai Gaoujin. It definitely wasn’t the best sushi meal of the trip, but the chef gets his tuna from THE top tuna dealer in all of Japan and I tell you, his tuna is spectacular- the best we had all trip and perhaps the best I have ever had. In a fascinating insight, he told us that when he finished apprenticing at Sushi Sakai (top top sushi place in Hakata), as a starting out gift Daigo Sakai gave him his connection to the tuna dealer. Then our young chef flew the tuna dealer down to Hakata to taste his rice and decide which tuna would fit best with his rice. Once that was locked in, he designed the entire rest of the menu around that rice.
***We also had dinner at Sushi Gyoten, and wow it was spectacular. He is playing in a league of his own, and the fact that he has 3 Michelin stars is no surprise at all. His rice, his shari (best I have ever had), his knife skills, his selection of fish and sake, and his beautiful antique glassware- it was a truly exceptional meal, one of the two best sushi meals I have ever had. He is willing to make space for foreigners so sending an email even if he looks booked up is worth it. The one downside is his way with his staff, which is less than pleasant, and his ego. But his skill is just staggering, and his space is gorgeous.
*We had tonkontsu ramen at Tabelog favorite Genki Ippai and it was outstanding. Best tonkotsu ramen I have ever had and likely will ever have. This is rated the best tonkontsu ramen in the city that invented it, and you can see why.
Yobuko
We drove here in the morning to taste the fresh squid. It was good, but not the best of the trip, and I don’t think is worth the trip.
Karatsu
We had lunch at Sushi Tsukuta, which was a lovely meal- the setting is very nice, and his fish is good, but he isn’t in the same league as the top sushi chefs.
Kokura
We had dinner at Teru Sushi. On the positive side, this chef is totally self-made and its impressive how he has constructed this brand around himself. On the negative, he really doesn’t know how to cut fish, make rice, season it, or in any way resemble a good sushi chef, and his ego really makes sitting through a meal here difficult. Definitely not worth going.
Nakatsu
This town hosts the Karaage (Japanese fried chicken) Grand Prix every year, and boasts 53 fried chicken restaurants in town. Each place’s friend chicken is different, and its well worth it to go for an afternoon and do a fried chicken crawl.
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Newish places in Barcelona (as of August 2022)
Here are comments on the newer places in town.
Compartir Barcelona- finally it has opened! I think this restaurant really delivers on an a la carte version of Disfrutar. Almost all of the dishes were delicious, highly creative, and paired with the most excellent wines, champagnes and sherries. This is my number one recommendation in the city.
The oyster with ajoblanco and black garlic is excellent.
Of the brioche buns, the one with caviar, is the second most famous dish from Disfrutar, and everyone should try this once, but the one with tartar and egg is also amazing.
The crab salad is amazing.
And the cannelloni of tuna- excellent balance of flavors and technique.
The langoustine is delicious.
Less good were the sardines, the croquettes, and the salmon shabu shabu.
We had the hazelnut molten cake for dessert with apricot ice cream. It was heavily- perfect technique and flavor.
COME- after the entire Adria group (Tickets, Pakta, etc.) folded, COME opened up in the location that used to be Hoja Santa, with almost the same Mexican menu. The food here is excellent IF you go ahead and pick your own dishes. If you don't, and let the waiter curate your meal, I guarantee that a fair amount of the dishes will disappoint.
Proper BCN- WOW, this please is truly exciting. A chef with an extremely modern vision, with dishes that combine ingredients you would not think to combine, in wildly successful ways. This is a place I will be coming to often.
Sensato- this was good, probably the best omakase sushi meal you can get in the city at the moment, but really doesn't hold a candle to great sushi meals we have had elsewhere, including outside of Japan.
Molino de Pez- I liked this place a lot- really solid dishes, with a few exceptions. And their steak dish (that they call tacos but has nothing to do with tacos) was fabulous- the meat was cooked to perfection, and the sauce was rich and delicious.
Batea- excellent quality seafood in a central touristy part of town, where you don't expect to get such good quality seafood and the prices aren't crazy.
