KITCHEN TABLE: MODERN MEXICAN fare with junGle realness
The Cost - $45 per person
The Atmosphere – Tropical rainforest jungle chic. Incredible views of the open kitchen from just about anywhere in the restaurant. Very cool concept and great execution.
After reading about Kitchen Table, I knew I had to go. How could I pass up the opportunity to visit a partially open air restaurant abutting the jungle?
When I got there, I was really impressed with the build out; with trees coming out of the floor and the jungle right behind you, the dining environment is really beautiful and very unique.
The Order - The Play Boy cocktail, Pork Quesadilla (nightly special), KT Sope, Smokey Salad, Catch of the Day and the Pork Belly.
The Great - Raving about a salad is not something I typically do but the salad, comprised of organic arugula, crumbled cheese, grilled beets and veggies and grilled grapefruit, was so good. The sope was not only delicious (the masa they make in house is outstanding) but also beautifully presented with creamy avocado puffs added on top. And then there was the pork belly which was perfectly cooked and served with pickled squash. Truly delicious.
The Good - The Play Boy, a tequila cocktail with lime, cilantro, jalapeño syrup and house made hibiscus soda, gets major points for creativity and quality. The quesadilla was good but the homemade avocado cream it came with was the only thing that made the dish special.
The Okay - The catch of the day was róbalo (sea bass) and was a little bit dry. It did come with a very nice beet tartare though and some nicely grilled vegetables. I expected to like it more than I did.
The Verdict - I enjoyed the meal at Kitchen Table and while none of the food blew me away, the quality of the local ingredients was exceptional and overall the food was very good. From a dining experience perspective, it was my favorite in Tulum and I definitely felt it was a good value.
Kitchen Table
Carr. Tulum-Boca Paila km 6-km 6, Tulum Beach, 77780 Tulum, Q.R., Mexico