In the vibrant heart of Barranquilla city, Restaurant Manuel has become a beacon of gastronomic innovation thanks to the skillful and creative leadership of Mane Mendoza, one of Colombia's most promising chefs.
As I have now seen after three intense trips to Colombia, human value is a huge component here. Manu Mendoza has it in spades: his entire journey and his projects revolve around who he is and the man he has become, while always remaining connected to his family, the inspiration for everything.
The chef
It does not happen so often, or perhaps ever, to arrive in a chef's town and be welcomed not in his restaurant but in his parents' home; in Barranquilla it happened, and it was enchanting to see how today Manuel recognizes how important the family's contribution was in becoming Chef Mendoza, as much on the sentimental side as on the technical and inspirational side for his cooking today. The roots of this talent can in fact be traced back to the house where he always sneaked into the kitchen as a child.
Manuel Mendoza was born and raised in the Caribbean region of Colombia, where from a young age he developed a deep connection with the land and its fruits.
His earliest experiences in the kitchen date back to the times spent among the stoves of his mother and grandmother, where he learned to handle the ingredients of Colombian culture with respect and passion. During these years, he absorbed the essence of traditional recipes, treasured them and passed them on, although still very young with his not even 40 years old. And now it is the same preparations that have formed the basis of his absolutely noteworthy gastronomic repertoire. Manuel began with other studies, he is a business administrator who graduated from Jorge Tadeo Lozano University and only later became a chef at the Gato Dumas Institute.
Named best "rookie" chef at the Bogotá Madrid Fusión 2021, he won 12 different awards in the La Barra Awards between 2016 and 2020 in different categories, and is a member of the academic committee of the Sabor Barranquilla fair that has been held in the city for 16 years. From an early age, therefore, he discovered a love for cooking to which he gave shape only later in life, preparing exquisite dishes from the traditional cuisine of the Caribbean coast. He is always faithful to his Colombian roots, offering a cuisine that can be described as an act of love for his land.
The restaurant
Restaurant Manuel is now the first in this city to enter the list of Latin America 's 50 Best Restaurants according to Latin America's 50 Best Restaurants (position 77 two years after opening). Manuel is the evolution of the Mendozana cuisine born in Cocina 33, the restaurant the young man created more than 11 years ago in Barranquilla and now located in the cities of Medellín and Montería; now he wanted to give his city an international-level restaurant by creating Manuel.
It is located in the iconic El Prado neighborhood and interior design is by Barranquilla architect Catherine Jessurum of DEB Consulting firm, who has interpreted tradition in a contemporary way. The kitchen equipment was custom-made for the new restaurant, among which stands out at first glance a wood-fired oven imported from Italy, where most of its preparations come from, including the already famous Termidoro-style lobster medallion pizza or its good breads.
The dishes
The food proposal includes an a la carte menu designed to be shared, and there is an option for an eight-course tasting menu that shows the evolution of Mendoza's proposal. Most of the ingredients on this menu come from the Atlántico district: "I always dreamed of having a tasting menu, I thought it was something that was missing in Barranquilla. We worked more than a year on this proposal together with Rafael Pedraza, my head chef and right-hand man, and the response from the public has been spectacular,” Manu says.
The a la carte menu, on the other hand, highlights the yellowtail tiradito, whose main ingredient is a local fish that was not served in Barranquilla restaurants and is now one of the most popular dishes. It comes with mandarin emulsion, turmeric, and olive oil; the creamy crab, roasted avocado, and casserole sauce is a dish that pays homage to the local specialty. Mendoza has been working for several years with the company Cholomar Caribe, which is doing important work in marketing fresh seafood from responsible fishing processes in the Colombian Caribbean. Beef carpaccio montaditos on steamed bao bread are on the menu from the start, and baskets of phyllo dough, seasoned amberjack, shrimp coral mayonnaise and tamarind gel are another must-try. Vegetables include broccoli with cashew seed romesco sauce grown in the Atlántico department, apples and buffalo mozzarella from Planeta Rica, Córdoba.
He also keeps some dishes of Caribbean essence such as ravioli de posta cartagenera or ceviche sinuano with coastal whey and crispy bacon that are part of the offerings at Cocina 33, his first restaurant. “These are dishes that could not go off the menu because customers were always asking for them, and that's why we wanted to keep them in Manuel, to please our diners," the chef says. "We wanted to take the risk to make a different proposal, designed for the local audience and that would make me happy. At Manuel's, I do the cooking that satisfies me. In the case of the fried rice, it's a dish I'm perfecting, it was the dish I've been making since I was 17 years old, long before I became a chef; when I used to cook on weekends for my family, for fun."
From the tasting menu, highlights include millet toast with crab and avocado, mushroom-stuffed carimañolas with a liquid whey heart, lamb cake that is an homage to the rice cake of Pital de Megua (a municipality on the Atlantic very close to Barranquilla), and beef cheek with marmaón. The pairings are by Argentine sommelier Patricio de Cordoüe and include wines brought in from New Zealand, Spain, Italy, and France, and cocktails from the rich bar counter that emphasize national spirits such as viche. A restaurant that tells a story, that of those who have the courage to follow their passions, Manuel is where that will come to life. Here, every dish is conceived as a tribute to Colombian culture, but with a modern twist that makes it special.
Mane's creations are a representation of flavors and colors, a sensory experience that transports diners through the landscapes, scents and traditions of his country. From seafood dishes that evoke the proximity of the Caribbean sea to meat dishes inspired by the rich traditions of the hinterland, each course is a journey through Colombia. But what really makes Mendoza's cuisine special is his ability to innovate without betraying his roots, to create something new and surprising from deeply traditional elements. With his restaurant he is transforming Barranquilla into one of the country's most interesting gastronomic destinations. His cuisine, at once authentic and contemporary, is a tribute to his land and a promise for the future of Colombian gastronomy.
Contact
Manuel Restaurant
Cra. 55 #74-125, Nte. Centro Historico, Barranquilla, Atlántico, Colombia
Phone: +57 318 6749575