Contracorrent Bar- If you want tapas with a twist, in this case an Italian twist, this place is excellent. I really enjoyed every dish we ordered.
Sartoria Panatieri- the pizza dough here is excellent, though the toppings on the pizzas we tried all really needed to be amped up in terms of flavor.
Enigma- As above with COME, Enigma closed, but has reopened in the same space. However the concept is now different- instead of a 3 hour tasting menu where you move through the different spaces, you come for snacks and cocktails in the evening. Some of the dishes were good, none were as excellent as the amazing bites we had at Enigma in its old format, but if you want some excellent drinks and some creative snacks on the side, this is a lot of fun, and the smash burger is really, really damn good.
Fiskebar- it is in a lovely space in the port, with a stylish Nordic interior. Dishes were good, nothing outstanding though, and it definitely isn’t the best seafood in town so I sadly wouldn’t recommend it.
Tamae- this is unsuccessful as a concept. Even if you eat in the restaurant, they plate your food as if you are getting take-out. The sushi rolls are largely pre-made, and it really is nothing special.
Jaqueline- we came here during the pre-opening period so the menu was very limited and it was hard to get a sense of what the restaurant and bar will ultimately be like. The space is beautiful, but I fear that the owner has too many ideas- champagne bar upstairs, club downstairs, fine-dining restaurant, back of restaurant omakase sushi counter. I think they might be better off pairing things down a bit to center on a more cohesive concept.
Comida Codac- appalling. It was the weirdest and most disgusting meal I can remember having in years. Everydish was mush in terms of consistency, every dish was sweet, almost every dish and chocolate in it, but combined in ways that just didnt work. The atmosphere wasn’t great- it was largely empty. It was just AWFUL. I will be stunned if this place is open in 3 months’ time.
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Updated list of Barcelona top restaurants, with quite a few repeat visits pre and post Covid
Its been some time since I updated my Barcelona top restaurants list. Post-Covid sadly some places have really plummeted, while others are as good, if not even better, than before. Here is a rundown of places we have been to in the last weeks:
GOOD
Teoric- wow, have they upped their game. They used to have such a large menu that it was overwhelming, but we would always love every dish we had.
Now they are doing a tasting menu and every single dish we had during our recent lunch there was sublime.
It really was a flawless meal, with a tarter of red prawns on top of rice dish that was spectacular.
Catalina in Gava- this is outside of the city, past the airport. Come here for Sunday lunch with a group of friends and enjoy the best atmosphere, excellent seafood, and equally tantalizing wines. There is nothing quite like this place that I have come across, and I am in love with it.
Agreste de Fabio & Roser- we have come here often. Sometimes the meal has been more experimental, sometimes more traditional, but always delicious. On our last meal it really felt like a more traditional Italian meal in terms of the dishes and the flavors, but a spectacular version of an Italian meal. This place never fails to deliver.
Dos Pebrots- years ago we ate at Dos Palillos and I wasn’t super impressed, including because we had recently come back from Japan. So it took me ages to decide to come here. Some dishes were on the interesting (their experimentation with ancient cooking techniques really is cool) but less yummy side, but others were super interesting and creative, and super delicious. Fantastic, well worth it for anyone who wants to understand the history of food in the region.
Ca L’Isidre- this place is fantastic. If you want superb traditional tapas, come here.
Ca L’Estevet- this place is simple but nice, with a few less traditional dishes, particular vegetables, that make it a nice contrast to the typical Barcelona fare.
Direkte Boqueria- I will start with why I love this place- the food is incredibly creative, and there are always one or two dishes that are fantastic, and their matcha cheesecake is truly the best cheesecake to have graced the planet earth.
The stunners of our last meal were a divine melon kakigori with clams and razor clams, a crab radish ravioli that was so delicate and nuanced, and trotters and snails- I don't even like snails but loved this dish.
However, most of the dishes we had on our latest meal here, which is the same as with our other meals here, were all interesting and some yummy, but none perfect in terms of flavor, texture, technique AND yum factor. There was an almond miso scallop dish which was good, a tuna, cherry wasabi radish dish that was bright but needed more punch, raw marinated asparagus that was ok, and a few other dishes that were good but not perfect. But given the one or two or sometimes three standouts that you always get in a meal here, it's still well worth it to come, if you can get a booking.
