Rocoto, Huatulco

Rocoto has to be La Crucecita's most over-subscribed restaurant. 

In general the town has an un-hurried, almost reposeful mood to it, somewhat over-developed, over-promised relative to its current population, rather like Milton Keynes in the 1970s, though far more pleasant. But this place is definitely a choke point. 

A first unsuccessful attempt to secure a table featured a guided visit to an internal blackboard where Chef Claudia had chalked up a full set of bookings for at least three days ahead. 

Anyway, the food is delicious, so her success is thoroughly deserved. (Here: Mahi Mahi in a Southeast Asian mango curry sauce with jasmine rice.) 

A word about that item situated just north of the plate. Every table at Rocoto has its very own key to the loo on a branded fob. 

My wife and I had very different initial thoughts about this. Hers was that it was something that should only ever be touched whilst wearing disposable plastic gloves. Mine was to scan the pavement beyond the pot plants for a mob of randoms intent on using the bog without logging a prior order for seafood nibbles. 

At the end of the meal, I felt I had to ask. 

The waiter explained that in the past customers had become annoyed upon finding the door to said facilities locked —  not the sort of explanation that provided me with the kind of closure I had been seeking, though I have to say I can just imagine the coach load of irritable old frenchies that might have necessitated this change of protocol; indeed there may well be traces of this incident on Tripadvisor. 

I do feel that there’s a sound reason for being able to securely lock a toilet door from the inside.