This post will be the first in a series, highlighting the events that I attended with the Scotch Malt Whisky Society, during food and whisky pairing month.  There’s still a few events left in August, so hurry and sign up for them!  Most of the food and whisky pairing events are for both members and non-members alike (probably to reel in and delight those non-members!)  For those sad folks that can’t manage, don’t worry – there are delectable food options in the SMWS Member Rooms at all times, and your SMWS Ambassador will help you make a delicious pairing with their current outturn offerings. 

My attendance at these events were graciously gifted to me by the Scotch Malt Whisky Society, of which I am an affiliate.  That means, should you choose to sign up for a SMWS membership following this post, I will receive a small commission for that referral.  All opinions and delights in this post are my own and are not influenced by the gifted tastings.  Thank you, SMWS as always!

The first food and whisky pairing event I attended was hosted at SMWS Queen Street in Edinburgh.  Executive Head Chef James Freeman created an exquisite 6 course tasting menu, with each course paired with a SMWS whisky to enhance the whisky experience.  Most people I’ve spoken to consider whisky an after-dinner drink, often considering whisky during dinner to be too heavy.  While I wouldn’t suggest it for every night of the week, on certain special occasions, it can be just the thing.

Your typical food and whiskey pairings are charcuterie platters (meats and cheeses go nicely with heavy, rich whiskies) and chocolates or desserts, where the sweet flavors enhance the soft sweetness in the whiskies. But this? One whisky per meal course? Unheard of, and so decadent!

Before I begin on that evening’s frivolities, allow me to express my great thanks to:

• Logan, our delightful host for the evening,
• Our dinner companions, who added light-hearted laughter and color to the dinner;
• And my friend, Jenny, who joined as my plus one.

Without further ado:

The SMWS Food and Whisky Pairing Tasting Menu

The evening started out with some bread to pad the stomach of the many whiskies to come.  The bread, thematically sitting on barley grains, came with two types of butter – tomato and wild garlic and fennel herb.  When it came out, my friend said “I know which butter you’re going for.”  And it’s true.  Tell me something has garlic in it, and I’m all over it!  If a recipe calls for 1 clove, you gotta put in at least 4.  Anyway, I digress.  Don’t get too excited with the delicious bread and butter, because the first course is coming.

1st course: Torched Mackerel & a Highland

Torched Mackerel with purple potato, apple, compressed cucumber, horseradish buttermilk and dill

Contrapuntal Complementarities – 52.39 (Old Pulteney), a Highland whisky – aged 7 years, at 57.9% ABV

According to Logan, the mackerel had a “bitterness to it”, where the sweet and citrus of the whisky helped to balance out that flavor.

2nd course: Tomato & burrata, with a Speyside

Isle of Wight tomato with basil emulsion, burrata, baby courgettes and wild garlic

A bee swarm on holiday – 36.165 (Benrinnes), a Speyside whisky – aged 12 years, 57.7% ABV

Fruity, vanilla, warm with cloves – a perfect pairing with the light, freshness of a tomato basil salad. The tanginess of the tomato brought out the sweet notes of the whisky.

3rd course: Salmon & a 17 year Speyside

Roast fillet of Loch Duart Salmon, lobster and summer vegetable bisque with a lemon and caper relish

Fruits of the Florist – 7.232 (Longmorn), a Speyside whisky – aged 7 years, 59.1% ABV

By unanimous decision, everyone’s favorite whisky of the evening. A little spice, custard and creme brulee. According to logan, when paired with the salmon and capers, “brings out a weirdness in the whisky.” I dunno about “the weirdness”, but it was definitely everyone’s favorite.

4th course: Quail & a smoky Speyside

Roast quail with bargoule mousse, buckwheat emulsion, crispy potato gratin, chanterelle mushrooms and a redcurrant sauce

Pleasing Sweetness, Playful Heat 64.111 (Mannochmore), a Speyside whisky – aged 8 years, 55.5% ABV

To quote one of the dinner guests, “It doesn’t taste as bad as some of the peaty ones I’ve had!” Now, if that’s not a seal of approval, I don’t know what is.

5th course: Strawberries & autumn in the Highlands

Strawberry meringue with roasted strawberry sorbet, elderflower crème fraiche and strawberry salad

When autumn leaves start to fall – Society Cask (Dalmore), a Highland whisky, aged 13 years, 58% ABV

A second fill sherry cask, and then finished in a first fill bourbon cask for 1 year – what can I say? I love a sherry cask, and its sweetness always goes with a delectable dessert. The strawberry-centric dessert was light and refreshing, perfect for a summer evening!

