¡La Vida Es Rica! ~ Life is Delicious!

Shangai Pizza –just the name makes me smile….

 Although not in the actual village of Puerto Morelos – it’s on the highway by The Colonia – Shangai Pizza delivers! So one of its most attractive features is that you can enjoy its delights wherever you might be playing!

 And –

Yes, it has pizza.

Yes, it has comida China.

But its true claim-to-notoriety is – are you ready for this? – an authentic Mexican dish that’s one of my most delectable sinful delights: tres leche cake! And those in-the-know here in Puerto Morelos know that the place to get it, is Shangai Pizza.

 I’m certain someone’s Mexican mom can make it even better, but for those of us without Mexican moms….

 Since I’m always last-minute in placing my order (read: walk in, hoping they’re not sold out), I get to watch the assembly  — they often have several rows of five-high stacks of pound-cakes waiting for assembly. Juanita deftly slices one horizontally and pours on the three milks (sweetened condensed milk, evaporated milk, cream), gently patting before spooning on the even creamier filling, pouring/patting once again. Then the frosting –primarily whipping cream. 

 How does one describe such pure culinary ecstasy? Sweet, yet not overly so. Moist, moist, moist, yet still cake, not pudding. These cakes have the feel of Mexican art – created by hand with serape-bright frosting – perhaps slightly off-kelter – -and totally delightful!

 Getting there

Phone 998 206 9245

 A taxi is about 30 pesos, round trip. To drive from Puerto Morelos, go to the highway, taking the roundabout toward Playa del Carmen — past ADO/Paris Pharmacy, past Consultario Medico– Shangai Pizza is set back a bit from the road.

 For Tres Leche Cake

Shangai Pizza is often swamped with cake orders, so although it’s not absolutely necessary, try to place your request at least a day before you need it. So far, I’ve never planned ahead and have always had luck walking in and getting one. They speak only Spanish, and my Spanish is embarrassingly non-existent, but we’ve always managed.

 Before ordering, decide:

(1) Whether you want large/grande ($150 pesos), medium/media ($130 pesos), or small/chica ($100 pesos).

(2) What color or colors you want on the white base-frosting – red/rojo, blue/azul, yellow/amarillo, pink/ rosa, green/verde, etc.

(3) What you want written on it. (They custom decorate!)