Pan-Latin cuisine with a difference at VaKaVa

After our visit to the launch of VaKaVa located at Jumeirah at Etihad Towers, we wanted to get an idea if the food had actually improved from its previous namesake, Toro Toro.

Three point review:

1-#venue is full of vibrant colour and funky design, true to Pan-Latin style. In the evening it’s quite dark so you don’t get the full force of the vibrancy but it feels cosy with booths and cushions, even though it’s such a large venue.

2-#food was varied and there was enough for this vegetarian to eat. The flavours had an impact but not so overpowering that it took away from what you were eating. We actually felt that some dishes were quite sweet, but that’s not a criticism, just more of an observation. We tried the smoked Guacamole which is presented in fun way (we won’t spoil the surprise), cevich, and wild mushroom flatbread. While there wasn’t a lot of vegetarian main courses there was enough in menu to fill out the meal like capachas which are sweet corn pancakes filled with halloumi and sour cream. Meat eaters will enjoy free flow of meats on offer, with a special card that is to be left on the table showing either the green side for more, or red to indicate you’re full.

3-#service was the area we were most interested in. The previous restaurant that was in this place had terrible service. This time we were pleasantly surprised by the efficiency of the team, who were knowledgeable about the menu and were able to find that balance of leaving us alone but still checking that we were ok.

#ADRfave - save room for dessert because we thoroughly enjoyed the THREE we tried 🤭. The Milk cake was delicious!

#ADRtip - From October and once it gets cooler, head to the terrace upstairs either before or after the meal because they have amazing views and live Latin music on certain evenings too.