6th course: Decadent chocolate cheesecake & a Highland whisky

Brillat Savarin & caramel chocolate cheesecake with a dark chocolate glaze, served with vanilla ice-cream.

Raisin cane – 55.4 (Loch Lomond -Inchmurrin), a Highland whisky, aged 19 years, 55.4% ABV

I think I was too many whiskies in to appreciate the last pairing. The whisky had wood characteristics (kind of like furniture polish), with a hint of sweetness and cloves. But that dessert!! I’m a chocolate fan, so everything about this spoke to me!

Parting Thoughts on SMWS Food and Whisky Tasting Menu

Coming into this evening, I wasn’t sure how it would pan out. A six course tasting menu – did that mean there were six whiskies too? (Why yes, it does!!) The Scotch Malt Whisky Society obviously delivers on the whisky front. There’s no question about that. But could it deliver on the food front? 100% YES. The quality of the food was phenomenal and absolutely delicious. The plating was stunning, too. As one of the dinner guests said with confidence, “I’ve never had a bad meal here.”

Now, about having one whisky per course… to be fair, you don’t have to do whisky pairings. One of the ladies in our group was not a whisky fan, so she chose to have wine pairings with it. But beware – if we have six whiskies, that means she had six wines!

What I’ve learned so far about food and whisky tastings. I’m not sure the whisky enhances the food. On the contrary though, the food definitely enhances the whisky. Sometimes on a first sip, the whisky can taste sharp – rough around the edges, if you will. By taking a bite of food in between sips of whisky, the whisky smooths out. Some of the more subtle flavors make an appearance and become bolder.

The cost of the dinner was 89£ per person, which doesn’t come cheap for a dinner. However, that was a 6 course meal with 6 whisky pairings. When you add it up like that, the food and whiskey pairings definitely become worth it! Not every night needs to have a decadent meal. But for that special night out, whisky fans, consider having a food and whisky pairing at Scotch Malt Whisky Society! The food I’ve tasted so far is exquisite, and the whisky – well, that goes without saying – phenomenal!

Jokingly, a dinner guest said, “The world could end tomorrow – this could be your last meal.” And while a little on the grim side, the better way to think of that is, carpe diem! Seize the day! Sometimes you just need to treat yourself to something exquisite, and that’s perfectly ok!

Thank you to the Scotch Malt Whisky Society for gifting me this incredible food and whisky pairing for 2! Remember, there’s at least 2 more events I’m writing about from different Member Room locations around the UK. So stay tuned for the rest of food and whisky pairing month from the Scotch Malt Whisky Society!

To learn more about Scotch Malt Whisky Society, check out my other posts:

• the exclusive benefits of SMWS membership
• a society cask tasting at the Glasgow Member Room
• an outdoor tasting adventure on the Three Distilleries Path.

Travelling from London or England? Come up to Edinburgh or Glasgow on an overnight sleeper train from London Euston. Arrive refreshed in the morning and all and ready for a whisky adventure!

Until then, take care, stay safe, and slainte mhath!

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Lannie

Lannie is a perpetual wanderer and loves to share her travel adventures and the food she eats along the way with everyone.  She works during the day while bouncing around the world and dreams about new places and faces at night!  She has a home on the magical Isle of Islay in Scotland, where the whisky flows freely and happily.

Click on the blue icons below to follow her on social media!

lanniesfoodandtravel.com/index.php/about-me/

I think it is pronounced MON-a-HYLE MORE.

This all took place last summer, when I holidayed in Loch Lomond & the Trossachs National Park. If you’re picturing gorgeous blue lochs, luscious green hills, beautifully tusselled hilly coos – you are not wrong!

From where I started in Aberfoyle (the Gateway to Loch Lomond & the Trossachs), it was a a 55 minute drive on winding roads through small hamlets, large hills, and alongside several stunning lochs. Towards the end of the trip, it switched to single track roads. It was so remote and it looked so lush, that I pulled over the side of the road to take a moment and enjoy the scenery. There were zero humans around, so no risks. The above photos were from my drive.

Getting there, I used a combination of Google Maps and the GPS in my rental car. Both were wrong and stopped short of the actual destination. However, I did manage to see some roadside signs on the way that kept me hopeful. Plus, as I said, towards the end, it was just a single lane road. I had faith that if I hadn’t gone past it yet, I would reach it in due time. And I did.

