I had been to Casa Diego before and still wasn’t really sure where it was. We headed west from the apartment and I knew we would come to find it before we hit the red and white lighthouse. There was a small sign above a long hallway but there were also a whole bunch of sincere ambassadors who said “are you looking for Casa Diego? It is right there and the food is so good”. Fast forward to our departure and the same guys sincerely wanted to know if we enjoyed everything, which we absolutely did.

When we arrived we were supposed to ask for Remix, but ditz that I sometimes am, it got scrambled in my head and I inquired after Felix. Remix teased me about it when I was leaving.

Remix speaks amazing English and when we asked him about it he said that he was originally from Chiapas but he wanted to come to Isla Mujeres to learn more English. (Now his dreams include going to Quebec and the Rocky Mountains in Canada). He also wants to find ways to import Chiapas coffee to more and more restaurants on the island. Lastly, he is an artist, and a good one at that.

His boss, the owner Gerardo told us the story of discovering the amazing little oasis right smack in the centre of Centro. He named the space as a tribute to his late brother.

When he says that he “built the place with his own two hands” he means it as he pointed out the shelving and the jute chandeliers and the fountain in the corner (that he made last weekend). Truly a labour of love and all for his love of Diego who’s mural adorns the wall of the restaurant.

We started with an appetizer of seared tuna in a soya base marinade. The Asian twist on the recipe was unexpected but delicious.

My dinner date chose the Shrimp Medallions from the Mexican section of the menu. The crustaceans had been wrapped in bacon and baked with a grilled cheese adorning the top. The shrimp were perched upon a light tomato cream sauce. It was accompanied by a lovely serving of veggies and rice. He enjoyed it so much, he put half the dish aside to enjoy for lunch today.

I too chose shrimp. Mine was the Shrimp Pasta. The menu described it as white wine and garlic. There were also heaps of diced and sauteed onions in the dish and it was so flavourful! I have a Slavic heritage so I cannot get enough of onion and garlic. The shrimp were plentiful and juicy. The spaghetti in the dish had been cut so that I didn’t make a mess of myself eating it. That was very much appreciated.

At dessert time we were surprised by a delicious banana cake served a la mode, for us to share. Still the greatest surprise was the space itself. I never made it up to the second floor for live music. I will just have to find the casa again.

Kath’s quote: “A surprise can change everything in a heartbeat; cherish those moments.” – Emma Thompson

Love never fails.

Chef Abraham was born on Isla Mujeres. It was his father who walked along side him as he became more and more curious about food: its ingredients and flavours. He studied Culinary Arts in Cancun because he so enjoyed cooking for friends and family. Abraham loved that through food he could share his acquired knowledge and his passion.

He describes his cooking style as vibrant, choosing local flavours but experimenting and mixing different ingredients. He especially loves to combine different cuisines so I suppose fusion would be the most accurate way to describe his style. He credits a variety of instructors and chefs for his confidence in the kitchen. They shared with him how to stay calm under pressure and to develop all facets of kitchen management, not just cooking. They encouraged him to be honest, hard-working and transparent in his workplace.

That workplace is currently his home because professional cooking is very tiring with long working hours. He opened The Reef to give him more flexibility and time with his family. As opposed to leaning to one Mexican province to manifest its food, he is inclined to any style of cooking where seafood is the focus.

But to his food! Abraham typically sets up in your home or rental kitchen and prepares and serves the food for you there. But in this case because the little kitchen in the apartment that we have in Centro is so tiny, I asked if he could prepare something that didn’t have to be cooked from scratch. We had made arrangements to have him deliver it to a neighbouring apartment of a friend who was spending her last evening on the island. But as is often the case, plans change. Instead, we realized that he was just around the corner to where I was tasting new menu items at a friends, so he delivered there. I plated the food later with Peggy and voila, we sat down to eat.

The Charcuterie that he had prepared for us was gorgeous. On special occasions at home, we often have a charcuterie supper to eat in front of the TV for events like the Olympics, the Oscars or the Masters Golf Tournament. This board had a lovely array of salamis as well as olive loaf, a mild sliced cheese, cheese balls, friut, veggies and pitas.

The next evening I made a mini-board to have as a solo Happy Hour with a glass of wine.

My friend Peggy had not tried squid ink pasta before but it happened to be one of my favourites from two fondly remembered Canadian restaurants “Fred’s Not Here” in Toronto and “Pasta la Vista” in Winnipeg. Unfortunately, I didnt have much of an appetite that evening but Peggy enjoyed the salmon and the pasta. Now tonight…that is a different story. I am staying at a palapa right on the beach. I didn’t fancy walking in the dark on a strange road to dine, nor did I want to order in. So boy did I enjoy those left overs!

Squid ink pasta is a striking black & briny Italian pasta. It has a subtle, savoury unami taste. Did someone say unami? My fav! To further enhance the briny flavours, Abraham skillfully prepared a caper with butter and lemon sauce. It was the perfect pairing with the pasta and the salmon filet which also had a lovely seasoning.

I dream of the days when I can have all of my family assemble in a big house on the island, where we can employ a chef like Abraham.

Kath’s guote: “It is the foundation of all sauces. It adds a complexity. Deliciousness. Has Escoffier not told you of this theory of five tastes? A Japanese chemist proved it, and called it ‘umami,’ which means deliciousness.”― N.M. Kelby, White Truffles in Winter

Love never fails.

As the number of people migrate to the middle and south of the island, restaurants that provide all day service increase more and more. Green Verde isn’t one of those restaurants. It has been around for 12 years.

