As a guest at Secrets Riviera Cancun, you can dine at any of the restaurants at the Breathless resort next door which is literally just steps away. There is Italian, Mexican, Asian and a Steak House - all pretty typical styles of restaurants you will find at most all inclusives. They are all not open each night and have a rotational schedule. For example, the Italian restaurant was closed last night. We really felt like some pan Asian food so decided to eat at Silk City.
One all-inclusive dining tip I would tell anyone is if you want to avoid a wait and don't have a reservation, show up early, right around opening time for the restaurant. You are much more likely to get a table right away. Especially for a small party. The reason is that so many people will stay at the pool and pool bars until closing time which is normally 5PM or 6PM. And then they have to get back to their room and get ready for dinner. You may feel like you are getting the early bird special, but you also won't have to eat at 10PM.
We showed up at Silk City at 6:10 (they opened at 6PM) and got a table right away. It was breezy outside and there was a table for two that was outside near the entrance. It felt like a great night to eat outside.
So many interesting items to choose from. I started with something I had never heard of called Kushiage. It was listed on the menu as being manchego cheese with a sesame sauce. Sounded very good since I love manchego. What shows up was even better.
These were delicious pieces of fried cheese. I think the menu writers were burying the lead And who doesn't like fried cheese? While it was listed as manchego, the flavor was more like a combination of brie and Velveeta. Really well fried, not greasy and melted throughout. I enjoyed the cheese so much that I didn't even bother with the dipping sauce.
Next up was Baozi. The description sounded a lot like a bao bun - and we were hopeful. Bao buns are a steamed bread that is then is usually stuffed with stewed meat, fresh vegetables and a complimentary sauce. It was better than that.
This was like a bao bun met the best muffaletta sandwich from New Orleans. Flavorful pork with pickles, carrots, cilantro and hoisin sauce. The puffy bun held everything together so well.
And then came the sushi. Let me start by saying that we greatly underestimated how large the rolls would be.
We ordered two tuna rolls and one dragon roll. Both really outstanding in their own way. The tuna roll had good size pieces of tuna wrapped in the nori and then rice. And then was deep fried. The outside was just slightly toasty but not greasy which is a compliment to the chefs technique. There was a hint of sesame oil and some spicy mayo to contrast with the fish.
The Dragon roll was crispy breaded shrimp with cucumber and a tamarind sauce, surrounded by a avocado and then topped with a dollop of mango. So many flavors popped all at once. A well composed sushi roll.
Next was the Thai beef salad. So far through our meal, the attention to detail on flavors has been spot on. And that continued with this dish.
Crisp greens topped with medium rare beef that was seasoned with tamarind and fish sauce that became the salad dressing. Then some more fresh elements of cucumber and tomato finally topped with some cilantro. It was one of those dressings that you might contemplate just putting into a shot glass and drinking. Compliments to the chef since fish sauce is an ingredient that can quickly overpower a dish if used in large amounts. Here it was so we'll balanced.
Next up was a dish I had only heard about, seen on some TV shows but never tried. It is Korean Bibimbap. At its simplest, this could be called deconstructed fried rice. But that would be doing a disservice to the chef who puts the combination of flavors and textures together.
So many things happening. Thin strips of seasoned beef, carrots, broccoli, zucchini, mushrooms, cucumber, nori and a chili sauce. Plus the steamed rice and all topped with a runny fried egg. And the recommended way to eat this is to essentially mix it all together so you can continually have the perfect bite of food. So well composed, thoughtfully seasoned with respect to all the textures.
Each restaurant type has what I consider a comfort food where I use that dish as a way to get a quick sense about the quality and skill of the kitchen staff. If I was in a pub, I would get a cheeseburger since any good pub has to have a great burger. If not, then the rest of their dishes might be questionable. In an Italian restaurant, I would use a Bolognese sauce over pasta. In an Asian restaurant, I use a basic stir fry such as sweet and sour pork.
Since there aren't too many ingredients in these types of dishes, the chefs really need to know what they are doing with each one. If that sauce is overpowering, the dish could be ruined no matter how good the protein is. Based on the quality of every other dish we had to this point I was very certain this dish would also be on point. And it delivered so much flavor!! Tender pork in a sweet and slightly vinegary, gingery sauce. And served with just tender peppers and onions. And such a playful way to serve the sticky rice where you could just take off as much as you wanted. Certainly the best sweet and sour pork I have had anywhere.
Right as we were finishing our meal, it started to rain so we moved to a covered table to finish our cocktails. Tanqueray and Tonic with an orange slice!! Try the orange instead of lime. You will thank me. Adds a new depth if flavor to that gin.
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