Learn from my mistakes and endeavor to plan better than I do – get a tangible Ordnance Survey map of the Trossachs before setting out!

Monachyle Mhor: Restaurant & Hotel

Monachyle Mhor (Gaelic for the “great narrowing of the wetlands”) is a combination boutique hotel and upscale restaurant created by Scottish chef, Tom Lewis. What makes Monachyle Mhor special, besides it obviously being a pink house, is their commitment to locally sourced and farmed foods. Most meat and vegetables are raised and grown on their farm. When venison and pigeon are on the menu, they’re directly from the grounds, too. Seafood comes from a little farther, up in Scrabster in the Northern Highlands. Whatever isn’t used at the restaurant gets used in pies at Lewis’ Mhor Bread bakery in nearby Callander.

The interior design of Monachyle Mhor is modern, yet classic.

1. Amuse Bouche in the Bar

After arriving, the hostess escorted me to the bar as they prepared my table. Just as I was admiring the lush wood panels in the bar, a tray containing three items appeared before me. My amuse bouche.

From left to right,

• a black pudding bonbon,
• aubergine (eggplant) caviar,
• haddock ceviche.

In hindsight, I wish I sought more clarity on the aubergine caviar to understand exactly what that meant. But in the absence of exact details, let’s just say all three were absolutely delicious – especially the ceviche!

2. Bread and a second Amuse Bouche

The wait staff asked if I made reservations. Since they’re not required, I did not.

Expert tip, if you make reservations, you’ll get seated in a gorgeous conservatory with huge windows (you see the lush windows in the pink photo above). But since their conservatory was full, I was seated in this room. All. By. My. Self. (cue Bridget Jones’ sad rendition of a Celine Dion classic)

Watch this video on YouTube.

Just as Celine’s song finished in my head, and Akon’s Lonely, began, out came some bread and my second amuse bouche. The bread selection comprised of a sourdough and some brown bread. As if homemade bread and butter aren’t the best things ever, add some expertly fried asparagus tempura with pea puree!

3. Starter: Monachyle venison

Monachyle venison, with radish from Comrie. Drizzled in a sauce made from Glengoyne 12 years old single malt scotch whisky, topped with haggis crumbs.

How’s that for a starter?

4. Palate cleanser: Celeriac soup

Just a little celeraic soup with pine nut dressing to cleanse my palate and prepare me for my main course.

5. Main: Tamworth pork

For my main dish, a mouth watering, expertly cooked Tamworth pork from Monachyle Mhor. Served on a bed of kimchi and Arran Victory potatoes, and topped with a sprinkling of black sesames.

Absolutely loved the Asian flair!

6. Dessert: Chocolate pavé

After finishing my main, a separate dessert menu appeared, with choices like:

• Buttermilk panna cotta, Scottish strawberry, lychee sorbet
• Chocolate pavé, hazelnut brittle, coffee gelato
• Frozen cheesecake parfait, raspberry gel, garden rhubarb, oat praline
• Spiced apple frangipane, flapjack, clotted ice cream
• A selection of British Isles farm cheese, homemade oatcakes and chutney

Ok, with the photo and header above, you obviously know what I selected. But reading all the choices, could you blame me? Say chocolate and I’m already at attention. Add the word hazelnut and I obviously wouldn’t choose anything else. Top it off with coffee gelato? This is obviously a dessert made in heaven, and especially for me!

7. Petit fours

To pair with my shot of esprseso, some petit fours:

• gingerbread marshmallow,
• peppermint ganache,
• Scottish tablet (i.e. fudge)

Parting Thoughts on Monachyle Mhor: Tasting Menu

At 65£ (approximately $80 USD), the dinner tasting menu at Monachyle Mhor was such a fantastic treat!

Given the remoteness of the Scottish Highlands and the slight weariness of too much pub food, Monachyle Mhor’s delightful tasting menu was the culinary highlight of my trip!

Don’t make the same mistake as me – make reservations so you can dine in that delightful, sunset basked conservatory!

