Cowbridge Road East, Canton, Cardiff
029 2022 0636 / www.vivolatino.co.uk
Food:
Atmosphere:
The Cardiff district of Canton is fast becoming a favourite for foodies, housing established highlights like Purple Poppadum and providing pop ups like Dirty Knuckle Pizza with a new home. One of the newest kids on the block is Vivo Latino, a Latin American bar and restaurant, blending Mexican, Brazilian, Cuban and Peruvian cuisine to create what they call ‘the authentic taste of Latin America’. Upon entry, Vivo Latino’s friendly staff were welcoming and the venue aesthetically pleasing, despite dangerously bordering on ‘quirky’. The knowledgeable bar staff quickly rusted up a few drinks to sample: a canchanchara (like a daiquiri, but with tequila), an old fashioned, and an espresso martini, which was superior to the other lovingly created cocktails. After whetting my whistle, I sat down to dine, having ordered an entrée of habanero king prawns, which little can go wrong with, and a mains of mole poblano, a Mexican dish with chicken thighs cooked in a chilli infused dark chocolate sauce. I was excited to try the dish, and while enjoyable, the sauce was rather weak and the chicken thigh not tender enough. For afters, churros with hot chocolate were served, and while sweet and overall tasty, they were a little too crisp. Overall Vivo Latino shows strong potential. It’s a lovely venue with a great bar and enthusiastic staff, but it feels like Vivo Latino is trying to cover too many types of cuisines by covering a large expanse of Latin America, when they should maybe focus on providing an authentic taste of a specific cuisine that isn’t represented in Cardiff’s food scene.
LUKE OWAIN BOULT