Last Meal in Paradise

If had to eat your last meal tomorrow, what would it look like? If it looks something like this, would you still be afraid of the afterlife? 

To answer that question, I'd look forward to the first day of mine (afterlife). We started the day at Aquamarina for sit-down breakfast. I decided that since today was my last meal here, I would go all out and eat whatever without any reservations for the calories.

I started with a cup of cappuccino and a cherry cream danish, the combination of which was pure bliss - the bitterness of the coffee complemented the sweetness of the danish wonderfully.

Tulum Juice: Pineapple, Pear and Guava 

Then I got a Tulum juice to imprint the flavors of the tropics into my tastebuds. The drink was freshly squeezed and savory as usual.

Motul Style Eggs

Hubby got the Motul style eggs, sunny side up over fried tortilla, with a side of plantains, sweet peas, ham and fried beans. He also got a side of hash browns on the side. It's hard to believe that normally that's the amount of food and calories I would eat in a day!

Here's a sideview of the Motul style eggs. It wasn't quite cooked the same as the one I'd ordered earlier, because the egg here was a tad on the runny side.  It's also hard to eat this thing because when you bite down everything spills over, throwing out bits and pieces of tortilla chips and beans.

Eggs Benedictine

I went a bit boring on the side and got the eggs Benedictine with hollandaise over english muffin, with a side of cambray potatoes.

Here's another look at my beautiful eggs Benedictine. I really liked how the muffin absorbed the richness of the egg and sauce.

As we left to go, I took one last sweeping view of the beach. I also took a little dip into the ocean to remember the freshness of the waters.

I'd never imagined my experience in Mexico would be like this - I'd always envisioned Mexico as a land of tacos and burritos. But now, Mexico will forever have a place in my heart as my little piece of R&R.

Third Time's the Charm

It's funny how we have so many sayings about numbers in life, like "two's a party, three's a crowd", "sweet sixteen", "sixth sense", and the likes.

But these aren't just a play on words - sometimes, they actually carry predictive meaning.

On our last night at the resort, we decided to have our last dinner at Amber. The first two times, if you recall, ended not-so-spectacularly. So we thought that third time has got to be the charm, and decided to venture again into the unknown space of fine dining.

We decided to sit on the outside terrace this time overlooking the cenote, because I'd noticed that couples outside tend to be louder than the elderly couples inside. Or perhaps it's because of these round balls of decorations that make it more festive.

We noticed a lot of new face that evening. I noticed that the tourist turnover rate at the hotel is about a week. By Friday of every week there tends to be more and more new faces, like our fresh, untanned faces a Friday ago when we'd first arrived there. Sitting beside us was a couple from Montreal who probably have a few drinks too many before coming in. 

Amber's menu pretty much remains consistent throughout the week, with daily specials now and then. They usually put the daily specials at the beginning of the menus so you can see right away what is new and different.

Our waiter was ironically the same waiter who'd served us earlier that day at Ceviche when we grabbed some late-afternoon snacks. He told us that they change shifts in the afternoon, working at multiple locations around the resort. 

By now we'd recognized all the service people's faces, and it was kind of sad to think that we'd leave their warm tutelage soon. 

  

After perusing the drinks menu, we settled and this and this:

 

Yea I know what you're thinking, "Boring!" Trust me, we'd get booze if we could, because the entire drink menu is dedicated to the fine art of well, getting drunk. But we decided to be good-two-shoes and drink "healthier" options instead. I got the guavapple drink and Hubby his usual lemon water. Speaking of lemon water, I like how the waiters come around with a plate of lemons, limes and cucumber to ask you which one you'd like in your drink.

The meal started with some seared tuna croquette, which was dainty yet refreshing. I was worried that the tuna was raw, but when we bit into it (yea I know, I probably should have asked first), it was surprisingly warm. 

Since this was the last dinner here, Hubby told me to go without reservations and order whatever I wanted. I got this red bell pepper cream soup as my appetizer.

Red Bell Pepper Cream Soup

It was pretty creamy, so much so that I couldn't finish it. I had to dip my entire bread in it to dampen the flavor. Hubby chided me for being picky with my food, so I had to shove more of it into my mouth.

Surprisingly, the more spoonfuls I ate, the less heavy it became. I managed to finish all of it, albeit with some help of course.

Hubby on the other hand got the endives salad with grapefruits, which was surprisingly light but flavorful.

For my main, I got the shrimp breaded with coconuts with a side or rice served in a cute dim sum basket with a plantain chip. Not sure why I didn't get this earlier, because not only did it look positively charming, it was delicious as well. Here's a closer look at that dim sum basket of rice-y goodness:

I really couldn't get how they managed to make the shrimp so crispy yet tender. It was the perfect combination in terms of texture and taste. I actually managed to polish off the whole thing.

Hubby got the beef flank sad with chimichurri, beet puree, and grilled eggplant. I'm not sure why he didn't get it earlier either, because this was so flavorful and tender, even though he'd ordered it well-done.

I also liked the pieces of eggplant and carrot on the side, because this time it was actually grilled to an edible state, unlike last time when it was still semi-raw.

We thought we'd go all out with dessert as well. I got the chocolate torino with carmel sauce and vanilla ice cream, while hubby got passion fruit gelee.

While the passionfruit looked positively radiant in its presentation, it was devoid of much flavor, putting it on the bland side. Again, the only "good" part was the fig.

The chocolate torino on the other hand was overwhelmingly sweet, but it worked with a cup of dark Americano. The ice cream? Nothing but divine.

