I have some strange stories with regards to shrimp in dining establishments — including that time I found a bone in a shrimp in Côte d’Ivoire; and don’t ask how that is even possible because I still do not know to this day — but the latest experience is when I was hit by shrimp twice at Noriku in Tulum.
I Was Hit By Shrimp. Twice. Noriku in Tulum. Restaurant Review.
The restaurant where this occurred is Noriku, which is one of the restaurants at the Hilton Tulum Riviera Maya All-Inclusive Resort property in Mexico. “Enjoy the fresh and bright flavors of contemporary Asian cuisine” is how this restaurant is introduced at this official Internet web site. “Our menu features signature sushi rolls, sashimi, and hand-crafted cocktails, wine, and beers.”
The photograph shown above illustrates a nice quiet dining area. To the right out of the photograph was a large teppanyaki table that was located in an open area in the center of the restaurant and eventually became quite noisy.
Not too long after placing the order, everything that was ordered was brought out almost all together instead of at a pace of spaces between courses, which filled the table with food.
The Camarón Tempura was accompanied by smoked chili mayonnaise, chives, and ponzu. Despite the dish being listed on the menu as crispy, the shrimp tasted good but were disappointingly not crispy at all. Tempura is supposed to be crispy.
Jaiba de Concha Suave is comprised of fried crab with spicy ponzu and cilantro sauce. Very little crab was found in it.
Meanwhile, people were arriving at the teppanyaki area and sitting down fewer than six feet from behind where I was sitting.
Edamame al Wok comes as either natural or sambal. It was ordered as natural; and it was tasty with lemon, negui, maldon salt, and a slice of lime.
The teppanyaki chef had evidently arrived at this time.
Tataki de Atún is tuna with cebollín yellow aji sauce, avocado, grapefruit, and chives. The texture of the tuna was rather tough and was not pleasant to eat.
The teppanyaki area was getting progressively louder as the chef started his “show” as he prepared the ingredients for the meals of the diners.
Sopa Miso with chives, tofu, and wakame was good; but it was not outstanding or extraordinary.
By this time — between the loud chatter and laughing at the patrons and the bumbling performance of the chef — the noise level at the teppanyaki area was becoming unbearable and was ruining the ambiance of the dining experience.
The Ensalada de Wonton y Pollo contained carrot, celery, turnip, purple cabbage, ginger dressing, coriander, and mint.
The chicken did not seem like it was real, as its texture felt rubbery and somewhat gelatinous instead of meaty, which rendered this dish virtually inedible — especially as it did not taste good.
At this point in the meal, a shrimp hit the chair behind my right shoulder and ricocheted back towards the teppanyaki area. The chef was throwing food at the diners as part of the performance; and the person behind me missed.
Hosomaki de Atún was comprised of picante spicy tuna with nori seaweed, sour orange mayonnaise, green lemon, sliced ginger, and wasabi. This sushi was good — but not great.
A second shrimp then hit my right shoulder from behind — very close to where the first shrimp hit. The person behind me kept missing the shrimp that was thrown by the teppanyaki chef; but the third time was the charm — thankfully.
The California Roll consisted of cucumber, avocado, tampico, sesame mayonnaise, jalapeño slices, sliced ginger, and wasabi. It was absolutely awful — mainly because the sesame mayonnaise was too overpowering.
Arroz Nasi Goreng came with a choice of beef, chicken, or shrimp. Shrimp was chosen for this dish; but they came in varying sizes and resulted in different textures. The negui, garlic, ginger, goreng paste, and soy sauce was good; but this rice dish was too salty and laden with way too much grease.
I would have really enjoyed the Pasta Yakisoba if this dish had significantly more noodles — but the onions looked almost identical to the noodles; and they substantially outnumbered the noodles, which was a shame. The noodles are supposed to be the star of this dish. Cabbage, onions, garlic, ginger, carrots, oyster sauce, and chives were included as well.
The Sticky Rice was glutinous rice with coconut, mango compote, lime, and fried coconut. It was good; but it was not excellent, as I did not like the texture.
The Zakura de Mandarina sounded better than it actually was when I tasted it: tangerine jelly, cherry reduction, citrus crumble, and tangerine sorbet.
Final Boarding Call
Perhaps Noriku had an off day. Based on my experience, I do not recommend dining at Noriku. The quality of the food was similar to that of a strip mall Chinese restaurant; and the service was good — only because I believe that the servers were expecting a gratuity, of which an all-inclusive resort property is supposed to include in the rate.
The ambiance was so overwhelmingly loud that dining at Noriku was unpleasant at best — mainly because the dining area was poorly designed. The teppanyaki area should have been cordoned off in a separate room where everyone can be as noisy as they desire — and let the crustaceans fly and land where they may.
I realize that a restaurant at an all-inclusive resort typically does not exactly offer the best food anyone has ever eaten in their lives; but I have been a guest at other all-inclusive resorts which had very pleasant and appetizing dining experiences. Noriku does not fit that bill, unfortunately.
Noriku
Hilton Tulum Riviera Maya All-Inclusive Resort
Carretera Cancun Tulum 307, Tulkal Chemuyil,
Tulum, Quintana Roo, 77774
Mexico
1-888-880-0844
Operating Hours
5:30 in the afternoon until 10:00 in the evening daily. Reservations are recommended.
All photographs ©2024 by Brian Cohen.
