Bunkhouse Group’s Hotel San Cristóbal launches new garden restaurant
Bunkhouse Group’s Hotel San Cristóbal in Mexico has debuted its new al fresco restaurant concept, Cosecha.
Located in the hotel’s front garden, the 52-seat restaurant offers a garden-to-table dining experience helmed by Chef Ramón Monteverde. Alongside Benno, the property’s oceanfront restaurant inspired by the flavours of Baja, and the Pool Bar, a casual concept for light bites, Cosecha expands upon Hotel San Cristóbal’s coastal culinary offerings.
Where Benno is a celebration of the bounty of the sea, Cosecha elevates the earth and our role as its caretaker. Spanish for ‘harvest’, Cosecha is home to a menu inspired by the seasonal harvest and ingredients found directly in the garden, with family-style dishes such as bountiful fresh salads and freshly caught, whole-cooked fish caught off the hotel’s beach. Menu highlights include Barbacoa De Picana, a popular local dish slowly cooked over a wood fire for 12 hours, served with pickled onions, corn tortilla, salsa and lime for guests to create their own tacos, and Esquites, a dish made from corn and served with freshly caught fried shrimp.
“The sea has always been such a source of inspiration for our menus, especially at Benno, but there is so much more to Baja and Todos Santos, beyond the bounty of the ocean,” said Ramón Monteverde, Hotel San Cristóbal’s Chef de Cuisine. “Cosecha showcases the flavours of our garden, and of the seasonal harvests that it yields, telling the story of our culinary culture through my team’s spins on traditional dishes and cooking styles.”
The beverage programme features cocktails inspired by local ingredients, with every herb, infusion and maceration crafted straight from the garden. Currently around 45% of the food at Hotel San Cristóbal is grown on-site, with a goal to eventually have all vegetables grown in the garden.
Designed by Bunkhouse, the destination restaurant seamlessly merges the essence of Hotel San Cristóbal and Todos Santos. Steps from the hotel’s entrance, a plant-lined pathway dotted with solar-powered lanterns leads guests through an array of fresh herbs, fruits and vegetables, offering a chance of reflection before enjoying a meal centred around the local produce.
The restaurant design embraces and celebrates its surroundings by utilising sustainable materials native to Mexico to build the outdoor structure and furniture, such as seating designed by Mexa Design with woven palm backing, mirroring the architectural shade structures above. Custom dining tables from Guadalajara meanwhile feature a playful tile top that infuses the colour of the sea into the desert setting. The use of native materials continues in the fully outdoor kitchen, which is home to three wooden pieces of furniture, including a stone oven and stove serving as a comal and grill.
