Crudo, Creative Cuisine Between Japan and Mexico

To sit down at the wooden and marble counter at the restaurant Crudo, diners first have to enter a large old building in the city of Oaxaca in the south of Mexico, inside which the establishment occupies a private room. This small restaurant seats just six people on hand-carved stools, where they wait to discover the surprises that chef Ricardo Arellano has in store. 

In this intimate ambiance, accentuated by the wood-covered walls, the diners are obligated to let themselves go along with the desires of the chef who offers an omakase menu, which can be translated as ‘I leave it to you.’ However, the taste journey is somewhat predetermined: Ricardo Arellano creates dishes that combine Japanese cuisine and recipes handed down from generation to generation within his own family. The chef also seeks to source local products, and Crudo therefore works with fishermen, farmers, and cooperatives from the surrounding areas. 

Spicy grasshoppers and tuna sashimi

This fusion cuisine results in eight dishes for each menu, such as squash ramen with edible flowers, chintextle, spicy grasshoppers paired with tuna sashimi, or pulque ceviche. Pulque is a traditional Mexican alcohol made by fermenting agave and, prior to the Spanish colonisation, was considered by the indigenous people to be the drink of the gods. This nickname is also given to sake, of which Crudo also offers a wide variety to accompany the dishes made by the chef in front of the diners. 

More information about Crudo can be found on the restaurant’s website.