LESS GOOD/BAD
Bisavis- I like the chef, and what he is trying to do. However i think that given the fairly cheap price of the meal, and the lack of resources he has to draw on more generally (he has no staff whatsoever), he is not able to afford the best produce or extra hands for more complicated dishes, which means that the meal was good, but didn't really stand out, though the opener of the anchovy on the slice of sweet bread was delicious.
Ca l’Enric- it is quite a drive outside of Barcelona, and the restaurant space is quite dark- I think it suits the winter more than the summer. There were some excellent dishes, but it is not up there as one of the best tasting menus I have had, and given the excellent food in the city, I wouldn’t go out of my way to come here. Some dishes though were great, and all very pretty.
Els Casals- we have eaten here in the winter, where the pork is the star of almost every dish of the tasting menu, and had spectacular food. This time we came in the summer, and the chef told us this was the best time to come, given the produce they grow. Honestly, I found the meal so much less exciting, with barely any pork served, and left really underwhelmed.
Rias de Galicia- overpriced and really not the best seafood in town. I found this place to be a big letdown.
Brugarol X- I thought Brugarol was amazing, when it first opened. But I was really unimpressed with the meal we had at this new, larger location. It just really fell flat, with not a single dish worth remembering or having again.
Mano Rota- terrible. This used to be one of my favorite restaurants in town. I assume the chef has left, because every dish was a fail this time- too oily, no flavor, etc.
Trafalgar Pizza Club- terrible, tasteless pizza.
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Madrid June 2022 foodie weekend
In June we came to Madrid for a foodie weekend and in addition to eating at Coque (see below), DiverXo and StreetXo (see below), we also ate at Tasquita de Enfrente, Sala de Despiece, and Leña.
Tasquita de Enfrente was fan-friggin-tastic. The dishes were all seemingly simple, but in reality prepared with excellent technique and top top quality produce. We drank excellent wines, and it really was a perfect and delicious lunch. I strongly recommend going here for the highest quality Spanish cooking.
Sala de Despiece was a bit more mixed. I sat down and immediately wanted to love the place. The vibe is so cool, as are the wait staff, the menu sounds endlessly appealing. But I have to say some of the dishes just didnt hit the mark. If I look at my notes, Ifound most dishes to be ‘nice’, or ‘yummy’, but not exceptional. I felt like they all just needed a bit more work. For example, the Rolex bite- the temperature was a bit off (too cold) and was slightly over salted. Minue those two things, it would have been really delicious. The raw chuleton was great, the artichoke was too sweet, the tuna tartar wasnt exceptional, the egg and foie and truffle was yummy, as was the smoked eel with foie and apple. A highlight though was the asparagus with dill oil- that was very complex and refined. And at the end the cheese mousse with pine nuts was also nice. Wish, more of the dishes had been 100% on point.
Our worst meal of the trip was Leña. It was really just not good. Cocktails weren’t good, starters were nothing to write home about, and the “signature burger” is actually two sliders (very unclear why the menu doesnt make that clear) and was one of the worst burgers I have had in a long time- not great bread, meat not very flavorful… it was truly disappointing.
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DiverXo and StreetXo in Madrid
We ate at both DiverXo and StreetXo in Madrid in June.
When I first walked into DiverXo I thought we had made a big mistake going there. The decor, the outfits of the wait staff, the decorations on the table, everything is so hokey and over the top. So I was prepared for the food to be totally gimmicky as well. But I was very wrong. This was a fantastic meal, with all the proteins being of exceptional quality and prepared beautifully, and the desserts were truly mind blowing. Despite the hefty price tag, I think it was 100% worth it.
The next day we went to StreetXo. This I think was less successful. The blasting party music meant that I could barely hear anything my husband said, and had to yell across the bar to order. Eating to that music generally just felt very unrelaxing. The dishes and cocktails were interesting, but most weren’t fantastic. The Korean lasagne was quite good, and very unique, but still, I wouldn't recommend going here, especially because you likely will need to wait at least an hour online before you get seated.
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