We awoke to a lovely sunrise. It was Sunday and our plans were to catch the English church service at the beautiful church across from Mango.

There turned out not to be services in English any more so we just spent some quiet time in the sanctuary

and then met the gang at Mango’s new garden area (follow link here for the details).

As soon as we walked “home”  we got a text saying that lifelong friends from another part of Canada would be on the next ferry.

So we jumped in a cab to meet them. They were hungry and thirsty, as well as being tired from an early morning flight. But they had the energy to stay in Centro for lunch so we pulled their luggage to Bally Hoo (see link here for details).

Their cab dropped us off en route to their hotel further up the airport strip.

We spent the afternoon by the sea until they rested and walked to join us for supper in Centro.

We caught this glimpse of a sunset as we walked along.

We started at Nash’s because there was another Jets game that evening. But the place was extra loud and then a jazz trio turned up to perform, so we made our escape. We knew that we were being old fogies but we couldn’t hear/see the game or hear each other.

So we made our way just further along Hidalgo to Angelo’s. We had a big feed of seafood (see details in link here).

It was the evening of the Oscar’s so we watched the last of the presentations on TV with a Spanish voice over. Many of my family and my good friends were now on the island. I was feeling very blessed.

Kath’s quote: “Do not overcook this dish. Most seafoods…should be simply threatened with heat and then celebrated with joy.” –Jeff Smith

Love never fails.

One of our many Isla restaurateur friends is Pollo. We met him years ago but only see him occasionally now as he is a hands-on Dad, a compassionate disaster fund-raiser and entrepreneur. Here are some Mango meals from the Food Musings Archives:

2010

2011

2012

2013

2014

2015

2016

2017

We had watched his Facebook posts over the summer to see the building of his rooftop space and outdoor patio garden. Not surprisingly, it was the first place D wanted to go when he joined me on the island.

This beauty met us as we made our way from the restaurant to the patio. He/she simply wanted to play and we were happy to indulge him/her en route.

We were drawn to a large live edge plank table and benches. Luckily the table was open and we comfortably settled in.

One thing that Mango has always cleverly done is place an urn of “help yourself” coffee in their dining spaces. This way even if a server doesn’t make it over to you right away, you are content to sip coffee and imagine what beautiful culinary concoction you will select on this visit. You will notice that the patio is covered with brightly coloured tarps. I don’t know if they keep out the rain, but they certainly shield you from the sun. Strategically placed jumbo fans also get the air moving.

There were requests for stuffed chilies all around except for one order of their amazing French toast which I have so many pictures of, I chose not to add another and…

the Mayan scramble which I ordered. Oh my goodness, I was over the moon! This delicious mound of sauteed veggies and eggs sparkled in my mouth. The tastes were clean, fresh and absolutely addictive. I always order the stuff poblano but no more.

Service was as attentive as they could be with a full patio and restaurant. Somehow sitting on that patio, we didn’t really notice how long the food took.

Kath’s quote: “Food is for eating, and good food is to be enjoyed… I think food is, actually, very beautiful in itself”. -Delia Smith

Love never fails.

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.

This day was our last full day on Isla.  On this and most last days on the island, we try to fit in all of the events that we haven’t experienced yet.  Most of the circumstances involve food or cocktails.  True to form, J2, her Mom and the Wee One picked us up at 7:30 am for breakfast at Mango.

I love the food at Mango but I adore the décor just as much.

We shared Coconut French Toast

& Eggs Benedict.

Both the Wee One’s Glammas took turns entertaining her while we ate.

Can you see that she has her Poppas enormous blue eyes?

J2, Glamma V and the Wee One headed for Punta Sur as D and I strolled home.

And then just like that…the weather changed and a deluge began.

The weather was so extreme that it felt totally like a new day had dawned.  But you know what they say?  Even a rainy day on Isla is better than most days anywhere else.  We coped the best we could by visiting family members to say our good-byes and having a few cocktails along the way…

Kath’s quote: “When we lose, I eat. When we win, I eat. I also eat when we’re rained out.” –Tommy Lasorda

Love-that is all.

