Playa del Carmen, Mexico
Heading back to the Yucatan I was most looking forward to eating. You can’t get a great tan in five day but you can certainly eat a lot of food.
When we were invited to Blue Diamond’s Ambar fusion restaurant I was a bit disappointed as it meant fewer tacos for me.
But things changed when we arrived and did not receive a menu but a card outlining what we would eat.
I’m one of those people who hates big menus. I prefer restaurants to have a small menu of 5 or 7 things they do really well and I adore restaurants where you have no choice at all.
Tell me what to eat and I will eat it!
Tonight Ambar did this, six courses of their fusion cuisine, and while I’m not entirely sure what makes it fusion I do know it was tasty.
We started with a trio of camembert cheese textures, my favourite was the fried camembert which was like a luxurious cheese stick.
The spinach and caramelized arugula salad with blueberries and merlot vinaigrette was light and fresh. It was small, which I appreciate as I knew 4 more courses would arrive.
Seafood cappuccino: lobster bisque with mussels foam.
The chicken supreme with foie gras veloute and Mexican vanilla infusion and prune marinated in Cognac was lost on me but it was only a personal perference. I simply don’t order chicken when I go out so unless it’s an amazing barbecue I rarely enjoy chicken in a restaurant.
The lamb chop with provencal crust with a side of carrot, pea and potatoe purees really stole the show at dinner.
I’m finicky about lamb and rarely order it for fear it will be dry but this was cooked medium-rare and so delicious.
I was completely surprised and sorry for my dining partners who were too full and declined the lamb.
I’m not much of a dessert person but I like Ambar’s twist as they were all inspired by classic paintings, we had Picasso’s Guernica cacao seed biscuit, cacao sauce, liquid chocolate and raspberry sorbet.
And despite eating all 6 courses, I could still really go for a taco…
Disclosure: I visited Mexico with the assistance of the Mexico Tourism Board, but they did not request or require positive reviews and all opinions are my own.
These are amazing photos! Wow…but eating a taco after that meal, that i’d have to see.
wow that dessert looks amazing. And I love the photos too.
Wow! These dishes all look amazing!
I have so much trouble deciding when there are huge menus. A handful of small plates is the best way to go.
Wow, the lamb looks delish!
Definitely my favourite
Every single dish there looks amazing! It’s making me so hungry. Arghhh!!! 🙂
Looks like a great meal! I’ve only done that kind of thing once…I was in London and went to an Indian restaurant where my uncle told the waiter to bring out the chef’s favorite for everyone. It was about a 6-course meal of who-knows-what. Not going to lie, I was scared (plus it was my first ever Indian food) …but it was very good!
I would LOVE to do that. Honestly I would rather eat the chef’s favourite then letting me choose blindly. I also really like servers who will tell you something isn’t good if you try to order it.
Yum! All of those pictures make it look AMAZING.
Yummy! These look great….Although I need to admit that I like the spicy Mexican food, as well 🙂
Yeah me too, I promise spicy food to come.
How was the Seafood cappuccino? It sounds really good…
It was like a chowder, and maybe sounds more appetizing that way? But I’m picky about my seafood and I quite liked it.
That all looks and sounds delicious!
The food and your photos look amazing. It sounds like an awesome meal.
The lamb looks amazing, although I’m not too sure about the purees it comes with. I don’t like my veggies to remind me of baby food.
Haha, the purees were good although I can understand how the green one may seem a bit odd.
Wow, looks amazing but a bit too high-brow for me. Give me street food any day!
I like a balance of both. I adore street food but I like to see how chefs are pushing cuisine. Don’t worry street food to come!
I’m such a huge fan of Mexican food! YUM!!!
It is one of my top three as well.
Damn, I guess less is more! I would probably have to hit the 4 peso taco stand outside afterwards…
Haha 4 peso stands don’t exist, at least not in Playa del Carmen.
Seafood cappuccino!! All these courses look amazing. Not what I would expect to eat in Mexico. This is why you need to explore the “real” Mexico – not just the resort.
Wow, how did I miss this place? Love the photos and all sounds delicious.
Though the seafood cappuccino? Looks a bit strange for my liking.
It’s new! Just opened for a month or so. I think the cappuccino would seem less exotic if they called it chowder.
Wow! Those photos look mouth-watering good!! Did you use a flash? Lol 😉
I love me a good restaurant review with pretty photos. I’m not a chocolate person, but the dessert looks divine. — Michelle
I am sooo hungry now! Gracias a dios the level of fine dining has definitely kick up several notches in the last decade. Living here and dining out at 40% less costs than the US we get to try the best restaurants wherever we travel in Mexico. We’re in Guadalajara and so of course I know several in our city that are simply fantastic. We can go out for a wonderful dinner and a bottle of wine for 800-1000 pesos which is approximately $50 to $70 USD. I would spend double that 10 years ago in Denver. I hope one day you’ll come visit us in GDL and write about your experience. We have dozens of great restaurants within walking distance. Saludos!