Dulce Patria — Restaurant in Mexico City

Atmosphere: quiet when we arrived at 7:30 but got busier later (Saturday night). Lots of waiters hanging around together right next to the tables when not serving tables and whispering which makes you feel a bit uncomfortable. Lighting is romantic and low.

Service: when we arrived no one came to our table and it took another 10 minutes just to get drinks menus. No bread offered or any sort of appetiser. Our waiter was noticeably sexist and always deferred to me to make decisions for both of us. He handed me the bill and when I passed it to my girlfriend to pay he then gave her the machine but didn’t speak to her and immediately asked me how much tip to pay. This was extremely awkward considering it was my birthday and she was treating me. Also, my girlfriend told me she mentioned twice during the reservation and the reminder sent that it was my birthday and that she would appreciate anything they could do and they did absolutely nothing. Other than these awkward moments at the beginning and end of the meal, the service was adequate.

Food: Starters - tuna well presented but flavours similar and unexceptional - good. Ceviche - again well presented with food flavours but nothing to remember.

Mains - duck mole is exceptional, complex and deep dish but presentation lacked. They provide a separate dish with the mole and rice but these could have been presented stylishly using a mould for the rice and smears for the mole and then given you extra if necessary. The yellow mole pork dish was sweet and sour but overall lacked a punch. Textures on both mains lacked but the duck mole is delicious.

Desserts - exceptional. Maria Va and the Chcolate Mirror were what we ordered. I won’t ruin the surprise but this is clearly how Martha Ortiz has made her name as they were outstanding in terms of flavour, texture and presentation.

Drinks - the coriander mezcal cocktail is fantastic but we didn’t go near the wine list because it is by far the most expensive selection we have ever seen in 2 years of living in Mexico. It is ridiculous they do not have bottles of wine under 1,200$ MXN. Pujol and Quintonil are superior restaurants and offer a much broader selection.

Price - starters are around 200$, mains around 400$ and desserts around 200$. Cocktails approx 200$. Will set you back approx 2000$ MXN before tip for 2 people.

Overall, I get the feeling they have got used to foreigners coming here and not being aware of the flavours of Mexico and so are impressed with fairly average common Mexican savoury dishes and the restaurant relies heavily on providing exceptional desserts to stand out. We were planning on going to Martha’s ‘Ella Canta’ in London but I don’t we will bother after our...

Extremely disapointing evening. First, they did not have our reservation on file and had to find a table for us. They sat us in a patio where other diners started smoking soon after - nobody told us it was a smoking area or else we would not have taken the table. They did not give us a food menu or water for a long while (despite the tens of waiters dancing around the tables), no bread or little food to munch on while waiting. We finally ordered 2 apetizers, 1 soup, 2 mains. Every single dish took forever to come out. 2 hours in we still did not have our mains. The aprtizers were OK but really tiny. The soup was nothing to write home about especially after waiting that long. The mains took really long. They apologized for the delay and served us a fish ceviche “on the house” but it was really cold, seemed like frozen! Finally the two mains arrived. We did not like them at all. At the end a server came to ask how we liked it, and we figured out that they switched our orders! We asked for the check but they brought us dessert as an appology (the mexican candies, which we did not really enjoy eveb though it was a nice gesture...). Not sure why happened tonight, but all in all, a rather odd...

A magical experience I would say. This review sounds over the top as I read it. I wasn't high, I was just whisked away to the dining experience of my life. I'll try to give you a sense of it.

Warmth, caring, love of food and a touch of whimsy show themselves at every turn. The staff - welcoming, attentive and always with a warm knowing smile; acting as a team to truly pamper you.

The food, prepared with such care and imagination that even the garnishes blew me away. Spice and texture combinations make every dish a memorable culinary adventure. 2 pastel edible flower petals dot a cannelle of almond ice cream, a few chopped toasted almonds on top and alongside and two piped narrow ribbons of sweet sauce colored to match the flowers run the length of the plate in two directions to dazzle your eyes first and then your taste buds.

Each dish had equally delightful surprises. Perfectly cooked cornmeal encrusted salmon with a grilled baby corn peeking out of light green corn husk whose sheaths were curled purely for show, and heavenly ceviche (I could kick myself for not taking picture of it).

This to me was dining...