One hour outside of Mexico DF is one of the country's most popular tourist attractions; Teotihuacán.
It features in all the brochures, things to do lists, suggested trips and concierge recommendations but with an early 9am visit it's possible to avoid the expected touristic influx and enjoy the place with anticipated calm.
Every friday, thousands of Mexicans flock to a seedy part of town and into L'Arena stadium to see the Luchadors wrestle.
Chinnabar, not to be confused with the China Grill (my mistake) is another place I remember from my previous visit to Mexico DF.
On the corner of a busy road I remember watching car's headlights streaking by through floor to ceiling opaque red walls. However, following a recent renovation, the windows are now clear glass and so the impressive ambiance is marginalized by a fishbowl effect.
Its a trendy place, however, with resident DJ and filled up as the evening progressed with two large bars serving (as expected) a plethora of margaritas/cocktails.
Food is asian/mexican fusion which sounds exciting on the menu but lacked when push came shove. We were convinced by a fun waitress to go for soy and ginger steak and the result was a chewy cut of beef with all the flavor drowned out by a salty soy based sauce.
If the walls are back to red its a great place for a good cocktail, otherwise there are better places around the corner.
Cinnabar
67 Nuevo Leon Condesa
Mexico City,
Telephone: + 55 5286 8456
The Centro de Cultura Casa Lamm is a modernised 1911 Roman mansion. Today it houses a contemporary library, art gallery, exhibition space and restaurant. A mouthful but all balanced within the grounds of this short-lived family home (History books show it to have been a French school for most of the original years).
The restaurant is why we went (honestly - the exhibitions didn't look so great) and is a beautiful extension to the original building. The huge dining area feels to float out over the grassy courtyard and delicate lighting and candles enhance an intimate feel despite the impossibly high ceiling and sheet-glass walls. Here would be a great place to woo a prospective partner.
Menu is half the size of the drinks list: specials are margaritas (surprise!). It's good to see some local dishes on the list although was it necessary to put a box around them for the gringos? I opted for a Tamarind margarita, duck tortillas, and Cuban fish. All tasty enough but not as perfect as the surrounds.
I remembered this place from my last visit 2 years ago and it was just as impressive this time.
Good for a lunch visit on a sunny day.
Casa Lamm
Alvaro Obregon 99
Colonia Roma
06700 México, DF
Tel: +52 (55) 5514-8501
http://www.lamm.com.mx/
This infamous chain of westernized sushi restaurants couldn't be further from my chosen dining experience. However when 10 emails a day arrived in my inbox about a half price offer I, like the rest of Soho, got suckered in and paid them a visit. It's nothing short of everything I expected. A garishly decorated restaurant with authentic chefs rushing to prepare food and feed a hungry restaurant-wide conveyor belt network. Wait staff is typically eastern european but that's okay - once you get pointed towards a seat they're basically redundant until time for the bill. The bar has a selection water taps, recessed tubs of ginger and wasabi and of course, you grab dishes from the conveyor as they circulate. The offer represents the launch of Yo Sushi's new menu, which is infinitely better than my last visit 4 years ago. A grey plate (most expensive - £5) of assorted sashimi was really quite good and the selection of rolls and dishes is not to be sniffed at including soft shell crab, fresh tempura and seared tuna. In all though - I wouldn't go again - apart from an offer like this, but well done for trying. http://www.yosushi.com/
Off the track here, although worthy of mention is this article Six Steps to a smaller carbon footprint on the Scotsman.com. It starts with a well-intentioned guide to reducing the amount of planet earth we use on a daily basis... but is then completely dwarfed by the often scathing comments of a multitude of well spoken Scots, most of whom, like me, resent the horror-movie the media has made of the subject.
Taro offers a simple menu in a simple environment. One third of the restaurant is an open-plan kitchen where from the sushi-counter you can watch a chef-ballet of preparing and cooking. The place is full every day of the week, however service is fast and the wait is never long (good, as the waiting area is on the street).
Taro's special is Teryaki chicken and it is amazing. One order, extra sauce (40p) and rice on the side with gyoza or a couple rolls is enough for two people at lunch. Otherwise there are many different and huge soup-noodle options.
It's authentic, inexpensive and great - my favorite lunchtime restaurant.
Taro Japanese Restaurant
61 Brewer St
W1F 9UN