Tag Archives: Riviera Maya

A little Akumal, Mexico eatery called Gynn’Ak

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Hi, I’m back!

I went from Las Vegas, Nevada (stayed at the Cosmopolitan Hotel)

and then to Akumal, Mexico

It was my last spring break ever, so I figured I’d get two great spots in.

I apologize for my absence, but once I get the time back, I’ll be devoting much more time to TFG. I missed you all!

Some things I came back with from SB 2012:

  • a nice sunburn patch on my shin
  • a beautiful seashell Ryan found on the beach for me
  • some sand in my suitcase
  • relaxed muscles due to a beachside massage (thanks Laura!)
  • and finally a more functional left foot. (hallelujah)

I’ve got so many exciting posts for you all, so first we have:

Gynn’AK (pronunced [jean-awk]) <— ha don’t laught at my phonetics

Where: Akumal, Mexico

What: Thai/Mexican cuisine

A quaint little 5ish table restaurant in the heart of Akumal, Mexico rests Gynn’AK, the culinary product of Gynna Sainz. Cousin of Ryan Wolfe (my boyfriend), Gynna has been cooking for a long time and was formally trained at culinary school as well. She started out as a caterer and private chef, but she’s now open for business and is also rated #1 on Trip Adivsor.

She cooks the food, she seats you and her doggies and kitties will happily join you at your feet. It’s a warm place (quite literally) for an ice cold ginger lemonade and her house special: the lion fish. I started off with the hibiscus tea, better known as “Agua de Jamaica” if you want to sound like you know what you’re talking about.

Lion fish have said to have been released from an aquarium somewhere, and they now take over the seas in places like Akumal. Because their spines are poisonous, they dominate most sea life. Gynna and her family took it upon themselves to hunt each and every lion fish down, and she even serves it up at her restaurant.

I was all fished-out, so I went with her coconut curry chicken tacos with a side of the (amazing) Thai slaw. The slaw was the best part–slightly tangy with a crunch.

If you’re lucky, she will serve you the food herself. If you’re luckier, she’ll take a break from her lunch rush to sit and eat a bite herself:

Be sure to stop by if you’re near the Riviera Maya.

Bon appétit,

ThatFoodieGirl

 

Lol Ha, the best food in the Riviera Maya

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Good morning, foodies!

Vegan week is over and I’m kind of sad. Last night I celebrated by eating a chicken sandwich and had some frozen yogurt, but I ended up feeling kind of guilty…weird. I can say that my week of being vegan definitely changed me. I felt lighter, never bloated, clean, healthy and energized. Although it was frustrating at times, for the most part, eating vegan made me realize it is possible. For now I will try to lead a well-balanced food life, switching between meat and meatless, dairy and dairy-less. If I can have a meat substitute or a soup without dairy, I know I will go for those options.

Now I can talk about other foods!

Lol-Ha

What: upscale Mexican and American

Where: Akumal, Mexico (Riviera Maya)

The best food south of Cancun. A 1.5 hour drive from the Cancun airport, rests a beautiful white sand beach town along the Riviera Maya called Akumal. A quaint quiet family town that was originally a coconut farm then a small yacht club, Akumal was founded in 1968 by Pablo Bush Romero, a businessman, diver, archaeologist, writer, historian, hunter, philanthropist, adventurer, you name it. When Romero founded the town, it was a great spot for scuba divers, as “Akumal” means place of the turtle.

Romero, who happens to have been my boyfriend Ryan’s grandfather, passed away when Ryan was still a young boy. An amazing man who seemed to have accomplished almost everything and anything in his lifetime, from discovering a shipwreck right off Akumal bay to going on safaris in Africa to writing several books, he left his legacy as well as the beautiful Akumal for all to enjoy. With it, the Hotel Akumal Caribe was born, which has been under the ownership of Ryan’s parents, Laura and David Wolfe for years and years.

Lol Ha, the main restaurant of the resort, is the most successful and delicious eatery in all of Akumal. Yes, you could call me biased, but I’m proud to say they truly do serve the best dishes. Lol Ha keeps up with the food trends in the U.S. and still stays true to the Mexican classics done right.

Before we start, I’d like to say my photos don’t do the food or drinks justice. I’ve eaten at Lol Ha more times than I could begin to count, and this is one of the first times I tried to take photos of the food. Because of the dim lighting and the night of sharing pizza, I didn’t get to snap photos of some of the dishes I enjoy every time I’m there. So I also took some from the Lol Ha Facebook page.

This is a photo of the original beach bar in 1974. This structure is actually still in place, with several other palapas surrounding it today.

