If leading international food critics such as Michelin were to start looking at restaurants in Ajijic, Go Bistro would receive high marks.
Owner/operator and classically trained Cordon Bleu chef Peter (Pedro) Palmer has evolved into a successful restaurateur over the years in Toronto and elsewhere. He calls his cuisine “world fusion” – reflecting his passion to travel the globe extensively and take cooking courses wherever he goes.
Palmer was born in Cuernavaca to a Scottish father and a Mexican mother, and lived there for five years before moving to Toronto with his family. There, he studied under Chef Jacque Marie and owned five restaurants over 25 years. He moved to Ajijic with his (late) wife 11 years ago.
Go Bistro is located in the Ajijic home where Palmer and his wife lived. He had a dream one day that this house of his would be a restaurant … and the rest is history. This cozy eatery has three fireplaces and four areas to dine in: a library, terrace, garden and lounge. The outdoor spaces offer great mountain views.
Go Bistro promotes itself by declaring that it offers food “from all of the various and interesting cultures from around the world.” With the help of talented chef Gustavo Marquez, Palmer changes the menu almost every day and customers are offered agua fresca (Mexican fruit water) as well as a hot and cold soup. He also features one or two appetizers and a variety of main courses which usually include chicken, pork, seafood and veal. The Go Bistro small plates are meant to be shared and run from 55 to 100 pesos and main courses are priced from 120 to 180 pesos. Both menus also change throughout the year.
Our small group of friends shared a delicious Asian choice. The Thai noodle salad was composed of bean thread noodles, coconut, chicken, shrimp, almonds, cilantro, carrot and ginger. We also shared shrimp with fettuccine in a fabulous sauce of tomato and cream with fresh parmesan and scallions. A carpaccio of filet mignon with extra virgin olive oil, fresh parmesan, balsamic vinegar and capers was a special taste treat.
For main courses, we ordered a “worth the trip” northern pike with portobellini pan gravy and pink peppercorns from Puglia, Italy and Jamaican pulled jerk pork with mango salsa – medium spicy and perfectly seasoned. A Sicilian entree of veal with gorgonzola sauce also sounded really good.
Two desserts that are very popular and that I can attest to are the English bread pudding and the lemon curd custard which is tart and powerful. All of the ice cream is homemade and the coconut was outstanding. Tuesdays and Thursdays the restaurant has live music featuring harp, violin and guitar to enjoy.
Go Bistro has an inviting atmosphere with a display of the owner’s private collection of artwork from all parts of the globe. The service is excellent and Palmer makes you feel very much at home as you partake of his fabulous food. He decided to call his eatery a bistro because he offers comfort food as well as gourmet fare. If you ask him, he will explain the word “go” as it is a visual concept.
Go Bistro, Marcos Castellanos 31, Ajijic. Telephone: 33-3502-6555.