Monachyle Mhor Restaurant Information

Monachyle Mhor | map
Hotel Bookings
Balquhidder
Lochearnhead
Perthshire, Scotland
FK19 8PQ
Phone: +44 0187 738 4622
Call to make reservations – highly recommended, if you want to sit in the gorgeous conservatory

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Lannie

Lannie is a perpetual wanderer and loves to share her travel adventures and the food she eats along the way with everyone.  She works during the day while bouncing around the world and dreams about new places and faces at night!  She has a home on the magical Isle of Islay in Scotland, where the whisky flows freely and happily.

Click on the blue icons below to follow her on social media!

lanniesfoodandtravel.com/index.php/about-me/

(this post will remain for now as a tribute to Chef Paul and everything he has created. It may be taken down in the future)

This trip to Scotland has made me realize how much I really like Scottish food. There’s amazing Scottish breakfasts, desserts, scones, black pudding, haggis… mmm.. just thinking about it makes me nostalgic and happy. Besides more traditional Scottish fare, Edinburgh is also home to a few high end restaurants that deserve a certain level of fanfare, as well. 21212 is exactly one of those restaurants.

Chef Paul Kitching opened 21212 in May 2009. When I arrived for lunch in May 2019, 21212 was celebrating their 10th anniversary. At that time, they were also one of the few restaurants in Edinburgh with a Michelin star, which they’ve held from 2009 – 2019. The restaurant is located in a gorgeous, Georgian townhouse in Edinburgh’s New Town, with a lush dining room. 21212 is open Wednesday to Saturday.

For lunch, you can choose to have anywhere from a sensible 2-course meal for 28£, to a decadent 5-course meal for 55£. For the regular readers to my blog, it should be no surprise to you what I leaned toward the decadent side – the 4-course meal for 42£. In case you’re wondering where the name 21212 comes from, it is the number of choices per course.

So, without further ado, here is everything I ate at 21212.

Amuse Bouche and Starter: Chips and Bread

The first thing to arrive was a small cup of potato chips. Light, amazingly fried – who could resist? For my British readers, I don’t mean chips (as in fries). I mean chips, as in “crisps”. Oh, the nuances between American and British English!

The introductory bread was made with spinach, red pepper, cheese, baked with fruit and fennel seeds inside. It was both fluffy and dense, and served deliciously warm. I definitely had more than one piece!

1st course: Kidnapped in Scotland

21212 Tasting Menu, course #1

Don’t let the name alarm you, though it is definitely alarming. On the menu, the description for Kidnapped in Scotland said only “Chefs Favourites.” Curious what it is? You certainly can’t tell from the photo. Here’s a little selfie of me during this course, to prove that I was not in fact kidnapped.

The main part of it (big photo) is smoked salmon with haddock haggis, topped with a mushroom parchment, There is also black pudding and mushroom soaked in Madeira. Loved the smoky flavors and the different textures! Absolutely delicious.

The second part (below the duck feet cup) could be eaten with the main, or on its own. Inside the duck feet cup, is a rhubarb, horseradish and caviar compote, paired with a sesame, strawberry pancake. There was another pancake you could choose from, but sesame and strawberry are some of my favorite ice cream flavors, so why not? It was light and crunchy, and went really well with the compote.

2nd course: Rainy allotment soup

Looking back, I am kind of tickled with the names of their courses. The Rainy Allotment Soup? Gotta have it, considering how rainy Scotland really is. This soup was a foamy mushroom puree, with red pepper and cabbage. Foamy soups are kind of a thing now, and I am fully on board with this trend. Plus, not to mention, I absolutely love a mushroom soup!

3rd course: Chicken “Surprise”

As you can see from the photo, there is a lot going on. Besides the menu description in the caption above, there were lots of other bits and bobbles that made up the dish. Somewhere in the photo, there is also a curry honeycomb, the obvious chive across the top, and some kind of beignet. For me, the chicken could have been cooked two seconds longer – the light rosiness in the center does not spark any joy in me. But this course was complex, unique, a little confusing at times, but nonetheless good.

4th (skipped) course: Cheese

If you want to go all in with the lunch menu, it also includes a cheese course. The menu described the cheeses included as “a fine Brexit selection.” See what I mean about interesting names here?

Between the main course and the dessert, they served me a palate cleanser. Sorry to say that I can’t remember what it was, but more importantly, how cute is this cow?

5th course: Yellow Pink White

Of the two dessert choices, of course I had to choose the one that included the word “pink”. Creativity is definitely a strong suit, here at 21212. There aren’t too many desserts, besides a strawberry ice cream, that would actually be pink.

