my new favourite cafe

I have a new favourite place to eat. It’s called  Ki’bok Ka’apeh which is Mayan language for Aroma of Coffee. It’s on the other side of the Federal Highway in the area called the Ejido, just a few blocks away. It’s a lovely old whitewashed home with a delightful courtyard in front, shaded by a huge tree which is seriously lifting the paving. There are half a dozen tables outside, and on Saturday nights there is live music.

They have breakfast for 30 pesos and a daily menu. For my visit today at lunchtime they brought me a delicious chuleta - a very thin pork chop, perfectly grilled, accompanied by rice, tortillas and the ubiquitous frijoles (beans) and a separate plate of dressed salad with lettuce and tomato. Hibiscus water was included, that lovely dark red drink I discovered last year. Then out came a slice of fresh chocolate cake, beautifully presented with a ring of chocolate around the plate, and when I finished my main meal, it was joined by a large cup of coffee.

I remembered that I hadn’t been to the bank and only had about 80 pesos in my wallet, and was wondering how much this feast would set me back, but when I asked for the bill the docket said that all of this cost only 45 pesos ($3.75). I happily left 50 pesos. The woman in charge was very friendly and spoke some English which she was as keen to practise as I with my Spanish. She told me that she likes to keep her menu simple, healthy and freshly prepared - that certainly works for me! It’s sure to become a regular haunt.

I walked home via the large Chedraui supermarket, where I found some bargains - a pack of 4 x187ml bottles of Lambrusco for only 41 pesos, and a set of 100% cotton queen sheets for 200 in a nice plain caramel colour - too many of the sheets here have garish patterns which would surely keep me awake at night!

There was a fat iguana sunning himself on the top of a wall just around the corner from home, and he seemed to enjoy posing for photos, bobbing his head up and down, before deciding he’d had enough and disappearing down into the greenery.