Doña Prudencia

Magnifico Mexican Dishes!

Reviewed by Nancy Snipper
 

Under the huge palapa of Villa Mexicana Hotel, the golden sands of La Ropa’s beautiful beach provide the inspirational setting for one of Zihuatanejo’s most remarkable restaurants: Doña Prudencia. Let the feast begin!  
              

The spacious outdoor tables (seating capacity of 80) are filled with diners eager to taste the dishes of the hotel’s brilliant chef, Francisco Rosco. Here, for the past 13 years, he’s been creating Mexican dishes that dazzle the taste buds. And before this, he left his culinary imprint in several of Mexico City’s finest restaurants. 

Chef Fransicso’s creative culinary talents highlight two prize personal ingredients: passion and joy – not to mention his humour; it’s as notable as Doña Prudencia’s menu. 

“I cook so as not to work. I love what I do, and every day, I find something new to bring to each plate.”

Inventive and utterly daring, his seasonal menu manifests this artistry. Twenty-six terrific offerings immortalize mouthwatering appetizers – including 3 different ceviches, salads, savoury soups, seafood, meat and chicken wonders. And all are brimming with his stylistic penchant for Mexican fusion. The bilingual description for each dish reads like a mini gourmet novella and many are titled with Mexican moniker place names. Take for instance, chicken Atlixco (Puebla) which features chicken breast fillet stuffed with cheese, mushrooms, with poblano sauce. The beef fillet, rib eye steak and his prize tuna offerings are stand-outs.
I started with a perfectly mixed pina colada. I ordered the tortilla soup Malitzin – this is the authentic Pre-Hispanic soup’s name. Its stunning orange colour was totally pleasing. Buttery in taste – yet there was no butter in it – I noted the cheese flavours, avocodo bits, tomato, garlic  and onion with little pieces of tortilla that soaking up the soup’s flavour. Oh my!  It was the finest, most delicate tortilla soup I have ever had. 

Chilies Rellenos was my main dish. It featured three different cheeses (Panela, Oaxaca and Chihuahua) in a slightly spicy tomato sauce. My huge green poblano chili pepper basked like an edible still life painting. Tenderly prepared light and mushy frijoles added further variety to this legendary dish. Yummy indeed!

For dessert, a sinfully dark bitter chocolate cake with little cookies in it typified Francisco Rosco’s trio of signature talents: richness, quality and creativity.

Playa La Ropa, Hotel Mexicana, Zihuatanejo, Mexico

Call: 01 755 554 8472