Eat Like Ushi

During the long day of seeing Chichen Itza in the morning and then squeezing in Uxmal in the mid-late afternoon, there was a brief opportunity to find somewhere to eat in Merida. My friend/driver had a recommendation and so we ended up at this restaurant for classic Yucatan food.

It was definitely a large and full and busy restaurant, even with queues in the mid-afternoon as we were leaving. In a couple of areas, some ladies are constantly making the perfect fresh corn tortillas for each of our eating pleasure with the table salsa.

I discovered chaya is a kind of leaf. I wasn't exactly sure what, but Google now tells me a type of spinach. Which makes sense because the food (and chaya drink) did have a spinach flavour but less bitter and more savoury.

- Crema de chaya 71pesos - a thick green, slightly spinachy soup. Very creamy and cheesy. Delicious;
- Mucbil pollo 109pesos - if you read the Spanish text, it says the dreams of a Yucateo is to eat this dish at any time of the year. That may or may not be true, but I can tell you that the dish has very hard, thick crust which is really really difficult and not that pleasant to eat. However inside soft savoury meat and some tomato. It went very well with salsa and hot sauce.

It was nice to have some traditional Yucatan food. The flavours were nice overall and I'm glad I tried a more dishes in their cuisine.

I don't know if there is an actual name for the place but that's what is on the sign above the entrance and that's what comes up in Google. It's not the most original. But it does seem like a local place with an elderly male host who was only too happy to serve and cook for us.

- Enchilada mole 75pesos;
- Chile relleno pierno horno 75pesos - a green chilli stuffed with meat.

It was a simple meal and reasonably tasty. Local stuff I imagine.

I did a Google search for elotes whilst in Valladolid and incredibly this one popped up, which happens to be a permanent (I think) stall in the park.

True to the search, they do corn spiced with salt, chilli, lemon, mayo and cheese.

Not bad at all. Although I was disappointed during my entire trip to never find any other varieties of corn.

Second place in a world gelato competition? That's worth a look in 33C heat isn't it?

I tried pistachio and (I think) a yoghurt one. They were fine, the flavours were nice, but there was an ice crystal or two. I wouldn't say it's the second best I've ever had. But it was alright.

Bob Marley's son owns a coffee shop (normal coffee shop as far as I saw) in PDC. It's a relaxing space serving smoothies (I had Rocksteady - banana and blueberries 60pesos) and some sandwiches.

It's sort of close to the ferry port, but very close to the ADO bus stop and so was perfect for breakfast while waiting for our bus to Tulum.

Finally on the last night of the 2 week holiday, I had the opportunity to go to a mezcal bar to drink the specialty I'd been waiting for. Honestly I probably could have earlier in the trip, but early starts, diving/water sports, being tired, being too hot, being a bit lazy, and not really finding anywhere specifically good was the deterrent.

And so Tres Mentiras even though as a mezcal place, didn't seem to have all that much range and variety that I expected. Certainly the nearby bottle shop had way more varieties.

The mezcal drinks weren't that special to be honest. Although adding the chilli salt to the rim was a spicy and different touch.

To watch the sunset on Playa Norte in Isla Mujeres is something of dreams. Once all the sundecks have been kept, the daytrippers have left, the loud music has stopped blaring, and you just have the warmth of the Caribbean waters under the setting colours of the sun, it truly is perfect. I'm not a fan of beach clubs generally, as it tends to be something you pay for the location more than the quality. However it seemed like a good idea at the time, and the Mayan Beach Club had decent online ratings.

Because of the quiet season, the tables on the beach in front of the ocean was available. Luckily there weren't (too many) mosquitoes to ruin the atmosphere.

The prices are naturally a little higher here, but the overall vibe is fantastic. Not only the things mentioned above, but also a jazz band playing (not too loudly) entertaining us throughout the meal and the food was actually good too.

- Mayan-style fish with coconut milk 241pesos - an expertedly cooked soft fish in a lovely coconut broth;
- Local grilled octopus (from the warm waters of the Yucatan Peninsula) 325pesos - a generous amount of perfectly charred and flavoured octopus which retained a bit of bitey texture;
- Dessert of chocolate and nuts.

A lovely experience complemented by an excellent sunset (as always seems to be the case in the Yucatan).

The highest regarded restaurant in Valladolid is set in an opulent hotel with a dining square that surrounds a central garden. It really is a nice setting to dine in and one of the more pleasant meals we had. It's obviously a more expensive menu, however I think it isn't just that they cater toward tourists, but moreso their dishes are finer and more modern versions of the standard Yucatan dishes.

Naturally the staff all speak English, even in response to my broken Spanish.

- Chile poblano del Marques (breaded chile poblano pepper filled with meat & holland cheese, served with Mayan soup) - as described and nice;
- Queso relleno estilo Valladolid (stuffed cheese Valladolid style) 210pesos - thick cheese layer (similar to graviera) which was quite salty, on top of soft shredded meat (turkey, pork). Served with olives, capers, almonds, raisins and chickpeas and in a medicinal soup. Very nice. There was also an ultra hot habanero which i nibbled the end of before realising it was a mistake and my face, tongue and legs went numb.

Tamales - I'd heard the word before I think from songs (Hot Tamale?) but never known what it was. It's a traditional dish of the Yucatan region consisting of some kind of dough that is steamed in leaves. The Airbnb host had recommended us to try this, and so naturally we had to. It is remarkably cheap 45pesos each.

How were they? Ok. Hyped up too much. Not really worth having again in my mind.

Pan de espelon (pork fried with tomato, beans, egg) was quite nice. The outside was a bit crusty but edible at least. Maculan (wrapped with leaf maculan, pumpkin seeds, white beans) was essentially vegetables wrapped in a leaf. The flavour was very plain and the whole dish mushy.

Not for me.

After having a phone stolen at Dos Ojos cenote (sad but true), dinner was a more solemn undertaking. I still had a couple of places on the list and none higher than El Camello Jr. It's known for seafood and every single table in there seemed to have a giant plate of ceviche.

Naturally we ordered a small using shrimp, fish, octopus and snails (with tomato, onion, coriander, pepper, salt) 130 pesos. Small turned out to be not so small and easily shared between two (or potentially more) with the fried tortillas, hot sauces and limes to spice things up. it was fresh and delicious and nicely balanced.

Seafood soup (shrimp, octopus, squid, fish, crab) 140pesos was a beautiful mixed seafood stock similar to bouillabaise. It was truly delicious.

The tables next to us were loud and rowdy as a bunch of Mexicans sounded like they were being offered an investment opportunity. Who knows.

I'd go back happily for more of the same food.