A different kind of seafood place.

Bio Bio

Rio Lerma 175

Cross-street Rio Guadalquivir

Colonia Cuauhtemoc

Mexico City

Tels.:(5)5ll-8181.(5)525-5986

Mon. to Sat., 1 p.m. to 9 p.m. Sun., 1 p.m. to 8 p.m.

Bio Bio, which opened its doors last December, is a small, unassuming restaurant that saves seafood from its tired, old routines, mixing the best of Mexican and French culinary art into a reinvention of how to eat and enjoy fish.

Bio Bio's eclectic yet minimalist decor provides a refreshing change of scene and a perfect backdrop for the restaurant's tasty and non-pretentious dishes: blue water vases on every table, funky, thick wires sporting small lightbulbs sticking out of the ceiling like android octopi, a few brightly colored finned fish tails in a line on one wall, large windows, white paint and almost-utilitarian tables and chairs.

The dishes reflect this lightness of scene, proving that less is better when preparing seafood. What Bio Bio also proves is that less doesn't mean boring. This is seafood with a twist that stays loyal to its two main influences--think Mexican manzano and guajillo chiles mixed seamlessly with a Mediterranean use of olive oil and light ingredients. Our group started with the aguachile, tuna carpaccio and tacos rosarito. You can taste every ingredient in the oguachile--shrimp and cucumber marinated in lime juice, spiced with chile and pepper--and no one flavor overpowers the other. The raw, fresh tuna in the carpaccio had no fishy aftertaste, and the capers and onions added just the right tartness. The breaded fish tacos rosarito were a little bland, however, lacking a defining taste or texture.

As for main dishes, you really can't go wrong. Order the atun a la pimienta almost raw, just seared lightly. It's amazing that a simple combination of fresh peppered tuna, soy sauce and olive oil can be so delightful. The camarones al mojo de ajo (garlic shrimp) are not only delicious, but presented beautifully with vegetables and rice; the dish looks like an Impressionist painting in watercolors. The only complaint might be that the five or six medium-sized shrimp leave you wanting more. The huachinango en adobo (red snapper in adobo sauce) is served open faced like a butterfly, smothered in a rich adobo sauce that succeeds in being spicy without leaving your eyes watering and mouth burning by the end of the meal.

The estofado de marlin, or marlin stew, pulls off beautifully the rather odd combination of fresh fish, vegetables and a broth with an almost bacony flavor.

For fans of raw shellfish, the French-style Fuente Bio Bio, for two people, is an attractive three-tiered fountain display of oysters, clams chocolata, shrimp and crab.

Intrigued by this Mexican-French hybrid cuisine, we met our young chef, Matthieu. A man of few words, he seemed bemused at our fascination for what comes naturally to him: taking the traditions of his home country and adding the best of Mexican influences and ingredients.

With the culinary art of two nations famous for their cuisine being your chef's inspiration, a meal at Bio Bio is some of the best seafood in Mexico City.