Yeoooo happy monday!
I’ve been back for almost a week now and I still have so many thoughts on CDMX and recommendations. I am hoping to carve out enough time to just start blasting out more simplified posts of my favorite cafes, bars, vintage shops, and other things in the next couple of weeks and fully close out posts about CDMX.
For today’s newsletter, I wanted to specifically highlight two restaurants run by amazing chefs and restauranteurs that I am grateful to know along with a quick trip to one of the largest markets in the world, just south of CDMX.
Makan ($$)
This Singaporean restaurant in Roma Norte was easily one of my favorite restaurants. Sure, after dozens of meals that revolve around tortillas, salsas, and grilled meats… my very Asian-leaning palette was craving something different. Makan satisfied that craving plus so much more. Maryann and Mario are the chef duo behind this restaurant and they are an incredible couple. Both with stacked resumes from Gaggan in Bangkok to Maximo Bistrot in CDMX.
Maryann is a chef from Singapore and Mario is a chef from CDMX who both met while working in some of the best restaurants in Bangkok. After working together at Gaggan’s restaurants, they fell in love and decided to go back to CDMX together. Maryann is a true badass. Having never visited CDMX before, she just packed her bags, trusted Mario, and took a leap of faith. Now seemingly thriving in CDMX, speaking Spanish, and cooking badass food with her partner. After opening Makan during the height of the pandemic, they created a space that makes any cook like myself very jealous and happy to know that spots like theirs are doing well.
The food is delicious. Really delicious. Makan is my favorite kind of restaurant. Unassuming, no-frills, beautiful ingredients, simple yet elegant plate ups, deeply complex in flavor, great wines, and fun vibes. The menu has many mainstays but changes along with the seasons. I love going to restaurants like Makan to see how Asian food can be made well using Mexican ingredients.
A few of us split a series of dishes. A white fish laarb served with shrimp chips. Seasoned with a perfect balance of acid from citrus and umami from fish sauce. Herbaceous, bright, and a perfect starter.
Then we had dumplings alongside a charred cabbage dish. Both were served in soy-based broths but with variations and both were crazy delicious. The dumplings were exactly how they should be - thin skins, plum interiors, and the broth was subtle and light. The cabbage was braised in a sweeter and stronger soy broth and topped with fried garlic chips… if I had a bowl of rice… I could have scarfed it down a couple of these plates easily by myself.
We also had their lahksa which is what everyone raves about. Noodles were perfectly cooked and sitting in a rich coconut broth that I am assuming was cooked with a fumet (fish stock) and tamarind to give it the needed tartness. They split up two portions into four for our group and looking back I could have finished a massive bowl by myself.
We finished the meal with a berry pavlova and ice cream. Killer. Who doesn’t like fresh pavlova and a side of ice cream on a warm summer night? All these dishes were shared with our friends from Dooriban alongside a couple of bottles of wine (which btw they have a great selection) - a perfect dinner. Make sure to go to Makan when you’re in CDMX.
Dooriban
Later in the week a few of us hit our friends’ Korean restaurant in Roma Norte. This was the restaurant that was gracious enough to open up their space and host my friend and I to do a popup. When we decided to back out (explained in a previous post) they decided to still throw a collab dinner with their head chef’s partner who was also a chef that was planning to open a restaurant soon along with a guest sommelier that was there for the weekend as well.
I love this squad and their story. Our friends Jinhee and Seoju are two Korean Mexican sisters who were born and raised in CDMX. Their parents immigrated from Korea so that their dad could coach the Olympic Mexico Taekwondo team back in the 80s. Jinhee and Seoju’s mom, Mama Park, decided to start doing pop-ups around banchan and kimchi in CDMX and from there two of their close friends Fernanda and Sofia (who are from Mexico but met at a hospitality school in Lausanne, Switzerland) jumped in and long story short, Dooriban was born.
I love their story. Personally, I have a deep interest in the unique experiences of the Korean diaspora around the world. I love meeting and hearing stories of Korean immigrants and how/why they ended up where they did. Korean Americans, Korean Mexicans, Koreans in Germany, the UK, China, Argentina, Brazil, etc. Getting to hear Jinhee and Seoju’s dad talk about why he chose to start their family in CDMX over any other city, the confusion he faced when other Koreans had hesitations about going to Mexico, why he wanted to make sure his daughters went to a Mexican school instead of an international school, and their overall family history was fascinating. Not to mention how cool it was to see a man that looks like my own dad stumble through Korean, Spanish, and English to explain his thoughts - “모지… como… what is that called?…”
Dooriban is an extension of their story. A family who is just as Mexican as they are Korean who wanted to share their culture in the way that they know it, very Korean but equally Mexican. Their menu, their space, their crew, and their menu reflect all of that.
I’ll be completely honest, when we all went to Dooriban I was in the trenches, fighting for my life. I had some serious food poisoning the night before and I didn’t have it in me to bow out of the dinner reservation because I really wanted to not only support the homies but also try their food. But… I was struggling. but aside from the stomach cramps and overall discomfort from Montezuma’s revenge we had a great time. Like Makan, experiencing Korean food through the Mexican lens was a great experience. Mama Park is the brains behind the food and helps serve a variety of traditional Korean dishes like Yukhoe (Korean beef tartare), Bibimbap, Yugaejang (Spicy beef soup with glass noodles), etc.
We asked Sofia to just send us over whatever the kitchen wanted to and that we’d be happy to eat it all, and she did not hold back. We had grilled corn covered in gochugaru, both kinds of their Korean fried chicken, shrimp toast with a gochujjang sauce with salmon roe, an octopus salad, grilled hamachi collars, and finished with a magkolli bread dessert, all with a bottle of really tasty Mexican wine.
I really do wish I had more photos of this night but… again… my head was, unfortunately, more focused on my stomach pain than anything else that night. Sure, if you’re in CDMX for a short trip Korean food may not be something you’re wanting to prioritize. But if you do want a solid take on Korean Mexican food (as one understandably does) or to just hit a good spot run by even better people, hit Dooriban and tell the boss ladies hello for me. It’s in the heart of Roma Norte so make sure to at least go for a few drinks and some bites to enjoy their space and company.
After meeting Maryann and Mario at Makan they told us about a massive market about 30-40 minutes south of the city that they hit regularly to source ingredients for their restaurant and of course I was very interested in tagging along on their next trip. Luckily, they wanted to go while I was still in town so I got to check out this place with them before the break of dawn. And without exaggeration… this was the biggest market I have ever seen in my entire life. Imagine 20+ Costco warehouses, packed to the brim with produce and Mexican goods that chefs, restauranteurs, and home cooks alike can all shop at.
More on experience and a banging spot to eat when you’re out there below.