Sometimes the Best Table Isn't Just One Table
Sometimes the best table isn't just one table — a progression of seats and eats through leafy Condesa, CDMX.
A progression of seats and eats through leafy Condesa, CDMX
Sometimes the best table isn't just one table.
Sometimes the way I like to eat is a progression of places: a drink in a cozy banquette, a little table on the street, then a seat at the bar watching the chefs work.
A favorite evening in Mexico City unfolded this way.
We started at Hotel San Fernando, with its pretty red-tinged lanterns and little bistro tables outside. Right next door is Koku, and next to that, Plonk. The three practically abut each other, so you don't have to walk far for your next great bite. Although Condesa is such a joy of a neighborhood to stroll around, I never mind a little wandering.
At Koku, we sat outside on the street, surrounded by the wonderfully leafy, almost overgrown streets of Condesa. We had bluefin tuna from the Gulf of Baja, along with a few other things to share.
Then just a few steps later, Plonk.
Plonk has a Michelin Bib Gourmand, and after eating there, I can see why. Chef Flor Camorlinga's cooking moves between Mexican and Asian flavors, and the menu is made for sharing.
We took seats at the bar, which was exactly where I wanted to be. I love watching an open kitchen, and Plonk's is right there in front of you.
We started with the crudités, which sounds like the least exciting thing on earth until you eat these. Such a simple idea: vegetables over a really good sauce. But some were raw, some roasted, and the artichoke hearts were fried. It was the combination of textures and that sauce that made the whole thing so good.
Then the sexy mussels, which really were sexy: confit garlic, a house Mexican gochugaru blend and a great big pile of fresh herbs.
The smoked marlin tamal was smoky and rich, with a morita chile sauce, and the hamachi tiradito was another favorite.
They really know how to do sauces at Plonk. They aren't an afterthought. They are what make the dishes.
And we didn't even get to the shrimp udon with cheddar and gochujang, one of the dishes Michelin calls out.
So, naturally, we're going back.
Hotel San Fernando
Iztaccihuatl 54, Hipódromo, Condesa
A lovely place to start with a drink at Lounge Fernando, especially outside beneath the red-tinged lanterns.
Koku Condesa
Iztaccihuatl 54, Hipódromo, Condesa
Japanese, with tables spilling onto the leafy street.
Plonk
Iztaccihuatl 52, Hipódromo, Condesa
Michelin Bib Gourmand. Reserve ahead, especially for dinner, as this little place can fill up.
A Note on the Tuna
One thing about Mexico City that deserves its own dispatch: Baja bluefin tuna.
If you see it on a menu, order it.
This isn't just any tuna. The Pacific bluefin begins its life around Japan and migrates across the Pacific to the waters off Baja California, where the young fish are raised in enormous offshore ocean pens in the pristine Pacific. They are fed a natural diet of fresh sardines and anchovies, with no antibiotics, hormones or additives, and harvested using the Japanese ikejime method.
The result is extraordinary: deeply marbled, buttery, rich and full of that almost indescribable umami that makes great bluefin so special.
The Baja tuna is so good that I kept noticing it everywhere in Mexico City.
I'll save the rest for a whole dispatch on Baja bluefin.