![\"Benazuza;](\"https:\/\/magsonthemove.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/10\/image2.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\nDuring my time in Cancun, I was fortunate enough to have one of the most memorable dining experiences of my life twice in one day.\u00a0 <\/span><\/span>Benazuza Restaurante<\/a><\/span><\/span> is a molecular gastronomy restaurant located in the <\/span><\/span>Oasis Sens<\/a> resort in Cancun’s hotel zone.<\/p>\n This day of gastronomic pleasures started at breakfast.\u00a0 <\/span><\/span>Benazuza<\/span><\/span> is open for both breakfast and dinner and it’s available at an additional cost to the all inclusive package at the resort.<\/p>\n BREAKFAST<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n Breakfast was a teaser for what we would be getting into for dinner, but even breakfast included several courses and champagne.<\/p>\n <\/span><\/span>Everything on the menu was unique and spectacular, even the coffee.\u00a0 Benazuza Restaurant<\/span><\/span>‘s breakfast was started off with <\/span><\/span>“Cafe de ‘Olla’ Coffee<\/strong>.\u00a0 A sweet coffee spiced with cinnamon, orange, and sugar.\u00a0 I don’t typically like sugar in my coffee, but this was an exception.<\/p>\n (I wish you could smell this picture!)<\/p>\n <\/span><\/span>Then a trio of fresh and uniquely flavored juices were served, <\/span><\/span>Watermelon and Hibiscus Juice, Grapefruit and Guanabana with Rosemary Juice, <\/strong>and Orange Juice<\/strong> (for the classicist).<\/p>\n <\/span><\/span>The grapefruit, guanabana, and rosemary juice was my favorite, but I’m a sucker for Grapefruit.<\/p>\n The first food course was warm toasts served with various jellies, spreads and butters; <\/span><\/span>Mango with Chipotle Chili Pepper Marmalade, Strawberry and Tequila Marmalade, Truffle Butter, Vanilla Butter, <\/strong>and<\/span><\/span> Creamy Cheese with Jalapenos<\/strong>.<\/p>\n <\/span><\/span>I think my favorite was the Mango Chipotle marmalade, but it was fun to mix and match to find unique combinations.\u00a0 Vanilla butter with Strawberry Tequila Marmalade was particularly delicious.<\/p>\n After the toasts, the servers brought out <\/span><\/span>Melon with Honey Brochettes, <\/strong>and Watermelon & Modena<\/strong>.<\/p>\n <\/span><\/span>This was a really interesting fruit course.\u00a0 The honey jelly in the melon and the balsamic vinegar with the melon and raspberry was unexpected, but great.<\/p>\n <\/span><\/span>Next came the yogurts, White Chocolate Yogurt with Strawberries<\/strong> and a Layered Chocolate Mouse with Chocolate Crispy Rice<\/strong> on top.<\/p>\n The White Chocolate Yogurt was a stand out but both were great.<\/p>\n Next was some protein, Salmon and Tomato Volcano<\/strong>,<\/p>\n <\/span><\/span>(this is also the point in the meal where the champagne was served)<\/p>\n The salmon was very good, a slightly spicy mexican-asian hybrid.\u00a0 I just wish there were more than one bite!\u00a0 Though, I guess with this many courses that’s probably a good thing.<\/p>\n <\/span><\/span>Ham & Cheese “Sincronizada”<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/span><\/span>This was similar to a quesadilla filled with ham, mushrooms, and the most flavorful cheese, then cooked perfectly crispy.<\/p>\n Potato Foam with Beans<\/strong>.<\/p>\n This trip to Cancun was my first experience with “foams” after years of seeing them on Top Chef.\u00a0 It was very exciting.<\/p>\n Next came the <\/span><\/span>Poached Egg with “Cuitlacoche” and Sabayon<\/strong>.<\/p>\n <\/span><\/span>Here I’ll be completely honest.\u00a0 I’m not proud of this, but I’m weird about poached eggs.\u00a0 I know that’s a terrible foodie thing to say, but runny yolks just freak me out.\u00a0 I want to like them, I just can’t help it.\u00a0 Luckily for me, this egg was poached hard.\u00a0 No runny yolk!