Two decades after arriving in Los Cabos, Pitahayas chef
Volker Romeike continues to pioneer creative fusion cuisine

By Chris Sands • Photos by Francisco Estrada

Many top chefs in Los Cabos have, in recent years, been moving away from Baja Med–style fusions in favor of a more Pan-Pacific culinary approach.

Such fusions—primarily fresh, local seafood paired with Japanese and Peruvian accents and ingredients—may seem novel to visitors, unless of course they’re familiar with the brilliance of Pitahayas chef Volker Romeike. He has been a pioneer of eclectic and delicious Mexican-Asian fusion cuisine in Los Cabos and its foremost practitioner for more than 20 years.

Romeike’s concept is more sophisticated and significantly broader conceptually than that of his contemporaries in the local fine dining scene. It encompasses cooking styles and traditions that extend from México to China, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Thailand, and the Philippine and Hawaiian Islands.

Guests at his popular seaside restaurant—the name comes from a cactus fruit prized by Baja Peninsula residents for centuries—delight in the chef’s eclectic yet unerringly delicious combinations: Filipino-style lumpia spring rolls with Mexican pork carnitas and Southeast Asian Kaffir lime, for example, or jalapeño-and-honey-glazed pork belly plated with sweet potato plantain mash, Hawaiian barbecue sauce, and Asian ratatouille.

Romeike’s unique approach dates to his time in Hawaii, when his exposure to numerous Pacific Rim cultures led him to begin experimenting in the kitchen, blending a variety of Asian accents with the European cooking techniques he learned growing up in Germany. This initial fusion style was successful from the start, but it has become more fleshed out since the chef opened Pitahayas in 1995 at what was then a Hyatt property but is now the gorgeous Hacienda del Mar. In fact, it is only in the last few years that he has fully integrated traditional Mexican ingredients and menu standards into what is now a melting pot of far-flung Pacific Rim influences.

The results speak for themselves. Romeike has been declared one of the best chefs in the world by the American Academy of Hospitality Sciences, which has awarded Pitahayas its prestigious Five Star Diamond every year since 1998. The restaurant has also received the AAA Diamond award for excellence, and its driving creative force has been an honored member of the Chain de Rotisseur since 1999, Club Vatel Mexico since 2000, and the French Culinary Academy since 2001.

For the signature Pitahayas experience, arrive at sunset for tropical cocktails at the bar, then commandeer a table overlooking the Sea of Cortés for a multicourse tour through the diverse dinner menu. It’s impossible to go wrong with an appetizer of pork carnitas, lumpia rolls or crunchy shrimp in a carrot-and-habanero sauce, followed by a roasted beet salad tossed with a healthy and organic array of arugula, mushroom, and tomato, and given a signature Pitahayas twist with panela, carnitas, and habanero-vanilla vinaigrette.

Entrées are prepared by wok or grill, and their preparations reflect the chef’s mastery of both cooking methods. Highlights from the former include an artistically plated seafood symphony of fresh lobster, broiled shrimp, and soft-shell crab paired with a choice of lemon aioli, mango coulis, and ponzu butter; from the latter, a heartbreakingly tender short rib in a chile chilhuacle demi-glace served with spinach and wasabi mashed potatoes. Later, after a brief interlude to reflect on the gustatory pleasures to date, finish with a shot of espresso and crème brûlée, or a dessert sampler featuring jasmine, lemongrass, and rich chocolate.

The restaurant’s setting is every bit as spectacular as its food. Shaded in most areas by an enormous palapa roof made from dried palm leaves, the alfresco dining room and bar extends outward in concentric circles, with diners occasionally seated near cactus or colorful trees wrapped in flashing lights and glittering ornaments. At night, table linens are bathed in moonlight as tropical breezes blow in from the Sea of Cortés, a cool counterpoint to the warm sounds of romantic ballads and waves breaking along the nearby shore.

The service, too, is first class, with staff members gliding effortlessly between kitchen and table, pausing to recite nightly specials or provide the perfect pairing advice from Pitahayas’ expansive wine list. The restaurant’s wine cellar, La Cava de Santiago, is among the best in Baja California Sur—an opinion made official via an award from Wine Spectator—showcasing more than 400 labels from premier domestic and international producers. It’s also a highly sought-after event venue. Made from stone and accessible only through wrought-iron gates, the wine cave offers an intimate and sui generis space for small dinner and cocktail parties.

Pitahayas is one of five restaurants at the 270-room, all-inclusive Hacienda del Mar; other notable eateries include Girasoles de la Hacienda, which excels at traditional Mexican delicacies, and De Cortez, a steak and seafood specialist. The elegant colonial-style property also boasts four swimming pools, six bars, a spa, fitness and business centers, and convenient access to the neighboring Cabo del Sol golf courses. The Jack Nicklaus-designed Ocean Course is considered one of the finest courses in the world, and is currently ranked among the 100 best by both Golf magazine and Golf Digest. Another major champion, Tom Weiskopf, designed the challenging and highly regarded Desert Course.

Pitahayas is open nightly 5 p.m.–11 p.m. For reservations, visit www.pi tahayas.com or call (624) 145-8010. For more information about Hacienda del Mar Golf & Spa Resort, go to www.sheratonhaciendadelmar.com.