I love food. In fact, I love food so much that I recently did something kind of crazy: I ate over 30 courses in one day at a single restaurant. Yes, that's right, more than 30 courses. How was this possible? During my stay at Oasis Sens in Cancun, I dined at the molecular gastronomy restaurant Benazuza for both breakfast and dinner in the same day, with tasting menus for each meal. The chef at Benazuza, Rafael Zafra, studied under the grandfather of molecular gastronomy, Ferran Adria of El Bulli fame. His influence was in many of the dishes- in things like potato foams, invisible margaritas, and passion fruit pinatas. Who knew that food could be so much fun?
Starting the Day with 9 Courses
Our breakfast started out with a traditional Mexican coffee, cafe de olla. This coffee was steeped with cinnamon and cloves before piloncillo (unrefined sugar) was added. I normally hate sugar in my coffee so I was initially a bit skeptical, but the coffee was not cloying at all, but rather rich, round-bodied, and nicely spiced.
Compared to our dinner experience, the 9-course breakfast that lasted 2 hours was nowhere near as dazzling, but was still delicious and fun. After the coffee and various juices we were presented with a nice spread of different jams, cream cheeses, and butters for spreading on little toasts. My favorites were the strawberry and tequila jam, and the cream cheese with jalapenos.
After a few more courses we got to try my favorite course, a potato foam with beans. The potato foam was so rich and creamy that it tasted like it had butter and cheese in it. The beans were a nice counterpoint to the richness of the foam. By the final course, a selection of baked goods and hot chocolate, we were all pretty stuffed. The hot chocolate was so thick, rich, and dark that I somehow found room for it.
Unique Cocktails and Drinks
Before dinner we began with a series of 5 unique drinks and cocktails. I won't spoil all of the surprises, but one of my favorites was the mezcal foam, which was very smoky and creamy! It was even served with "worms" (really just a crispy snack) that are sometimes in mezcal bottles.
Our dinner started with a series of snacks like a reef with edible sea creatures made out of puffed rice and a "pinata" that was crunchy and tasted like caramel. The waiters struck the pinata with a bat to expose a mound of guacamole inside the pinata!
Our next series of courses were tapas, including baby corn with a vanilla mayonnaise and an imposter that looked like baby corn but was made out of what I think was foie gras. A course of Rice Krispies covered with poblano pepper flakes really brought all of our senses into the dinner as the waiters came around and poured chicken broth on the Rice Krispies and they began to snap, crackle, and pop.
After more than a dozen courses, we were finally ready for the main courses which included modern takes on traditional Mexican food like chicken mole, and inventive food like a "chef's garden." In this garden a layer of breadcrumbs and microgreens on top gave the appearance of grass and earth, and tons of veggies in a cheesy sauce were "underground."
Desserts That Make You Say, "Wow!"
The three dessert courses were perhaps some of the most fun of the whole meal. They started with a "clam" that was really soursop jelly formed into the shape of a clam, followed by a pinata made out of a passion fruit ice cream with fruit and brownies inside, followed by a box of "fruits and vegetables." There were "cherries" filled with a chocolate cherry mousse and "oranges" filled with an orange cream. It was really interesting to eat things when my eyes were telling me I was eating one thing, but my taste buds were telling me I was eating something else!
My dining experience at Benazuza was unlike any other that I've ever had, and it has really made me want to explore this fun, modern take on cuisine even more!
I'd like to thank the Cancun Visitors Bureau for inviting me out to experience Benazuza during our stay in the region, it was an amazing experience I'm never going to forget. As always, all opinions are our own.
