We have gotten to know a couple of Isla Mujeres’ restaurant owner/operators particularly well over the years. Fredy, Sergio, Ziggy and Polo all contribute to the Isla Mujeres culinary scene in their own distinctive ways.

Recently when scooting through the Colonias in a golf cart, Polo of Mango Cafe was driving by and waved us down. This is his wife and beautiful baby.

The menu at Mango Café is inventive and Polo’s dishes are exquisitely crafted. Each plate comes out of his kitchen looking like it was professionally styled. His take on traditional fare elevates each offering to the extent that none of us can stay away. We always pay Mango Café a visit during our time on Isla Mujeres, sometimes more than once.

Dinners are definitely memorable but it is Polo’s breakfasts that we particularly love.

On our most recent visit, Don had the stuffed poblano chili. When I first tasted this dish on Isla, I couldn’t believe that I had ever thought of stuffing eggs into a chili before, especially in the land of chilies relleno.

D loved the breakfast quesadillas. Look how pretty this plate was?

Victoria could not resist ordering Polo’s French Toast; a dish that our entire family loves.

In fact, last year just before they left the island, they packed in for one last feed.

I adored the Eggs Benedict with curried hollandaise, crispy bacon, mushrooms, chia (like spinach) & cheesy potatoes. “Heaven, I’m in heaven…..”

Kath’s quote: “We did not immediately come up with béarnaise, Bercy, and poivrade sauces. It took more than a single attempt to discover reduced cream, marinade, and forcemeat. We did not straightaway invent barding fat, the touch of garlic, and the thin slice of truffle under the skin…. While genius is spontaneous, its manifestations nevertheless require the passage of time before glorious perfection is achieved. This is particularly true in the area of food and drink…. Magical dishes, magical words: a great cook is, when all is said and done, a great poet. . . . For was it not a visit from the Muses that inspired the person who first had the idea of marrying rice and chicken, grape and thrush, potatoes and entrecôte, Parmesan and pasta, aubergine and tomato, Chambertin and cockerel, liqueur brandy and woodcock, onion and tripe?”-‘Cinquante Ans a Table’

Live simply, laugh often, love deeply.

On day 6 we were up for sunrise which took 45 minutes to come above a bank of clouds.

D went to Roca Mar to fetch Don and Victoria and then picked me up at Luna D’ Miel. The plan was that we were to drop off the guys at the tennis courts and go beachcombing while they played a couple of sets. Don remarked that there were a team of workers there to clean the courts for them. But we found out (to their dismay) that the courts were going to be pounded out, and we assumed replaced. The guys were bummed out but so grateful that they had gotten in their games the day previous.

Instead the guys dropped us off for a 1/2 hour of shelling

and then we headed to Mango’s for breakfast as Don had never been. We love Polo’s food and Mango Cafe’s funky décor.

We zoomed around while we still had the golf cart. I love the beautiful churches on Isla Mujeres and we slowed down to check out this relatively new one.

This has long been my favourite church. Can you guess why?

Can you imagine living on this street with the crystal blue ocean at the corner?

The shops of Hidalgo have their charm but I personally love these tables across from the sea.

If these walls could speak…..

Aren’t these colours magnificent?

Before we returned the cart, we dropped V & D off at North Beach and then returned later and spent a lovely late afternoon at the beach to visit my siblings and their friends.

Kath’s quote: “More varied than any landscape was the landscape in the sky, with islands of gold and silver, peninsulas of apricot and rose against a background of many shades of turquoise and azure.”-Cecil Beaton

Live simply, laugh often, love deeply.

My photos got scrambled when I watermarked them and as a result, I cannot find the sunrise pics from this particular morning. I do know that I started the day with some beachcombing and this was my haul.