\u00a0 I also found out that I love love love Cuitlacoche!\u00a0 I loved it a lot more before I googled what it was and found out that it goes by it’s way less sexy english name, “corn smut”.\u00a0 It’s still delicious and I have no regrets.<\/p>\n <\/span><\/span>The final course was a Home Made Bakery Selection<\/strong> served with Hot Chocolate<\/strong>.<\/p>\n Just look at that!\u00a0 This one deserved 4 photos.\u00a0 The hot chocolate was a thick rich drinking chocolate and paired amazingly with the pastries and desserts offered. Nothing like dessert with your breakfast!<\/p>\n <\/span><\/span>I’ll be the first to admit that I’m not typically a “breakfast person”.\u00a0 I find that it’s typically just a reconfiguration of the same thing; bacon, eggs, toast, orange juice.\u00a0 After 28 years on this planet that just doesn’t seem worth waking up for.\u00a0 This meal changed my mind.\u00a0 It’s so rare to find a unique and different breakfast option, and this was nothing compared to dinner!<\/p>\n DINNER<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n Dinner started off, as most great meals do, at the bar.<\/p>\n THE COCKTAILS<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n The bar at <\/span><\/span>Benazuza was nothing short of amazing.\u00a0 Here our bartender, Carla, whipped up some imaginative takes on traditional cocktails, starting off with the <\/span><\/span>Caipirinha<\/strong><\/span><\/span>.\u00a0 This version was served inside of a piece of sugar cane that you chew on to get the flavor of the cocktail.<\/p>\n Up next was the <\/span><\/span>Mojito<\/strong><\/span><\/span>.\u00a0 This version of one of my favorite cocktails was reimagined with a sweet rum jello on top of a lime that you had to bite into to mix the flavors.<\/p>\n <\/span><\/span>Next came a Mexican tradition, Mezcal with a worm.\u00a0 Of course, this was a little different.\u00a0 Carla served a <\/span><\/span>Mezcal Foam<\/strong> with Rice Cracker Worm<\/strong>, that I believed was a real worm for way too long, even after I ate it.\u00a0 To be fair though, <\/span><\/span>I was fed crickets<\/a> earlier in my trip, and I’ve adopted a pretty “when in Rome” attitude about trying new foods when I’m traveling.<\/p>\n This one you had to drink quickly before it went flat.<\/p>\n Next on the menu was another Mexican classic, the Margarita<\/strong><\/span><\/span>.\u00a0 Of course this is Benazuza, so there is a twist… this one is invisible.<\/p>\n <\/span><\/span>First, the empty glass is set out.<\/p>\n Next Carla comes by and fills it with Invisible Margarita,<\/p>\n (Mine was extra tall!) Then as a final touch,( and most important \ud83d\ude09 ), the straw.<\/p>\n <\/span><\/span>The final cocktail on the menu was a <\/span><\/span>Pina Colada<\/strong><\/span><\/span>.\u00a0 Here rum balls were added first,<\/p>\n Then coconut milk,<\/p>\n and Cotton Candy.<\/p>\n <\/span><\/span>(pictured with Chef Rafael Zafra)<\/p>\n <\/span><\/span>Finally, pineapple juice was poured on top to melt the cotton candy.<\/p>\n Now, it’s ready to enjoy.<\/p>\n Just bite in to the rum balls and you’re in business.<\/p>\n THE MEAL<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n After cocktails we moved into the dining room.<\/p>\n This is where the show began with <\/span><\/span>Damiana & Nitro<\/strong>,<\/p>\n This was a passion fruit flavored ice cream frozen so cold that it made the tongue tingle.<\/p>\n Next was even more cocktails!\u00a0 A Hot and Cold Margarita<\/strong>!<\/p>\n Followed by Coconut Popcorn<\/strong>.<\/p>\n <\/span><\/span>The “popcorn” was made from nuts in a sweet coconut flavored coating.<\/p>\n Next came the snacks.<\/p>\n The Snack with Sour Cream<\/strong>,<\/p>\n One of my favorites, the Rice Cracker Reef<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n\n
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