During my last night in Merida, I dined at Kuuk. The expectations were set high: everyone in town raves about this being the best restaurant in the city. “A gastronomic experience”, I was told. Having dined in first class establishments around the world, I had been looking forward to dining here. I tried to make reservations for an entire week, however, the restaurant was always booked. I had a difficult time reaching the restaurant via telephone as well. I finally caved and made a reservation on open table the same day.
Upon arriving at the restaurant, my dining partner and I were greeted by a very kind and welcoming hostess. The foyer’s grandeur was reminiscent of old colonial charm. She promptly seated us in a dining room that was far from capacity. The dining room was ill lit and and poorly decorated with what seemed like used office furniture. Our table was wonky and had to be adjusted. The fabric napkins seemed like they had been used for extended periods of time and needed to be replaced.
Upon being seated, we were offered our choice of water. Since they did not have the water I requested, the server brought an alternative without consulting. We opted to start with cocktails. I had a gin cocktail with lemongrass and my companion had a drink especially made upon request. The cocktails were delightful.
We were offered the menu, which consisted of a tasting menu and an a la carte menu. We opted for the a la carte and tried several things. We had originally planned on ordering six dishes. Upon our server’s suggestion, we ordered four dishes. Due to the low price point, we were expecting the portions to be small. We selected the esquites, castacan, fried octopus, and cenote fish.
Bread service was solid: house made sourdough with Chaya butter topped with truffle oil. The first two courses arrived and we were surprised by the generous portion sizes. The esquites came out along with the castacan, accompanied by a trio of salsas to add spice to your liking. The castacan was the highlight of the first round. Traditional Yucatán style pork belly, in a delightful and tart, yet balanced vinaigrette with red onions, cherry tomatoes and dotted with avocado sauce.
At this point, our cocktail glasses were empty. They were taken from our table and we were not offered any more beverages. Our second set of dishes arrived. The cenote fish was plated nicely and finished table-side with a green Chaya based broth. The fish was delicately steamed yet lacked distinctive flavor profiles. It was served simultaneously with the fried octopus. The octopus was deep fried, however, it was perfectly balanced by the vinaigrette it was doused in.
When our server finally decided to grace us with his presence after our meal, he came back to offer dessert. We had been wanting more beverages for a while, however, we decided to forgo due to his surly and condescending attitude the entire evening. For the duration of our meal, we were mostly catered to by the server’s assistants, who were quite gracious. We opted out of dessert for the same reasons.
My takeaway from our dining experience at Kuuk was just that. It was an experience, however, I don’t think I would return or recommend to my acquaintances. I had better service and comparable food at many different establishments around town. I kindly suggest further training the particular staff member who assisted us so they can offer a more memorable overall experience.
