The last 2 months have involved some intense eating, with more than 20 tasting menus. This has been intense even for me. It also means that a restaurant needs to stand out for me to truly remember it. This is getting harder and harder as restaurants have started to look more and more alike in recent years.
Arca is an exception.
It is located in Tulum, on the Riviera Maya in Mexico. The restaurant is completely out in the open, between the palm trees, and the only light comes from the candles on your table and the roaring fire from the kitchen. So yes, already when you enter, it stands out.
Jose Luis used to work at Noma and was an integral part of Noma Mexico. When that was over, he realised that he missed the Mexican products and flavours. This led him to open Arca. Five years ago, when I first visited, it was à la carte only, but now they also have a tasting menu. With an award-winning bar programme, it is safe to say that Arca is a very versatile place. The bar is also an integral part of the pairing, which consists almost exclusively of cocktails.
The menu starts with the classic round of smaller, bite-sized snacks. Because of the limited lighting, I made a conscious choice to dine early while there was still sunlight, as the presentations are stunning and it would be a shame not to fully enjoy them.
The first two snacks were served at the same time and complemented each other well. The first was an aguachile with both classic ingredients and more unconventional ones, such as lacto-fermented tomatillo. Already here, Jose Luis showed some of the techniques he learned at Noma, pairing them with classic Mexican flavours to create something distinctly his own. Alongside it was a more potent mandarin kimchi with sea snails. Both were impressive in terms of flavour and presentation, with dry ice adding a little theatricality.
An innocent-looking trout tostada was paired with a beautiful tostada with a terrine of octopus. Its own ink gave incredible contrast to the white centre. Both snacks were small explosions of flavour, carefully built through different techniques and a surprising number of ingredients.
So far, every dish had been eaten with my hands, which I love. You get your fingers dirty from the sauce, and licking them clean feels childish and very informal, but I wouldn’t have it any other way. It is also fitting for Arca, where the clientele is a mix of serious foodies, groups of friends starting a night out and people simply looking for a cool, casual atmosphere while still getting Michelin-level food.
I never heard about soft-shell crab until 9 years ago, when I ate at Noma Mexico. Yes, it is almost self-explanatory: its shell is soft, which allows you to eat the whole thing. This makes it perfect for tacos. At Arca, it was encapsulated in incredibly crispy and fluffy tempura. Paired with fragrant hoja santa, it was a refreshing break between the richer and more intense dishes.
At this point, I was curious and took a small tour of the kitchen to see my next dish being prepared. A massive prawn was cooked in a pan over what looked like 1-metre-high flames. This naturally created an intense heat, allowing for fast cooking that preserved the natural sweetness of the shrimp.
It was one of my favourite dishes, largely because of the sauce. Again, it had been created through a series of extensive preparations, resulting in massive depth of flavour to match the sweet prawn. To scoop up the sauce, I had two options: use the head of the prawn or, in my case, take the crispy and sweet Indian bread with coconut. The bread was light and flaky, yet perfectly crisp on the outside. Pairing it with an Indian bread rather than a classic tortilla once again showed Jose Luis’s inspiration and worldview.
Two crispy bites followed before the last savoury dish, both empanada-like. The first was wild boar with a reduction of black beans, once again showing great depth of flavour. The last was wagyu, an ingredient I would see at almost every fine-dining restaurant I visited in Mexico. Despite the luxurious ingredient, it didn’t have the same depth and elegance as the previous dishes.
Tacos, to me, are one of the simplest and most casual things you can eat in Mexico. What I was about to have, however, was anything but simple.
In front of me were four different components that would end up as three amazing tacos. First came tortillas made with artisan blue corn. They smelled of maíz, just as they were supposed to. Then came 12-hour-cooked pork that would fall apart if you looked at it too hard, crackling skin from the head, pickled onions with lots of delicious juice and, finally, bone marrow, which essentially became a rich sauce.
Yes, this was an absolutely over-the-top taco, but the flavour it created was outstanding. It goes without saying that it was incredibly rich, and with the amount of fat involved, I went from “I am still hungry” to “somebody please carry me home, but before you do, please let me finish these incredible tacos.”
This also meant that I needed a break before dessert. I used it to enjoy another cocktail and digest. It also got me thinking that, with the casual vibe and great cocktail programme, Arca is a perfect stop if you simply want a relaxed evening with a dish or two and a great cocktail.
The sun had now set, and in the light of the fire and candles, I enjoyed the two desserts. The first was rich with cacao and what they called a Mexican crème brûlée, with plenty of sweetness and crunch. A lovely combination that provided great contrast in texture.
The final bite of the evening was a sweet and savoury dessert of maíz and sesame ice cream. While the first dessert was filled with crunchy textures, the last was much softer. They were therefore two very different desserts, both in flavour and texture.
As mentioned in the beginning, Arca is almost equally famous for its cocktails. For that reason, it was both obvious and a great choice that most of the pairing consisted of perfectly matched cocktails. I therefore only had two wines as part of the menu.
I truly enjoyed my meal at Arca. It is a very personal and unique restaurant. The setting is almost brutally simple, with tables and chairs placed in the open between a few palm trees, an open kitchen and a bar. This makes the setting work equally well for a romantic candlelit dinner, a night out with friends or simply stopping by for a cocktail.
Arca is difficult to put in a box. It combines precise dishes with plenty of heat, flavour complexity and comforting food that puts a smile on your face, all served in a cool, exotic setting with a great cocktail programme.
Looking at the techniques, flavours, presentations and dedication of the cocktail programme, I would easily give it two Michelin stars. But then again, two Michelin stars usually come with a roof, and that wouldn’t quite fit the experience Arca offers.
Because what I loved most about Arca is that it mirrors the personality of chef and owner Jose Luis. You feel his Mexican heritage and the techniques he learned in Europe, but also his love of a great night out. And that combination is exactly what Arca is.
Practical information
Location: Tulum, Mexico
Head Chef: Jose Luis Hinostroza
Menu: à la carte and tasting menu
Website: www.arcatulum.com
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