This is the interior of the charming Lol Ha by night. There’s live music several days a week and gorgeous lighting that makes for a romantic setting.

One of my favorite Mexican classics: the queso fundido. A creamy, thicker version than the “queso” you may know of in Texas, this “queso” is thick enough to put in a taco and add chorizo or even seafood. I like it with chorizo, and the richness of the Oaxaca cheese makes for an overwhelmingly delicious appetizer. I’d recommend sharing with at least 2 others, otherwise you won’t have room for the main course.

My go-to dishes at Lol Ha are the tampiquena and the Chilean sea bass. The tampiquena is unlike any other–it’s made with beef tenderloin instead of flank steak. It makes a huge difference. The dish comes with rice, beans, guacamole (only the freshest), tortillas and a little quesadilla with salsa. You can eat the tenderloin alone or you can make tacos with all the fix-ins. I’m not much of a red meat eater anymore, but when I do eat it, I can’t resist the Lol Ha tampiquena.

Their sea bass comes resting on a bed of creamy fettucini with a bit of bacon, cherry tomatoes and arugula. The sea bass is a buttery texture that just melts in your mouth. So delicious, and a great option for a lighter meal.

As simple as it is, Lol Ha does their brownies right. They’re the perfect consistency, not too hard not too soft, and they have melty chocolate chips throughout the brownie. An impressive dessert list, Lol Ha offers everything from bread pudding topped with house made meringue to chocolate lava cake to homemade key lime pie, to everything in between. And unfortunately, it’s all good.

Their homemade key lime pie rocks. Not too tart and sweet, and a homemade crust. Yum.

The impressive chocolate mousse.

Not pictured are their awesome cocktails and an extensive beer list. Bar manager Sam will whip up any cocktail you can dream of and more. My favorites are their mojitos, caipirinhas and the new basil cucumber gin drink. Pick your poison, they’ll make something you’ll love.

So, if you’re ever in the Riviera Maya (i.e. somewhere between Cancun and Tulum) you must stop by Akumal even if it’s just for happy hour and a snack. If you can stay for dinner, even better. The atmosphere is unmatched, and there’s no better place to enjoy dinner than on the beautiful beach of Akumal.

Bon appétit,

ThatFoodieGirl

Riviera Maya Food, beach and back to reality

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Today is a sad day. The day I had to wake up and not hear the waves crashing, and smell the ocean breeze along with my freshly squeezed orange juice, while staring out at the bright blue sky. Today I woke up to pouring rain in Dallas, Texas, only to realize I had a lot of work to catch up on before heading to class. Sad.

But, I do have some exciting things for you foodies and Foodie Girl readers! …after I walk you through a fun lunch we had in Tulum, Mexico.

Be Tulum

What: seafood + traditional Mexican

Where: Tulum

Before reaching the actual restaurant on the beach, we walked on stone steps through the jungle, passing by little tree house like bungalows each with their own private pools, shaded by palm trees. A wonderfully romantic spot, we kept walking, and were greeted by a trendy balcony bar with seaside decor, a nice sized infinity pool overlooking the beach, and a bunch of little wooden tables and chairs. On the actual beach sat big beds with brilliantly colored pillows, a perfect spot to relax and tan on the beach.

Sitting right on the beach for lunch, we got a perfect amount of shade and breeze. Pictured is my boyfriend on the left and our friend Spencer on the right. Only problem with dining in the sand is the uneven surface! Looks like they’re about to tip over!

We all started off with a Corona. Perfection. Then came the food.

I loved the details of this gorgeous boutique hotel. Especially at the table. The little shell shaped wicker basket made for a cute and fun way to display their house made tortilla chips. A little trio of different salsas came with it, including their delicious pico de gallo, which was amped up a bit with fresh lime juice. Mmm.

I had their caprese salad. As you can see, the tomatoes weren’t exactly bright and fresh, but it made for a refreshing beachside lunch. The walnut pesto was really light and delicious, pretty much making the whole dish.

Ryan had their flank steak tacos, filled with bell pepper, onion and a side of guac. He enjoyed them a lot, but there wasn’t anything too special about them.

Tulum is such a quaint little beach town filled with amazing boutique hotels and fun eco friendly restaurants. If you’re ever in the Riviera Maya area, definitely drive south to Tulum. It’s a not-to-be-missed kind of spot.

…and for my announcement:

THAT FOODIE GIRL GOES VEGAN! For a whole week (starting yesterday evening) I will be eating vegan, searching for the best Dallas vegan restaurants and will be letting you know lots of details like products I liked and things I missed the most. Stay tuned!

Bon appétit,

ThatFoodieGirl