Wild Mango's (1)

We cooked most of our meals during our holiday in Belize but we did dine out a handful of times. After a day of snorkeling, we were too tired to cook so we headed to Wild Mango's for dinner. The chef, Amy Knox, has won multiple awards (like Taste's Belize Chef of the Year award two years in a row), and it shows. The atmosphere is cozy and relaxed, the menu offering is diverse, and the food is delicious.

But, if you're looking for lobster or conch (both are seasonal), you'll have to go elsewhere. Chef Amy prefers to serve fresh fishes (provided by local fishermen) because she believes the conch and lobster are being over-fished.

It's pretty much all outdoor seating so you get a lovely view of the water and a fresh ocean breeze while you dine. If there's inclement weather, they roll down clear tarps around the entire "porch" so you're protected.

We started with one of the several ceviches on the menu, the ceviche tropical. It had grouper, papaya, pineapple, cucumber, pasilla chile, grapefruit juice and lime. It was spicy and acidic but also quite sweet which was an amazing combination.

Yum.

Each of us had a smoothie to drink. All of us ended up with a coconut-based drink. Since they all looked the same, I'm only sharing this one photo. I had the Caye Lime, my sister had the Lone Palm, and my dad had the Bahamian. All three were refreshing and delicious and v. coconutty.

My family shared two entrees for dinner. The first was this Rum-Glazed Bacon Wrapped Shrimp served with cilantro rice and a tangy salad. The shrimp was really delicious. The rum glaze was sweet and really complemented the smoky bacon and the tender shrimp. The rice was fluffy and full of cilantro flavor and the salad helped to cut the richness of the bacon fat.

Our second entree was the Orange Mojo Grilled Grouper served with a coconut risotto. The orange mojo was a sweet and savory salsa-type topping that added a lot of brightness and freshness. The coconut risotto was incredible and a definite favorite for us. It was creamy without being heavy and it had the right amount of coconut flavor for a savory dish. And of course, the fish. It was cooked perfectly so it was tender and flaky and moist and of course, insanely fresh tasting.

We were quite full after that meal so we skipped dessert but we returned here for a second dinner, during which we did get dessert, and I'll be sharing that later this week.

Cheers.