“We want to be the best hotel restaurant in the world. That’s what we’re pushing for.”
Uttering that statement as he welcomes us into HA Restaurant, Chef Carlos Gaytan sets a very high bar. He then spends the next 3 hours exceeding all expectations.
After all, this isn’t your typical hotel restaurant. Carlos Gaytan is the first Mexican chef ever to receive a Michelin Star (for Mexique in Chicago). And although HA Restaurant is located within Hotel Xcaret in Riviera Maya, Mexico, it is open to all diners with a reservation and is the one restaurant not included in the hotel’s all-inclusive package. It’s a stand-alone culinary masterpiece in a resort area more commonly associated with dinner buffets.
HA means water in the Mayan language and that ever-flowing element is beautifully incorporated into the restaurant’s design. A dining room flanked by a row of fountains on either side opens onto a focal design feature: a swirling water sculpture flowing in and out of a giant, glass cylinder.
A Showcase of Mexican Favorites
First, head to the bar for a consultation with a mixologist. You’ll explain the flavors and spirits you enjoy, and he will create a unique cocktail, specially made for you. Once seated, you’ll experience an elaborate seven-course tasting menu. The menu changes seasonally but what you can always expect is a showcase of modern Mexican favorites, prepared with haute-cuisine techniques.
Highlights from our dinner included the Gazpacho Moreliano, served with foie gras and queso cotija; the Elopozole, a Guerrero regional pozole inspired by Gaytan’s mother’s recipe; and Cerdo Alcaparrado, a pork belly drizzled with a caper and olive sauce. Each course is expertly paired with a Mexican wine (most from the Valle de Guadalupe area).
A Taste of Mexico
Four times a year, Chef Gaytan invites the best Mexican chefs from around the world to join him in a one-night-only dining extravaganza at HA. The most recent “Taste of Mexico” event included dishes from Chef Paco Mendez of Barcelona’s Hoja Santa, Chef Alejandro Ruiz from Casa Oaxaca and Chef Jonatan Gomez from Le Chique, among others. Gaytan’s self-described goal is to showcase the best of what Mexican cuisine is right now.
“I’m really blessed to be Mexican, to be honest,” says Chef Gaytan. “I feel this way because in our culture we have so many ingredients, so many things going on, so many different dishes … It’s amazing. We are putting modern techniques behind dishes we’ve known as kids … techniques we’ve learned from home and techniques we’ve learned from other great chefs. And I believe Mexico has big potential to have the best food on the planet.”
By the time dessert is served, have no doubt you’ll be agreeing with him.
*Reservations are required
HA Restaurant
Hotel Xcaret Mexico
Carretera Chetumal – Puerto Juarez Kilometro 282
77710 Playa del Carmen, Quintana Roo
www.hotelxcaret.com
T. +52 (984) 159 1635