Among the variety of restaurant formats available, small and intimate restaurants most catch my attention. Those that only have one bar where guests can interact with the chef, see what is being prepared and ask questions. Restaurants where you share the experience with around 15 other people, where chefs seek to offer a more exclusive and customized experience, without the need to be elegant. I have recently noticed this concept has become fashionable among Mexico City residents, especially in the area of Polanco.
These sites are ideal for epicureans who truly enjoy a high cuisine experience, you’ll obviously see them taking thousands of photos to flaunt on social media! If you want to celebrate a special occasion, such as an anniversary, or to go out on a date night with your partner without feeling tacky, here are three bar restaurant options in Polanco.
Don’t screw up, make reservations or arrive early to avoid waiting too long to be seated.
Sushi Iwashi
These bar restaurants are very popular in Asia, especially in Japan. Some of you might have watched the famous documentary Jiro Dreams of Sushi on Netflix about one of the most famous establishments in Tokyo.
For those unable to travel to those Eastern lands, I recommend you visit Sushi Iwashi. From the creators of renowned Rokai, having arrived in Polanco is Sushi Iwashi, a small space where you can try the best nigiris in the city, raw fish on a ball of white steamed rice, a taste of heaven that melts in your mouth.
Upon entering this restaurant, you’ll feel as if you were at the bar of any place in Tokyo. As you order the nigiris, the chef prepares and places them on a black board i front of you. Remember not to submerge the piece in soy sauce, and eat it as quick as possible, you will notice the freshness of the fish upon the first bite.
We suggest starting with a sake, followed by miso soup, then order the chu-toro (fatty part of the tuna) salmon, tai (red snapper), suzuki (sea bass), ebi (shrimp) and tamago (egg). Finish with the traditional green tea.
We can’t say prices at Sushi Iwashi are affordable, but the total cost is less than at other restaurants owned by the same company.
Goldsmith 44, Polanco Tel: 58010298
Asai Kaiseki Cuisine
Chef Asai Yasuo, who was the executive chef at Yoshimi in the Hyatt, opened this establishment a couple of months ago on the first floor of Emilio Castelar 149, within the same building as The Comrade. A hidden and very private space, if you manage to find that wooden sliding door, you’ll be greeted by a delightful surprise.
As stated by its name, Kaiseki refers to the Japanese style for serving food. This is a set menu of a variety of courses, using seasonal ingredients of the highest quality. It is important to note that this is not a place where to eat sushi, rather, other Japanese traditional dishes. Here you get to choose between two options, 10 or 12 courses. Whichever you choose, you’ll notice the chef incorporates a few Mexican ingredients into his dishes, such as avocado, mole and nopal, thus creating unique combinations. I got to enjoy the following during my visit:
Appetizer: seared salmon with artichoke, bamboo shoot, chopped nopal and trout roe
Variety appetizer: seared rib eye with yuzukosho sauce, marinated watercress, mackerel with chamoy, omelette, potato pasta, shrimp
Soup: Chione clam ball, bamboo shoot, wakame seaweed, huazontle
Sashimi of the Day
Steamed: steamed red snapper and seasonal vegetables with ponzu sauce and sesame seeds
Fried: rolled asparagus with breaded pork and red miso and mole sauce
Rice: with corn and red quinoa
Dessert 1: berry gelatin with plum liquor
Dessert 2: guava puree with mochi and red bean paste.
I should mention Asai Kaiseki is expensive, but the experience is certainly worthwhile.
Emilio Castelar 149, Polanco (la entrada es por Lafontaine) Tel: 50872432
Nom
Nom, a name without a name, an open secret, is a haute-cuisine bar that recently opened its doors at the Marché Dumas alley on Alejandro Dumas. This speakeasy can simultaneously seat 16 guests, who are lucky to see the creativity and preparation of the dishes they serve. Chef Alejandro Daboub, a graduate from Les Roches Marbella, spent many years in that part of the world creating gastronomic concepts at a variety of restaurants before returning to Mexico City to open this interesting concept. At this new place they serve you an omakase menu, in reference to the traditional Japanese restaurants where guests sit at the bar and the chef decides what to serve them. In this case, it’s the same concept without being Japanese. They use seasonal ingredients with an emphasis on fish and seafood. For lunch they offer a 4-5 course meal, while the experience consists of no less than 9-11 courses for dinner, with a wine pairing option.
We tried the following during our visit:
Razor oysters with a shot of mojito
Lion’s claw scallops and hamachi with yuzu vinaigrette, cucumber and cilantro sprouts
Avocado cannelloni stuffed with Vietnamese octopus
Lobster aguachile
Wagyu steak tartare with caviar
Squared wagyu with a marrow, mushrooms and red wine sauce
Foie gras and black truffle waffle with organic honey
Deconstructed key lime pie with taro ice cream.
Even though the menu changes every day, given that nothing is refrigerated, their two signature dishes are the foie gras and black truffle waffle with organic honey and the wagyu steak tartare with caviar. Because of this and much more we guarantee you’ll love this place and will want to return!
Alejandro Dumas 125 Tel: 84343888
