Latin American food is dear to my heart. I just love how colorful their culture is and how they translate this into their food! I also love the laid back and relaxed setting, especially those counties that are along the Caribbean. Good thing I discovered a Latin American gem in Poblacion - Pura Vida!
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| Pura Vida Reggae Lounge - Poblacion, Makati |
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| Welcome to Pura Vida! |
Go up the stairs and get ready to be amazed with how they made this place so cozy and chill, relaxed and so laid back! Loved the colorful walls and table tops, the swings by the bar counter and the simple materials like ropes that were used as decorations. It was like an old house by the beach that was turned into a reggae bar! So easy to love!
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| A look inside Pura Vida! |
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| An assortment of APPETIZERS! |
From the APPETIZERS part of their menu, we tried their Patacones, Ceviche, Cassava Balls, Rice bowl with beans and pork chunks.
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| Patacones for 230Php |
A platter of Patacones was served with with a variety of dips. This signature Latin American appetizer is made up of double fried plantains. Crunchy with nothing really special about them, the dips make these fried treats exciting!
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| Ceviche De Tiquizia for 250Php |
Raw fish cubes cooked in lime juice, mixed with cilantro and an assortment of spices. They added some ginger ale here to make it unique. I liked this! No fishy smell and totally delish!
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| Encuyados for 230Php |
We're used to potato balls or croquettes as appetizers. Pura Vida has the same but instead of potatoes, they used cassava! Filled with cheese, these battered deep fried balls were crunchy outside but soft and warm inside.
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| Chifrijo for 250Php |
If you like beans and avo, this bowl's for you! A hefty serving of rice mixed with beans, meat and pico de gallo, topped with generous slices of avo and laced with chips! It's light, and delicious!
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| Chicharrones Con Yuca for 220Php |
These are nothing but pork chunks, deep fried and served with a dip and some potato wedges. I wish the meat was a bit more tender.
Moving on to their mains, we had the following:
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| Rice & Beans Con Pollo Caribeno for 350Php |
The Caribbean Rice mixed with beans was delicious! More than just a plain rice with herbs and spices, this was cooked with chicken stock, coconut and beans. Paired with a portion of chicken smothered with Caribbean sauce, this was served with a simple salad and Patacones.
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| Casados for 350Php |
A typical Costa Rican lunch, this plate was loaded! Served with rice, beans, plantains, picadillo, a simple salad, white cheese and a meat of your choice - we had Bistec Encebollado or Onion Beefsteak as our protein. The meat was tasty, tender and the picadillo was delicious!
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| Lucas busy mixing up some awesome cocktails! |
Aside from the food, they also prepared some cocktails for us starting with their Signature Cocktails.
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| Summer Melted for 270Php |
Summer Melted has rum x soda water x fresh passion fruit x ginger x lime juice x lemon grass syrup. One sip will give you a refreshing citrus kick! The flavor of the ginger was a pleasant surprise! It cuts through all the citrus flavor and tames the alcohol a bit.
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| Healthy Rasta for 270Php |
This was my favorite cocktail that night. It's the ultimate beach cocktail! So refreshing and easy on the taste buds, this is the perfect summer drink!
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| Torched Rosemary for some entertainment LOL |
A mix of gin x tonic water x basil x lime x fresh peppermint x fresh watermelon, this cocktail was garnished with fresh Rosemary torched in front of you to release the herbs fragrant aroma!
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| Tico Rasta Mary for 270Php |
A different kind of drink, this has tomato juice, vodka, black pepper, lime juice, Lizano and spicy Garapal sauce! It was like Bloody Mary, only thicker.
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| Chili Guaro for 150Php per shot |
Then we also tried this unique Pura Vida Signature Shot - Chili Guaro! It was so thick, so spicy and the alcohol was so strong for my liking! Tomato juice x vodka x lemon juice x Garapal sauce - try this if you are the adventurous type!
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| Renato by the bar! |
4 out of 5 Stars for Pura Vida!
--- Pura Vida: Don Pedro Street, Poblacion, Makati City
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