De aquí de allá y de todos lados.
Now that I´ve had plenty of time to socialize and go to different restaurants to eat with friends and since a friend told me once I should write restaurant reviews here it goes the highlights of this gastronomic trip.
Mikasa: Well it's not exactly a restaurant it's very much like a Farmer's Market experience where you can buy some prepared food and there are a few tables to eat there. Mikasa it's a specialty store of Japanese groceries and prices vary but you can find everything to recreate at home your favourite Japanese dish. The take out food they sell there is of excellent quality and they have from traditional yakimeshi and bento boxes to onigiris, sushi rolls, and sashimi cutted right there at no extra cost if they aren't busy.Prices go from $12.00 for a spring roll to $130.00 for a bento box. My personal favourites are curried rice with chicken $20.00, Ebi Mayo Onigiri $16.00 (very much like a japanese take to sandwich) which is a rice triangle filled with shrimp an mayo covered in a roasted seaweed sheet (this particular dish is easy to take for those who live on the go since it's wrapped in a thin plastic film. No leakages!), and my absolute favourite is the tuna sashimi you can find it as cheap as $30.00 for a decent sized portion. On the weekends they sell Japanese barbecued food that is also cheap and really tasty. San Luis Potosi 170 Roma Norte near Sonora's Metrobus station.
Moshi Moshi: It's a kaiten-sushi restaurant (coloured sushi plates are placed on a rotating conveyor belt. The price of the dish depends on the colour of the plate) there are several locations but here I'll talk about the original one located on Villa de Madrid 22 Roma Norte right in front of the Plaza de las Cibeles. It's a cozy and fun space perfect for a date or to go with fiends. Besides the traditional kitchen with kushiages and yakimeshi the highlight of the restaurant is the sushi bar where they have very interesting options such as the Moori roll which is a roll filled with breaded shrimp, cream cheese, and crab covered in Mango and Avocado $45.00 there are options from $15.00 to $55.00 so just pick the one you find more appealing and you won't be disappointed. The ambiance of the place is inspired in Manga illustrations and I believe some days a week they have a DJ playing.
Non solo pasta: It's a casual Italian restaurant located at the trendy St. Alvaro Obregon at the Parian Passage. The environment is nice and you can find from hippy chic students from Casa Lamm to uptight businessmen and almost anything in between. They have a bar upstairs and I was told that Fridays is the best day to go to the bar. When you arrive you get a basket of fresh bread and butter with different spices. They have a nice wine selection and the place has a bistro feel. They have specials of the day with nothing over a $100.00.The menu goes from calamari fritti (squid breaded and deep fried) to Filetto Roquefort (beef fillet with creamy blue cheese sauce with pecans). And of course they have a wide variety of pastas very well priced between $45.00-$110.00. That day since it was late afternoon I skipped salad and ordered Fusilli Bella Vista pasta with tomato and cream sauce with prawns they also bring you a big dish with Parmesan cheese to add to taste. I also ordered a bottle of San Pellegrino mineral water and my tab was below $150.00 I skipped dessert because the place is half a block away from Caravanserai and couldn't resist to have a nice pot of Ultravioleta $45.00 and a nice slice of pear and almonds tart $45.00 served with fresh cream...
Alvaro Obregon 130 Roma Norte
El Convite: This is one of my favourite places to eat. Gourmet food at Vips prices. The place is actually small and I have a trend to take that guy that catches my eye at the moment to this place. It's perfect for a date or just to go with friends. On Fridays they have jazz nights and they have a wide variety of beers from the world and some of them from Mexican microbreweries don't miss a red Cosaco $45.oo. About the menu they have from grilled chicken to duck magret. They manage a menu that varies on price depending on the main dish. They have a marvelous prawn and avocado risotto $110 if you order a la carte or $120.00 in the menu. It's rich creamy and a very generous portion I usually tend up taking some home. Last time I was there my companion ordered an Alberta salad with lettuce grapefruit and pear slices with a vinaigrette and duck magret with chocolate sauce. I ordered the menu $150.00 with curried spaghetti and tuna with rosemary and lime juice. I need to make a note to myself to order it just sealed next time because I ordered it medium rare and it arrived almost well done. I know it´s a cultural thing people tend to eat things well done. Afterwards we had an espresso and it was a bit disappointing. But still the food it's great the place is cozy and you can even say hi to the chef that might drop by your table to ask if you enjoyed your meal. Ajusco 79 Bis Portales Sur
There are many more places where to catch either a quick bite or a full meal but I think 4 options are enough for this post. I promise to post more options soon. By the way I forgot to mention all prices are in mexican pesos.