Doug and Don (our daughter in law’s father) were determined to play tennis in spite of them both having chest colds. D anticipated Don’s arrival from Roca Mar at about 8 am. At some point D started walking into town. In the mean time, Don had walked on the incorrect airport road and could see our place across the runway but could not figure out how he was going to walk across. Luckily he hailed a cab and the guys were reunited. They had a great/sweaty time and vowed to do it again the next day. Meanwhile Don’s spouse Victoria walked to our place and then we cabbed to meet the guys at Bahama Mamas where we all chose a $5 breakfasts. D and I both had the potato omelet, Don pancakes & fruit and Victoria the mushroom omelet. After brekkie we decided that it would be fun to split a golf cart for the day.

Our first stop was at Casa de la Suenos which was an enormous hit with their gorgeous setting and what we thought were the most amazing nachos ever. We split them for a late lunch. D & V had a cheese & bean fajitas which were deemed less spectacular.

We walked out to the end of their dock for photos. This one of Don and Victoria.

We stopped for a look at La Joya as D & V had almost booked there and never seen it.

We tootled around the island including stops at Hortenzia’s to get some work done for me and North Beach for a swim. Actually only V & D swam as my D had already showered and I had a bit of a headache.

That evening after sunset on our front porch, we picked them up for supper where we had arranged with BoBo’s to watch a Jets game.

We were upstairs which was stiffling hot but we had so much fun watching a great game even though Winnipeg lost in a shoot out. We met a guy from Liverpool /Winnipeg who’s wife worked with my sister! My friend Jackie from Winnipeg came by & we visited through the 2nd period. We had tried to meet up with Brother #2 but he and his wife were meeting friends who had come over from Puerto Moreles for the evening. We enjoyed a nap cap under the stars. Another wonderful day.

We are not sure if D is going to be packing his tennis racket in 2016. We are staying at Villas San Miguel and the plan is to enjoy their lovely courtyard, walks on the malecon and the proximity to North Beach. We are also looking forward to cooking in their full kitchen. With their convenient proximity to the grocery store and market, this should be a breeze.

Kath’s quote: “We have the most beautiful planet – the Rockies, the purple fields of the United States, the Lake District, the Pyrenees, the turquoise seas of the tropics.”-Dan Aykroyd

Live simply, laugh often, love deeply.

In my early twenties, Sister #2 and I shared an apartment. It was a busy time for both of us but every Sunday we shared a meal together. All through those dinners and as we lingered over wine or cups of tea, we would talk about our past week, our upcoming week and…food! I think that was when I knew that I was and would always be, a foodie. My most precious evenings are surrounded by friends, old and new, talking about restaurants, communities, chefs and recipes. Surprisingly, that is how I spent my time last evening. I had accompanied D on a business trip to Regina this week and we met up with a couple of his work associates at Victoria’s Tavern. I expected a quick bite and a return to the hotel.

Sean the photo-bomber.

The unanticipated delight of the evening was noshing with the Tavern’s partner/corporate chef Sean Hale, his wife and brother-in-law. The food passion of this trio was evident with every story and anecdote.

Located in the heart of Regina’s restaurant and bar scene, the renovated red brick building was warm and inviting, reminiscent of the pubs that we adored when we visited Ireland. Of particular delight was the memorabilia that adorned the walls: scenes of Saskatchewan, vintage movie stars, old LP covers and local members of the military all took their place in the montage.

But, to the food.

We had been drawn by the promise of freshly-shucked PEI oysters and were not disappointed. A lovely briny liquid was cupped in the oyster shell, along with the morsels themselves. Sean enhanced the taste with a clear broth of shallots and red wine vinegar.

We have been long-time fans of chicken and waffles. The latter were light and fluffy with the crispy edges that I love. The chicken breasts had been marinated in buttermilk for two days and then tossed in corn starch which created a extra crunchy coating. The marriage of these textures and tastes were further bonded by maple syrup and (just for good measure) a delectable gravy of crumbled sausages from Regina’s beloved Italian Star Deli.