One this morning I was meeting old Isla friends who were leaving the island soon. They live in the vicinity of Green Verde so it seemed a natural meeting spot. They had to cross the street. I on the other hand had walked from Centro so I was a little sweaty with a big thirst. Jan and Bruce have a Sunday morning routine, they clean their apartment and then they often find themselves at Green Verde for breakfast.

They always order the watermelon juice and who am I to break with tradition? Bruce remarked that I must have been thirsty because I knocked the juice back almost immediately.

As we were deciding what to order, three sweet, soft, little buns arrived at the table with butter and jam. It tasted so great that I passed on the jam and just enjoyed the sweet and salty tastes of the buttered bun.

Jan ordered her favourite pancakes, crisp bacon and fruit. She was able to enjoy two of them with butter and syrup. Her plate was cleared away with one perfect pancake going back to the kitchen. I had to bring half of my breakfast home, but do you know how much willpower it took for me to not snatch that lone pancake off her plate?

I asked Bruce to order the motulenos so I could see how they compared to the ones my sister Sue has perfected back home. Covered in red sauce with beans, cheese, turkey ham and fried plantains. They looked absolutely wonderful and Bruce said that they were very good.

I didn’t know what to order so Raphael helped me with the suggestion of Mexican Bread. The overloaded slices of bread were smothered with beans, tomato sauce, manchego cheese, arrachera steak and crowned with a fried egg. I could only eat half but enjoyed the second half for lunch later.

I admire the hard work of Paola and Raphael while raising their daughter Lulu. Today I got to meet Paola’s father. A beautiful family.

Kath’s quote: “A wonderful breakfast creates a sunrise effect on the human body!”-Mehmet Murat Ildan

Love never fails.

The Caribbean Garden restaurant has a hushed and sophisticated tone in contrast to the homey feel of their sister restaurant a block away – Caribbean Brisas.

We are very much taken by the Maldonado family. They are so warm and inviting, it is a pleasure to be in their company. We were immediately introduced to the next generation of family-their son Lizardo who now is the Manager of the restaurant. We had the pleasure of meeting his sister the year previous. His English was remarkable. I asked him where he studied and his answer was Quebec. That took me aback because French is almost entirely spoken in that Canadian province.

We started with gorgeously presented cocktails. The most inventive I have seen on the island!

The Ixhel Fantasy arrived looking like “the Lady in Red” that Chris de Burgh sings about.

The Caribbean Bird was the best martini I have ever tasted! Made with sparkling wine and a splash of passion fruit juice in an ingenious glass.

But the Tholoc on Fire stole the show with the most sensational glassware and interactive fire lighting at the table.

We shared an order of Tuna Toastadas as an appetizer. Three of them, three of us. The mango and the cucumber enhanced the briny taste of the raw fish. The crunch of the toastada and the silky texture of the tuna made for a wonderful contrast when crunched upon.

The three of us are family (but only by marriage) but that little detail doesn’t stop us from enjoying a taste of Tortilla soup with three spoons.  

For our mains we chose Blackened Grouper that was sublime. The freshly caught fish was blackened the exact amount so as not to be overwhelming to the delicate fish. It came perched upon creamy mashed potatoes and topped with sauteed vegetables but there was one subtle detail that I loved the most. Diced black olives were suspended in butter and was the finishing touch to the dish.

Equally delicious was the Fusilli with shrimp and pesto sauce. My pesto at home comes off dense and overpowering. The parmesan, basil and walnuts of this pesto were light and delicate. My husband back home would have loved it. The fusilli attracted the sauce into all its crevices and each bite was a delight.

We were asked if we would care for dessert when we remembered that we still had our three spoons. Our server suggested the cheesecake and we agreed with his choice. Not too sweet and a lovely cream cheese taste. I think the topping was strawberry. It added a nice touch.

Well, I think you might agree that Caribbean Garden is in good hands. The passage from one generation to another is not automatic. Lizardo is a university graduate and his sister is finishing her studies this year. This family does not rest on their laurels. They are constantly learning and improving and it shows!

Kath’s quote: “The best way to predict the future is to create it!” –Peter Drucker

Love never fails.

Imagine owning and operating a restaurant in a place like Isla Mujeres: you source only freshly caught grouper, there are constantly water and power issues, you keep a fully stocked bar so heavy bottles have to be lugged and unloaded, you have trouble finding staff, your peak season is one month long, your rent keeps going up etc. etc. Now imagine doing everything twice because you actually have 2 restaurants a block away from each other. This is the dedication of Karina and Wbeymar Maldonado of Caribbean Brisas and Caribbean Garden.

We were immediately drawn in by the cheerful hot pink and orange table cloths the evening we visited Brisas. Hilary indicated that she had decorated a former bedroom in the same colours!

We enjoyed a Passion Juice, Mojito and Michelada? The latter two being skillfully made.

Enrique was our server. I had already met him at Don Bigotes. Such a nice guy. So earnest and helpful.

We hadn’t yet had fish and chips on the island so that was the first item that caught our eye. Oh my, the fresh grouper in a light and greaseless batter was terrific. The tartar and fries were top notch too.

The shrimp tacos were out of this world with 2 unusual sauces that were the perfect combination.

We were very full once the three of us had shared the first two entres. A pasta dish of shrimp and bacon came out just a bit later. Unfortunately, our appetites had been appeased, and we couldn’t give the dish its rightful due. I had tasted the shrimp and bacon combo already this visit. The red wine sauce was a nice twist and the noodles were perfectly cooked. We were obviously too full for dessert as we didn’t clean our plates off!

So how do you run two restaurants a block apart? With great difficulty, but these 2 give it their all and their guests are the winners.

Kaths’ quote: A dream doesn’t become reality through magic, it takes sweat, determination and hard work. -Colin Powell

Love never fails.