Finally and sadly, Brunyfire’s time is over in Oaxaca…….
……and it’s time to head to Mexico City – with some trepidation it has to be admitted as the thoughts of the last couple of major earthquakes that have hit Mexico prior to departing Tas are still uppermost. Undaunted, and thanks to an episode on Peter Kuruvita’s ‘Mexican Fiesta’ food show on SBS – Brunyfire finds herself in the very red surroundings of Chef Martha Oritz’s restaurant, Dulce Patria.
Ortiz studied the history of gastronomy and has written books on Mexican regional cuisine before opening the first fine dining restaurant, Aguila y Sol, in Mexico City in 2001 to huge critical acclaim. She is also the daughter of famous Mexican artist Martha Chapa.
With an avant-garde interior design that is as colourful and creative as the modern Mexican food she serves, the place exudes femininity – it’s exuberant, idiosyncratic and not that expensive for some great food. Fittingly, there is a strong theme of red that runs through everything, from the menu……
………to the place settings………
……..and of course, to the food.
An appetiser to start of ‘Vampire cebiche with the splendour of mango’ served with the cutest of tortillas, followed by an ‘Arúgula and cabuche salad with Moritz-infused peanut vinaigrette’. A salad of crisp baby rocket leaves with cabuches (cactus flower buds) and a shard of crunchy, brittle embedded with flowers. The salad’s vinaigrette is made with peanuts and a whisper of chile morita. The small morita is a cousin of the chile chipotle and gives just a hint of that chile’s same smoky flavor to the salad dressing.
This then followed by desert – a maize based sweet……..
……….hot chocolate………
…….. accompanied with sweet treats on the house. Ortiz always involves local artisans to create these little master pieces to accompany the sweets.
A fabulous and colourful introduction to this amazing city of constant movement and colour.
DULCE PATRIA
ANATOLE FRANCE 100
Col. Polanco
Mexico D.F. 11560
Telephone: 52(55) 3300 3999
Fax: 52(55) 3300 3955
brunyfire 