Also, I never would have expected a dessert to include a drink, among other things. The drink was tart, but tasty. The rice ambrosia was similar to a creme brûlée, with carmelized sugar on top. The strawberry thing on top… I expected it to have a crunch. But it was more soft, in a “melts in your mouth” kind of way. The dessert was good, don’t get me wrong, but I think I would have liked soemthing richer – something more chocolatey.

Parting Thoughts on 21212 Edinburgh

Overall, this was a great meal!! Although I selected the 4-course option, the 2 or 3-course options would have been equally as delightful, and more affordable for a lunch. At the time I ate at 21212, they still had one Michelin star. It makes me wonder what happened in the few months after I ate. I ate there in June, and by October, the star they held for 10 years was no more. Regardless of its star status, I would definitely recommend 21212 if you’re looking for a nice meal in Edinburgh. Given the creativity of the courses, the weekly changes in menu, as well as the absolutely gorgeous interior, it makes for a wonderful addition to your Edinburgh trip.

And with that, I will say ciao and happy eating!

If you’re planning to come to Edinburgh, how about considering:

• taking the overnight sleeper train from London and arrive refreshed to start your Scotland tour;
• a visit to Holyrood Palace, the official residence of the monarch in Scotland, and within walking distance of 21212;
• trying more traditional Scottish food on an Edinburgh food tour;
• enjoying incredible art (for free!) at the Scottish National Gallery and National Portrait Gallery.

Restaurant Details for 21212

Paul Kitching’s 21212 | map
Stay at 21212’s Boutique Hotel
Edinburgh New Town
3 Royal Terrace,
Edinburgh EH7 5AB, UK
Phone: +44 0131 523 1030
Open Wednesday – Saturday
Click to make Reservations

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Looking for another incredible tasting menu in Scotland? Check out Three Chimneys on Skye!

Lannie

Lannie is a perpetual wanderer and loves to share her travel adventures and the food she eats along the way with everyone.  She works during the day while bouncing around the world and dreams about new places and faces at night!  She has a home on the magical Isle of Islay in Scotland, where the whisky flows freely and happily.

Click on the blue icons below to follow her on social media!

lanniesfoodandtravel.com/index.php/about-me/

When I was in Oaxaca in April, I visited Olvera’s restaurant, Criollo. Honestly, I wasn’t impressed with it.  However, having a weakness for tacos, and wanting to see what a world class restaurant was like, I made reservations for Pujol’s 1:30 pm taco omakase.  The reservations, made about a month in advance online, required a credit card number for a “guarantee” (in case I cancel..).

Location of Pujol

Pujol is in the Polanco neighborhood of Mexico City, on a side street (Tennyson) off of Masaryk.  It was a nice walk down the shopping street, Masaryk, where LV, Gucci, Ferragamo and Starbucks are.  I walked to Pujol from a morning visit to the Museo Nacional de Antropología, which was a nice 20-30 minute walk away, if you didn’t keep walking in circles like I did that day…  But I digress.

Nestled on an unassuming street, you may not notice the entrance to the restaurant.

Arrival to Pujol Mexico City

Once inside, they seated everyone with the 1:30 pm taco omakase at the bar.  Each course comes paired with a drink.  The price is the same with or without the pairing.  I’m not a big alcoholic beverage drinker, so as the post and the courses continue, you’ll see how my drinks fared.

Also, before I begin, a big shout out and thank you to Mike, the electrician from Houston, who was my taco tasting companion and source of conversation during the meal. 

2022 update: Mike, the electrician from Houston, googled Pujol in Mexico City and found my blog! He emailed to say hello and that he found my post. Got to love the power of the internet!

Without further ado… the Pujol 8-course Taco Omakase.

1. Street Snacks

For local Mexican diners, the baby corn came with the husk intact, and the Mexicans next to me ate the husk. I didn’t realize it was edible! For us foreigners, the husk is peeled back and we only eat the corn.

Before we move on from the street snacks amuse bouche… The little blue corn puff…  For those of you unfamiliar with escamol (the white toppings on the blue puff), it is a Mexican delicacy.  Some people may be squeamish about it, but escamol is the edible larvae and pupae of ants.  Yes, that’s right.  Ant eggs.  Before you say anything… let me just say one word.  DELICIOUS!!!!  Don’t knock it til you try it!

2. Uni, Beans Tetela

Inside the tetela was black beans. Served with a uni (sea urchin) pico de gallo.  The uni pico de gallo was AMAZING, both on the tetela and on its own.  My favorite course!!