Guffawing at the recent processed and red meat concerns (we stick to our mantra of everything in moderation), we shared a bacon-wrapped meatloaf sandwich. I could barely get my mouth around the monster for a bite. A friend from Winnipeg declared that it was the best meat loaf he had ever tasted. The sweetish bun that it came on was the recipe of the Sean’s mother-in-law and the premise made kettle chips that accompanied it were the piece de résistance (for this potato aficionado).

As I tie this up, I haven’t even touched on the craft beer variety that the tavern boasts or the that we enjoyed these oyster shooters!

Kath’s quote: “Cooking is like love it should be entered in with abandon or not at all”. -Harriet van Horne

Live simply, laugh often, love deeply.

For breakfast the last morning of the conference we were in for a treat of St. Viateur bagels, lox, capers, onions and cream cheese. Presented by Half Your Plate, I accompanied mine with a delicious fruit smoothie.

The surprise treats of Cacao Barry chocolates were provided at our morning break. Chocolate always gets me going. These were exquisitely crafted.

Another Montreal icon provided our lunch. Schwartz’s brought in a mini deli for our pleasure and we noshed on cole slaw, pickles, just sliced Montreal smoked meat and potato chips.

The mini tastes of sugar pie were a lovely touch. Around this table I connected with Maria of She Loves Biscotti.

And then before you knew it, the conference was over but since I was not departing for a couple of days, I still had more eating to do. Montrealer Evelyne was available to be our tour guide again and Joann, Michelle of The Tiffin Box and I hopped the metro for Marche Jean Talon where we tasted fine local wines, ciders and vermouths and took photos of the colourful produce  which was displayed so beautifully.

That evening Marlene, Joann and I pressed Montrealer Kimberlie to suggest her favourite local spot for dinner. Bouillon Bilk was an amazing way to crown the weekend with its sleek decor, personable staff and exquisite food. I am told that only locals frequent the place and this maybe because it is located in the most inconspicuous spot. After much indecision and deliberation, I chose carpaccio beef as my appetizer and a second starter of tortellini as my entree. Both provided perfection with each bite. These women were so generous in sharing their life stories and friendships were cemented. My photos could never do justice to the beauty of our plates.

We walked back to the Westin through Chinatown and detoured to the bar before all going up to perch on my roomie’s bed for additional chatter. We clearly were not ready for the weekend to end. In fact, before I clicked off the light that evening, I registered for the 2016 conference edition in Toronto where Food Bloggers Canada was born. And for me time in Montreal did not end. The next morning, before the Ontario entourage left for the train station, Charmian and I had one last treat together: Portuguese Custard Tarts that she had acquired on the walking food tour of Old Montreal and had stashed in our room fridge.

Moving from the Westin to nearby Zero 1 Hotel, I was smack in the middle of Chinatown. Hearing from other bloggers that Pho Bang New York was the place try, I ordered a shrimp pho to go. I slowly dished it out in my hotel room, not wanting the fragrant broth, crunchy veggies and silky noodles to disappear too quickly.

Soon after, Kimberlie, who had become more and more of a dear friend by the minute, arrived to the lobby for one last rendezvous. We each sipped a drink at Brasserie T and ordered a Parmesan Fondue to be considerate of the sleek little restaurant and its lovely staff and to tie us over until dinner.

Parmesan Fondue was the very first Quebec dish I sampled on the first night on my honeymoon, thirty-one years prior. Good food has the power to produce a life long memory.

We made our way by Metro to the illuminated lantern display at the Botanical Gardens before sharing an “old school” dinner of shrimp noodles, watercress and sizzling beef in Chinatown at Le Maison VIP before we finally said good-bye with embraces and commitments to keep in close touch.

And still my Montreal indulgences continued with my last chocolate croissant at the hotel and an order of poutine at the airport.

FBC 2015 in Montreal, where new friends were made over tables laden with food.

Kath’s quote: “Pull up a chair. Take a taste. Come join us. Life is so endlessly delicious.” ― Ruth Reichl

Live simply, laugh often, love deeply.