RESTAURANT REVIEW |
Tikul Pacific Cusine - New Taste in Perfect Balance
By Jesus de Avila - September, 2007.
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 As we approached the restaurant, we discovered the terrace by the Marina Vallarta boardwalk, and somehow got the feeling our dinner experience there would be a very special one. There is not another restaurant offering such a well designed space as this one, with a view of the docks to be enjoyed along with a succulent dinner.
We were assigned a table indoors, in the air conditioned section, with a view of the marina, and we noticed the spaciousness of the contemporary style restaurant, as well as the refined environment.
After ordering refreshing cocktails prepared with seasonal fruits, we read the menu, which offers about 25 dishes to choose from, none of which, by the way, had I ever found in another menu, in any of the restaurants I have visited in over 26 years of living in this paradise called Puerto Vallarta. We decided to put ourselves in the hands of the chef, and started an extreme adventure in which our taste buds discovered new and impressive sensations.
We were first served a tasting platter of “Smoked salmon a la nicoise, chilled green beans, mixed greens, quail egg, champagne olive vinaigrette”. It allowed discovering a fresh flavor where salmon prevailed beyond the subtle impression of the vinaigrette. Then the “Pan seared short rib pot sticker, carrot reduction, spicy tempranillo, toasted almonds” came to the table. It was out of this world. I’m still trying to figure out how to accurately describe the exquisite style the chef projects through this new creation, where the sparks of spicy tempranillo with which the ribs were spread, result in perfect balance.
 Montserrat and I were beginning to speculate about the possible origins of these recipes, imagining that the most notable influence could be Hawaii and Asia, when we were presented a “Composed salad of arúgula, avocado, roasted soft shell crab, queso fresco, marinated cherry tomatoes”, which turned out to be an exciting delight. In this recipe, the chef attained the exact combination of ingredients, making the flavor of crab remain subtly towards the end of every mouthful.
By this time we were already in awe. But there were more surprises in store for us. “Curry glazed corn chowder, cold poached mussels, sunflower sprouts” gave us the opportunity to get acquainted with a very smooth, addictive sour flavor of the corn curry, which I would have never imagined existed. I resolved we would have to meet the chef before we left.
 Chef José Guerrero was born in Chicago and has been living among us for the past five months. While we chatted with him recognizing his having created “a perfectly balanced new flavor”, he admitted that he has been greatly influenced by the cuisine of the United States, Hong Kong and Singapore. Which in turn form the roots of “Pacific Cuisine”, a concept through which cultures expand. His passion, he told us, is going deep into the properties of each of the ingredients he uses to discover and experiment on the wide array of flavors these, either alone or combined, can offer.
The following dish was “Seared rack of lamb, goat cheese potato cakes, garlic spinach, spiced brioche crumble, beet emulsion”, which confirmed the fact that the kitchen is doing a great job in exalting the flavors of each of the ingredients used in their recipes.
Once more my will power was broken and we completed our dinner experience indulging in a “Roasted Butterscotch Pineapple caramel & vainilla bean marshmallow & macadamia nut crunch ice cream”; and the strong, succulent flavor of “Flourless Chocolate Cake berries, duo of white and dark chocolate ice cream, valrhona paint”, which captivated us like no other dessert ever did before.
 In this restaurant extreme care is given to every detail, emphasis given to an interesting wine selection as well as to the warm and impeccable service rendered by all those who collaborate on it. When everything seemed to have been written regarding international cuisine styles, Alberto Pérez once again stands out offering a hard to match, original new gourmet approach at Tikul Pacific Cuisine.
Tikul Pacific Cusine is located on Marina Vallarta’s boardwalk, open daily from 5 to 11:30pm. Reservations at 209-2010
This time I left recognizing that I had found a new form of culinary creativity, to be enjoyed in a sophisticated environment, one that with the added excellent service led us to enjoy an unforgettable experience.
Visite el SitiowebPacific Cuisine
Jesus de Avila
E-mail: editor@pvmirror.com
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