Bernal - Isla de la Piedra

Restaurant Bernal 's kitchen is a stove and sink installed at one end of a large, open room. The rest of the place is filled with tables and chairs, and there 's seating on its balcony, which overlooks Calle Aquiles Serdán, one of four busy streets that border Bernal 's home Mercado Pino Suárez one floor below. The restaurant 's simple and straightforward menu offers an assortment of plates typical to the region, including: Aguachiles and ceviches; Pescado Frito, Zarandeado and en caldo (fish; fried, grilled and in a soup); Pechuga de Pollo Rellena (a roulade of pounded chicken breast containing sliced ham and queso blanco, battered and pan fried... think Mexican Chicken Cordon Bleu); Shrimp, prepared, at last count, in eight different ways. I 've eaten at Bernal a few times and have ordered or sampled much of the menu. I 've always found the food to be of good quality and cooked as I 'd expect, and it 's always served without extravagance. Restaurant Bernal is not fancy; the place makes lunch for working people, Instagram be damned. The tias who run the place speak little English. For Americanos, pointing at the menu works, but though the ladies are kind and patient with customers that don 't speak Spanish, they 're also busy, so considerate visitors will please equip themselves with a mouthful of useful, food related words, plus por favor and gracias. If what you 've read thus far suits your purpose if you 're about finding lunch while visiting the mercado then we 're done here. But Restaurant Bernal offers more, and if you want a story to tell when you get home, then read on... Intrepid patrons of Restaurant Bernal will discover unusual opportunities waiting there. For instance: by arrangement with the restaurant 's staff, customers can buy food at stalls on the first floor, bring it to the ladies, and ask them to cook it. Say that you 'd really like grilled octopus, fried chicken, smoked marlin tacos, or something else not on Bernal 's menu. Just make your deal, shop downstairs, bring your pulpo, pollo or marlin ahumado to the ladies, and trust that they 'll know what to do with it. The key to success is to be polite and fair, and to ask clearly for what you want. Cooler than that: one day, several years ago, my wife and I walked into into Bernal to have lunch, and we were surprised to find the place packed with a dozen or so young Pinoys, all speaking a mix of English and Tagalog, each busying himself with some aspect of meal preparation or helping to arrange the room 's furniture so that they could all eat together. I asked one of them what was happening. He said that they were bartenders from a cruise ship, in port for the day, who 'd come to the market to buy fresh meat, seafood and vegetables (they 'd brought spice and sauces with them) and cook themselves a Filipino meal. They 'd arranged with Bernal 's staff to take over the kitchen and dining room for a few hours. He said that they do this at ports all over Mexico, Central and South America. And then something wonderful happened: despite my hesitation to intrude on their party, the guys insisted that we join them. Because I frequent San Diego 's Pinoy restaurants (and strategically drop by Filipino friends ' houses at lunch or dinner time), I knew some of the foods. Among several dishes that the fellows fed us were standout versions of ginataang hipon, crispy patas, sisig and sinigang, all of which, it turns out, go great with Mexican aguas frescas like tamarindo and my favorite, jamaica. But theirs was more than a meal; it was a celebration of culture and memories of home, shared by men who 'd left their friends and families to make a living as they gained training and experience that would enable many of them to start businesses back home, when they finally left the sea. We were humbled and honored by their generosity; but honestly, knowing what I do about my Filipino friends, I was unsurprised. Moments like those I 've spent at Restaurant Bernal are a big part of why I travel, and those experiences are not unique. I 've enjoyed extemporaneous hospitality in places as varied as Oaxaca, Chiang Mai, Nashville, Salzburg and a tiny village in the sertão west of Feira de Santana, Brazil. In those and other places, strangers have treated me like family, and it would be difficult to say who was more excited for the interactions, them or me. Cathedrals and museums are fine, but when I travel, I strive to be a visitor, not a tourist, and I 've found that people everywhere are pleased to show off the places and ways in which they live. Except for the Swiss, but that 's a different review. Mercado Pino Suárez: m.yelp.com/biz/mercado p…