So after that long and filling meal, we lingered around, listening to the laughter and watching the (obese) chef cook up a storm with the guests who were pouring in (it was around 9pm already, but hey they operate on vacation-time there).

You know it funny how we remember things - our memories have a place not only in our minds, but also in our heart. I know I'll remember this meal for a long time to come.

Mexican Fiesta

Being in Mexican, you naturally have a craving for Mexican food. Unfortunately being at a resort, it's hard to get authentic Mexican fare.

Thankfully Aquamarina has alternating nights with differently themed menus. That evening, much to our delight, Mexican.

We started with some shrimp ceviche, which was lovely when paired with the chip. My only complaint was that we could have used more housemade nachos like they serve at authentic Mexican joints.

Mexican Salad with Epazote Vinaigrette

I got the Mexican salad with baked tortilla chips on a bed of lettuce, brown beans, radish, coriander and julienned carrots.  It was a nice combination of veggies and carbs, with the crunchy chips accenting the savory veggies, giving this nutritious plate an extra oomph.

Sprouts Salad with Fruits

Hubby got the sprouts salad with lettuce, papaya, mango and annatto vinaigrette. I liked the fruits in this plate more than anything, because it added a tinge of sweetness to the bitter accents of the sprouts. Here's another look at the tiny little alfalfa sprout:

Hubby, being a stickler for things, actually ventured outside his comfort zone of enchiladas, choosing the "Chile en Nogada", essentially poblano chiles stuffed with pork, beef and fruits, covered with a warm nut sauce.

Chile en Nogada

While I liked the stuffing, the chile carried way too much heat for me. I don't know how hubby managed to finish that thing when your whole mouth is exploding with spiciness (it took me a whole glass of water and another glass of mocktail to recover).



I got the beef ribs with potatoes and onions, drizzled with "mocha salsa" and steamed tortillas. When the waiter set down the plate, I was amazed at the portions. Though I was already stuffed with the appetizer, somehow I found a determination to chow down.

Spiced and Braised Beef Ribs with Steamed Tortillas

My will was short-lived though, as the beef ribs were over-spiced, making it too salty for my liking. I really enjoyed the rice and beans though, since that's my go-to comfort tex-Mex food. 

I ate two tortillas, while hubby helped with me the third. But I still had a lot of ribs left over, and much to our mutual dismay, I didn't end up finishing it.

At the end of the meal, I couldn't believe that we had dessert left over. I had to order some French press to help wash down the heaviness of meal and prepare room for the next course.

For dessert, Hubby and I got the dough fritters with dark chocolate sauce, which were essentially churros and chocolate ice cream. I really liked this pairing because the sweetness of the ice cream complemented the crunchy cocoa of the churros. Only downside was that the ice cream melted way too quickly.

Dough Fritters with Chocolate Ice Cream

We left that evening with our bellies full to the max. I wanted to walk or bike back, but it was dark so we took a cab instead. I must have done 10 laps in the bathroom when we got back because I was so full. Another downside of being too full? You can't fall asleep until 1am, which was the heavy consequence I had to face for being a fatty.

Brunch by the Ocean

One of the best things you can do at the beach is to sit by the lounge chairs, sipping a beverage of your choice, reading or staring into space, and then order food when you feel like it.

At our resort, that practice is common - in fact, so common that no one even bothers to swim anymore. The regular routine for most the guests is to have to breakfast by the ocean, grab a beach chair and lounge around until it's dinnertime. Amazing and awfully fattening, right?

On this lovely day we decided to do the same. Believe it or not, we actually didn't "hit the beach" until our third day here, because neither of us were avid swimmers, so we were too scared of the ocean, especially what happened last time we went to the ocean.

One thing you have to remember here is that everyone, and I mean everyone, requires a tip. It's best if you can exchange a bunch of $1 bills (around 100 of them if you're here for a week), so that you can tip the golf cart driver, the waiters, the concierge, the list goes on and on. Or you can exchange some pesos when you get here, with the best exchange rate being 15 peso:$1 with the locals in town.

Their bill kind of resembles the plastic Canadian bills that won't get damaged even if you put it through the washer.

So we grabbed two lounge chairs, got our magazines ready, and started to bathe under the warm (sometimes overly so) sunlight. I actually really wanted to venture into the waters, and I did try, but there were patches of really rough stones in the water. So I borrowed a life jacket and some duck feet shoes and tried again, except it was really hard to walk in the duck feet shoes. I ended up returning both without swimming at all.

By the time it was lunch we ordered a storm from Ceviche, the tapas restaurant - one because we were hungry and two because we were cheap and didn't want to double tip.

For starters, I got the fruit plate with a drizzle of honey.

 

And some jalapeño cheese bits, which were super delish and hit the spot with the sweet and savory fillings. It's also not as spicy as the name suggests, and you can dip it in the berry sauce it came with.

 

Hubby went all healthy and ordered a strawberry walnut salad, which tasted nutty and crunchy, probably the best salad I've tasted so far.

We went all out with the nachos and guacamole. On our way over, I read in the in-flight magazine that guacamoles have become somewhat of a rarity, even though it is so easy to grow in Mexico, most of the land is owned by the cartels, so it's hard to get irrigation to grow it. Now they're called blood guacs, kind of like the blood diamonds in Africa. I think the guacs at the resort were probably imported from California, because they taste exactly like the Haas kind back home.

To finish I got the lemon pie, which we had before and really liked, especially the crunchy caramel topping.

I ordered an ice coffee, and they over-delivered with a chocolate drizzled frappucino, which I really enjoyed, since you can actually taste the cocao in the chocolate sauce.

Hubby got a mango slushie, which hit the right spot to go with this quick and delish meal.