For those of you new to my blog, I was particularly pleased at the uni dish being so delicious.  To find out why, see my other post about sea urchins, here.

Drink Check:

New addition: Atolli, Mexican Pale Ale.  Made from corn.  2 courses, 2 drinks.

3. Eggplant Taco, Hoja Santa, Humus, Shisho

I spy a new drink – white wine.

4. Amberjack Taco, Avocado, Seaweed

(served with Mexican sake)

5. Scallop Tostada

(Dressed with lemon, sesame oil, and served with tequila)

Thinly sliced raw scallops lined the crispy tortilla, resulting in a delightfully fresh and crisp tostada.  I’ve never had scallops or a tostada like this!!

More than half way through – let’s keep going on this taco omakase!

6. Seabass Taco al Pastor

7. Softshell Crab Taco, Cucumber, Shiso

I love soft shell crab and shiso peppers!!  And the combination in a taco was amazing!!  So delicious.  Definitely my second favorite course!

Drink Check:

From L to R, drinks for courses 7, 6, 5, 4, and 3.  Water on the very right.  In here there is: tequila, mezcal, sake, rose wine, another beer and white wine.  You can mostly guess which is which. However, since the liquors are all kinda clear colored, I kind of forgot.  You’ll forgive me though.

8. Enmolada, Hoja Santa Tortilla

And now, for Pujol’s famous Mole Madre, aged 1681 days, or almost 5 years!!  The flavor is much richer and tangier than the normal mole.  I’m not a huge fan of mole in general, so this one wasn’t spectacular to me.  It’s definitely unique, I’ll say that!  From the NY Times’ T Magazine,

“Pujol’s mole madre is a contemporary version of [celebratory dishes]. Our own paste is reheated twice a day and is ‘fed’ with new mole whenever we are down to 10 liters. This Solera system gives us a mole that is exponentially more subtle and complex than your average mole. Additionally, since the mole is getting reheated through the months, ‘it has now been alive for more than 400 days’ the recipe adapts to seasonality and the ingredients change accordingly. It might have hazelnut or almond or macadamia or a mix of all three. The same is true for the tomatoes, the fruits, even the chiles.”

Since that review, the mole madre I tried had continued to age another 1,200 some days!

And with that nugget of information, the taco omakase finished on a high note of the legendary aged mole.

Dessert in the Garden

After, we were escorted out to the garden area for dessert.  Enormously tall trees, surrounded by lovely greenery, kept us company during dessert. Delightfully charming outdoor area to enjoy our desserts. However, it was uncovered… and I understand that Mexico City is known for their notorious but reliable 5 -7 pm heavy rain showers (according to locals).

9. Gaznate, Sake Kasu

From L to R: a plum, a cream roll, matcha green tea, and ice cream (i forgot the flavor) with ginger. In the upper right corner is the cloth napkin from our omakase, with a corn kernel pattern on it. They said we could keep it as a memento. Nice touch.

Even though the photo and description above goes L to R, we ate it R to L… They suggested it this way.  Although the plum was good, I was quite disappointed that it was the end.  Especially since I could have had the below pictured cream roll as the last delicious sweet taste in my mouth. But no.  I was good at following instructions.

But just as my disappointment couldn’t be any greater, the wait staff shuffled out one by one. With Beauty and the Beast’s “Be Our Guest” playing in my head, out came the real dessert.  You can see the beginnings of that in the background of my plum photo above.

And now, here is the real dessert.

The thinnest, lightest, most delicious fried churro I’ve ever had!!!  This was definitely the best way to end the taco tasting… if it truly ended with the plum, this review would have gone sour at the end.  But no!  PUJOL’S TACO OMAKASE.  AMAZING TIL THE END.

Parting Thoughts on Pujol’s Taco Omakase

I HIGHLY recommend trying Pujol’s Taco Omakase, if you:

1. want to eat at a world class restaurant
2. like tacos
3. want to try world class tacos
4. don’t mind dropping 2,998 Pesos | $160 USD for 8 tacos and 8 drinks
5. like having 8 different alcoholic beverages in one sitting (or if you don’t drink alcohol, if you like having 8 different non-alcoholic beverages in one sitting… btw, alcohol or not, the cost is still 2,998 Pesos)
6. are not afraid to eat ant larvae/pupae or sea urchins
7. want a souvenir (used by yourself) cloth napkin… (and finally)
8. don’t mind spending 1:30 pm to 4:30 pm eating lunch
9. WANT TO EAT AN AMAZING MEAL!

