Gwynne Hogan looks at atoms and molecules with Molokai...
One of the few restaurants in Mendoza attempting fusion cuisine, and one of the even fewer that manage to pull it off, consider Molokai to be your day off from empanadas and rib-eye. Besides combining Japanese, Hungarian and Argentine fare, Molokai incorporates molecular foods—or innovative textures and colors in traditional items—hence the use of terms like cherry air and arugula caviar.
The owner, Victorio Piuzzi explains that molecular food is all about, “playing with textures and colors and reconceptualizing what you think you understand about food.” Victorio and his wife Yemina named the restaurant after a tiny island in the Hawaiian island chain, not actually because they enjoyed a nice vacation there. Rather, the name and place Molokai evoked for them “something mysterious, exotic and unknowable,” elements they hoped to channel into their cooking.
Try the smoked salmon foccacia with cherry tomato and smashed avocado, or the elegant
sautéed sole with sweet and sour vegetables and fragrant rice. If you’re a lucky Voy Pub Crawler, you’ll be treated to a tasting plate that’s strictly off the menu; olive encrusted gorgonzola puff balls, spicy guacamole-esque soup dollops, and several other tasty and visually stimulating creations.
Beyond the quirky menu the restaurant itself has an artistic yet relaxed vibe. Situated in a converted colonial house on Belgrano street, Molokai has several different seating areas, an exotic garden overflowing with greenery, and an art-filled salon that doubles has a tango classroom with complimentary lessons on certain evenings of the week. When school’s back in session, you should be able to enjoy a cup of wine, something to nibble, and a brief tango lesson for $40 pesos!
Check their website http://www.molokairesto.com/ or call 425 4808 for more details about menu and pricing, tango or the occasional wine tasting.