The day started with a gorgeous sunrise and

early morning guests to watch the Olympic men’s hockey finals on our TV in the spacious living room at Luna d’Miel. I cooked up a batch of Canadian back bacon and eggs to celebrate our team’s victory.  By 9 am the kitchen was all cleaned up and we were ready to start our day.  D had to head into Centro to arrange to have the golf cart looked at, where it had stalled the night previously in the Colonias.  Lucky for us, they compensated for our break down by giving us another day with the cart.

The gang did not all get up to join us for the game/breakfast and since they had access to the cart, they headed to Mango for brunch because they were all hankering for a fix of Polo’s breakfasts before they left the island.

Everyone had the yummy Coconut French Toast

with the exception of J1 who went for the Breakfast Quesadilla.

When you are at Mango, have you ever been drawn towards to beautiful church on the opposite side of the street?  The church attendees had just departed and so I knew that if I went to have a look around, I wouldn’t be disrupting anyone’s worship.

The sanctuary is absolutely exquisite and I very much want to attend a service the next time I am on Isla.

I can only imagine what it would be like to worship here on a regular basis, with the beauty of the sea just behind the altar.

D and I went back to fetch more ribs for lunch from the Rib Man.  This was the busy scene as I waited for D in the golf cart.

We went back and forth a number of times to deliver the kids and all their luggage to the ferry with the  golf cart.

It was very hard to say good-bye to the kids as I was so sad that their time had gone so quickly.  But like the ebb and flow of life, while we bid farewell to some, we said hello to others.  We had a second task to perform at the ferry, as my brother, his wife and the Wee One’s other Grandma were arriving that afternoon!

We had a brief time to while away between ferries so we headed to the Fisherman’s Co-op with J2 and the Wee One to sit in the shade and enjoy a cervesa.  The latter were staying on the island for another five days and moving into the Roca Mar with J2’s Mom.  After we delivered them to their hotel, we made one last trip around the tip of Punta Sur before returning the golf cart.

After wandering around Centro for a bit we decided to see if J2 and the Wee One had settled into their new digs okay, but the room was silent and we didn’t want to disturb the baby if she was sleeping.  We headed towards the marina and Playa Sol to catch the sunset and were drawn into Marina Muelle 7,  a place that we had walked by many times but never stopped.

Even though we love our Sol and vino tinto, these cocktails were calling our names.

I opted for a mojito served in what I call a fishbowl chalice (just the way I like ’em).  I even eat all the smashed up mint.  D gabbed the camera and took this rare photo of me because he said that my drink matched my dress.

We felt very luxurious, sprawled out in beach recliners and watching the sunset with no plans for dinner, no plans for a rendezvous, no plans for anything except savouring the moment.  And just when we thought we had enjoyed the most amazing sunset and it could not possibly get any better….

…it went and did.  So it is, on Isla.

When I am back home and in the city, I sometimes have popcorn for supper.  This is when I have no one at home to cook a nutritious meal for, D is out of town and I am feeling particularly worry free.  A popcorn supper is symbolic for not really needing to give a !@#$ for anybody but me.  D and I were feeling this way on this evening.  We toyed with the idea of going many places for supper and in the end decided to pick up some papas fritas at La Lomita and share them on the walk home.

Lo and behold, Veektoria (the way the Islanders love to pronounce Wee One’s other Grandma’s name), J2 and the Wee One were waiting for an encore of La Lomita’s Garlic Shrimp that J2 had enjoyed so much on our first night on the island.  So we got to have a little visit with them after all, only to find that they had been steps away from us the entire time, enjoying the sunset over mango margaritas at Bally Hoo.

We meandered back to our fabulous little apartment and enjoyed a glass of wine, all alone under a canopy of stars, so different from our northern sky back home.

Kath’s quote: “Second star to the right…and straight on ’til morning.” -Captain James Kirk, Star Trek

Love-that is all.