Restaurant Information

Pujol | map
Tennyson 133, Polanco
11550 Ciudad de México, CDMX, Mexico
Phone: +52 55 5545 4111
Reservations Required 
1:30 pm Taco Omakase 2,300 MXN | $115 USD
Prices, as of 20 April 2021

If using Uber, set the address to “133 Tennyson” (actual address), NOT “Pujol”, which will direct to their old location.

Need some help planning your foodie fun trip to Mexico City?

• Luxury hotel suggestions:
  • Hyatt Regency Polanco and JW Marriott Polanco are both within 10 minutes walking distance to Pujol!
  • Centrally located in the Reforma neighborhood, Hilton Mexico City Reforma and Mexico City Marriott Reforma Hotel are also fantastic options.
• More foodie adventure suggestions:
  • Check out the Must-Try Street Foods in Mexico City from Chef Denise, including all the favorites I had on this trip!
  • Instead of Pujol’s Taco Omakase, how about joining a Taco Crawl with a food critic?
  • Join Candelilla, Mexico City’s hidden supper club;
  • Experience a dinner exploring Mexico’s cuisine, from before and after Spanish colonization.

Please note that some products or referrals in this post are affiliate links (in green) and if you go through them to make a purchase or booking, I will earn a commission. I share these product and booking links because they are related to the post and not because of the commission I receive from your purchases. The decision is yours whether to click through and make a purchase through these links.

Keep Pujol Taco Omakase on your radar for later?

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Lannie

Lannie is a perpetual wanderer and loves to share her travel adventures and the food she eats along the way with everyone.  She works during the day while bouncing around the world and dreams about new places and faces at night!  She has a home on the magical Isle of Islay in Scotland, where the whisky flows freely and happily.

Click on the blue icons below to follow her on social media!

lanniesfoodandtravel.com/index.php/about-me/

The intention was to always spend the whole day at the Blue Lagoon, even though it was January and therefore dead in the middle of winter. But it turned out to be an absolutely delightful experience. And I made a friend – another travel blogger, Barbara, who was also solo traveling in Iceland.

1. Important – Reservations for Blue Lagoon

You need to make reservations for entrance into the Blue Lagoon. Especially if you are going in the summer!! When I arrived (in winter), people were being turned away because it was sold out for the whole day. Book your tickets online here!

Also, there are several bus lines that will take you from the Reykjavik Keflavik Airport or Reykjavik town to the Blue Lagoon. BUT BEWARE – they don’t include entrance tickets to the Blue Lagoon unless you specifically include them.

2. Types of Tickets at the Blue Lagoon

There are three levels of tickets at the Blue Lagoon:

• Comfort – includes entrance fees, Silica mud mask, towel, 1 drink of your choice;
• Premium – all of the above, plus a second mask, slippers, a bathrobe, a reservation at Lava, and a glass of sparking wine at Lava;
• Luxury Spa – from 372 USD per room. I’ll let you look that one up on your own.

In 2018, I paid about $100 USD for the premium package (and an extra add on of an airport transfer). Right now (as of March 2021), Comfort packages are listed at $61 USD, and Premium at $68 USD.

3. Arrival to Blue Lagoon

It was raining that winter morning. Our ticketed arrival time of 8 am meant that we began wading into the lagoon before sunrise, which would happen around 10 am. It’s a pretty amusing experience to have at least 50-100 people in this large geothermal pool, in the complete darkness and rain.

I won’t write too much about the Blue Lagoon, since every other travel blogger will tell you how amazing it was. But here are the things that surprised me about the Blue Lagoon:

• It’s MUCH BIGGER than you imagine, and expansion is ongoing!
• The photo posted above shows the area near the bar…which is why it’s so crowded! Since the Blue Lagoon is actually quite large, you can definitely find areas that are quieter, with less people.
• There are several different areas, including a face mask stand. Silica mud masks are included, and algae mud masks for a fee. There are also steam baths, saunas, in-water massages, and a bar!
• The silica, while great for your skin, is terrible for your hair! Days later, my hair still feels a little rough and a little grimey from the sediment. The Blue Lagoon warns you, especially if you have long hair (which I do), to condition your hair immediately before and after entry into the baths. (I took a break at lunch time and reconditioned my hair and again that night in Akureyri.) In total, I conditioned my hair at least 4 times that day!!! I don’t entirely remember, because I was going on no sleep at that point.

