A workplace where you can hear birds chirping and see spider monkeys is something special. The dishes that Chef Carlos Bordanave and Sous-Chef Sergio Sanchez serve their guests at the Flora restaurant in the Hotel Boca de Agua in Mexico are just as special as the natural working environment. In conversation with the two restaurateurs, they talk about ice cream with fruit from the garden that their guests never forget, refreshing cocktails with tequila and its high-proof competitor, and mouth-watering tacos.
Describe Flora in three words
Carlos Bordanave: Heritage, passion, freshness
Sergio Sanchez: Harmony, peace, nature
How would you describe what guests are being served on their plates?
CB: It’s a mix of Mexican tradition and fresh product cuisine.
SS: In each dish we capture the work of a team full of passion, dedication, discipline and a lot of love for what we do.
On which plates are the dishes served?
CB: We use Hacha plates from Santiago Padilla, so unique that you cannot find the same one as it’s made in a very traditional way.
Which spice is essential for you in the kitchen?
CB: I started to love achiote, Bixa orellana, it’s a very interesting pigment and also brings lots of flavor. Its red color makes every plate better and also it’s a local ingredient we can find and harvest at Boca de Agua.
SS: Pepper, oregano and star anise, the combination of aromas they provide is incredible.
Which ingredients do you take from the plant world for cooking?
CB: We have a lot of fruits and vegetables around the hotel, the ones we are harvesting now is mamey which is a local fruit we use to make ice cream and our guests never forget about it. We also have bananas, mango. Furthermore, we are seeding cilantro and the very popular habanero chilies for our homemade salsas.
SS: Epazote, basil and cilantro are herbs that cannot be missing in our kitchen. Is there a story you can tell about them? I have a very special relationship with epazote. I got tired of eating it when I was a child, but little by little I realized all the flavor it brings to any dish and today we are best friends.
Tacos, the Mexican street food classic: which filling makes your mouth water?
CB: I really love our cochinita pibil tacos. We cook them in a traditional way, based on one of our staff’s family recipes from Yucatan. We serve it with habanero salsa, pickled onions and tortillas from the comal.
SS: Anything you put inside a tortilla is pure magic. But if I had to choose a filling it would be cochinita pibil.
There must be a drink with tequila on the cocktail menu. Which is your favorite one?
SS: It’s called Poppy, it’s based on tequila, yellow chartreuse, citrus and pineapple, it’s super fresh, aromatic, it became my favorite because of all the experience it gained to create that cocktail.
CB: Actually I prefer mezcal, in this case. We have one cocktail called The Sun. It’s made with cupreata mezcal which gives a smokiness and intensity, also some bell pepper cordial. It tastes so fresh.
How would you describe the ambience at Flora?
CB. It’s a space to forget about time and enjoy the good things in life, where you share memories and write new ones.
SS: The surroundings are very peaceful. We live with nature every day and are able to focus all our attention on our guests in order to offer them an unforgettable experience.
What are your favorite experiences at Flora?
SS: I couldn’t tell you just one, because we have unique experiences every day. It’s really incredible that we can listen to the birds at work, see spider monkeys and live with the wildlife around us.
What do the international guests say about the Mexican cuisine at Flora?
CB: They really love the way we cook everything, we love to bring the true flavors of the traditions from Mexico, from our homemade tortillas for the tacos to our gelatos from exotic fruits harvested at the hotel.
SS: They are amazed by the great variety that our gastronomy has, here we try to take traditional food to another level, we take care of the flavor profiles honoring and respecting the roots of the dishes, recipes and ingredients of the region.
What is your favorite tradition or ritual in Mexico?
CB: I really love Día de Muertos, I love to bake and eat pan de muerto and drink hot chocolate. And also to share it with the ones already left this world, it is so unique.
SS: Without a doubt on the Day of the Dead, I love the idea of being able to honor those who are no longer with us. It is a tradition full of color, respect, love and a lot of gastronomic variety.
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photocredits: Boca de Agua