4. Lunch Tasting Menu at Lava

After Babs left, I had lunch reservations at the Blue Lagoon’s famed restaurant, Lava.  I ordered the seafood, 3-course tasting menu, for 7600 ISK or roughly $77 USD.

My reservations were at 11:30. Besides a group that was still filing in, I was the first one seated.  Furthermore, I was the first table to put in an order. (Can you see where this is going?)

Watch this video on YouTube.

Yet, would you believe, that between my first and second course, 5 tables of 2 or more people already received their entrée?  And some tables had even finished and subsequently left?  I tried to complain in a friendly way to the waiter, who promptly brought out my second course, post-complaint. 

When the food finally arrived, I asked why it took so long. The waiter, poor guy, did not have a response, so I asked to speak with a manager about it.  The waiter came back shortly and said that the kitchen brought out the food as soon as it was done.  “Ok… May I still speak with a manager?”

I honestly felt like the manager did not want to speak with me.  When he finally came, he was not apologetic in any way. He said that the kitchen timed it, and 14 minutes elapsed from when I finished my first course to when my main course was brought out.  Other tables did not order the set menu, so their food came out faster.  (That logic does not entirely make sense to me).  

The manager accused me of being in a rush and not taking the time to enjoy the dining experience. I responded that I was in fact not in any hurry at all.  Somewhere in our conversation, he received a phone call, did not excuse himself, and left mid-sentence.

In the meantime, I cancelled my dessert course and was annoyingly finishing my cod.  The manager came back and jumped back into conversation. He says, of course, lunch is free. And that I did not need to cancel my dessert.  He reminded me that he already explained the mechanics of the kitchen. Unfortunately, because I did not accept that explanation, there was nothing more to be done.  And with that, he left.

Don’t get me wrong – the food was really very good. And the portions were generous for a tasting menu size.  I did not expect this level of service for a place so reputable.  In fact, my food tour guide in Akureyri, who is a trained chef, was immediately excited when I told him that I had eaten at Lava.  After I recounted the story to him, he replied, “hmm, something does not sound right about that story…”  AGREED

5. Don’t miss your ride

After lunch, I went back into the lagoon to shake off the annoyance of before.  Without Babs around, it wasn’t as fun as lively as the morning was.  I got out early to shower and condition my hair and wait for my bus to the Reykjavik domestic airport. 

I found my Flybus, off to the side, and the bus driver said we would not leave for another 45 minutes and instructed me to wait in the luggage storage area, where he would pick everyone up.

44 minutes later, and no bus, I walked outside, only to watch the bus fly by.  They don’t call it Flybus for no reason… The bus was there, however, with a larger passenger bus completely blocking it out of view.  At this point, I had no choice but to take a taxi to the airport, because although I had plenty of time, I did not have the time to wait for the next bus.  Another 45 minutes?  Perhaps an hour?

I knew the taxi ride would be annoyingly expensive, and sure enough, it was.  $180 USD for a 45 km ride.  Iceland, you’re killing me.

6. Departing Reykjavik

The Reykjavik domestic airport was a small, quite adorable place.  The boarding area was separate, but the rest of the airport, check in, car rental, café, baggage claim, disembarking area was 5-in-1.

Watch this video on YouTube.

Not only that, but the plane itself was a propeller plane!  I’ve never flown in one!

Surprisingly it was a smooth 35 minute ride, in which I promptly passed out.

Watch this video on YouTube.

And now, onto Akureyri!  Capital of the North.

Parting Thoughts on my day at Blue Lagoon

Despite having issues with my lunch, I genuinely had an amazingly relaxing time at the Blue Lagoon! There’s something so relaxing about wading around in hot water for long periods of time. (At least for me). If that’s not your jam, maybe skip the Blue Lagoon on your Iceland trip.

But for me, having been on horrible flights, and having not slept for days at that point, it was the relaxation and rejuvenation I needed to start a 3 month traveling journey!

For more information and bookings, visit The Blue Lagoon.

Lannie

Lannie is a perpetual wanderer and loves to share her travel adventures and the food she eats along the way with everyone.  She works during the day while bouncing around the world and dreams about new places and faces at night!  She has a home on the magical Isle of Islay in Scotland, where the whisky flows freely and happily.

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