Since our cruise left from Puerto Rico, we decided to sandwich the oceanic part of vacation with a few days in San Juan. During the weekend leading up to the cruise we didn't eat anything particularly interesting, but we did scout out the area of Old San Juan and decided that we would eat our final meal of the vacation there. So, when the cruise ended and we disembarked in San Juan for the final time, we spent the afternoon walking around Old San Juan, perusing menus in search of the perfect way to end spring break.
All of our dinner "research" was making us quite hungry and when a friendly Puerto Rican waiter approached and invited us into his restaurant for lunch, we decided it might be a good time to nash. As we ordered, we talked to the host of the restaurant -- the same friendly guy who had attracted us into the eatery in the first place -- and learned about him, life in San Juan, and most importantly, potential dinner spots.
After lunch and another bit of exploration, we decided on Old San Juan hotspot, Aguaviva, for dinner. As its name alludes, being inside Aguaviva (literally: live water) was like being inside water. First of all, everything was blue. And there were octopus lamps! The whole atmosphere actually kind of reminded me of a lamaze class (or what I imagine a lamaze class would be like) because the blue lights darkened the room and emphasized a hip, yet serene atmosphere. Plus, there was mellow music playing throughout the room. It was clear from the get-go that Aguaviva is a highly popular and trendy eatery in San Juan.
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| Interior of Aguaviva |
After gazing lovingly at the octopus lights, we remembered our growling stomachs and turned to our menus. The options seemed obvious. We were in a Puerto Rican fish restaurant (read: ceviche central) and we had been eating salmon everyday for dinner on the cruise (read: tuna tartar was extremely appealing). Thus, the process of ordering was quick and easy and we waited eagerly for our food to come.
While the octopus lamps continued to dominate our conversation, our waitress approached us and asked if we minded moving closer to the bar - IE to sit directly under the octopus lamps! Obviously we agreed and eagerly changed tables.
Within moments of being re-seated, our ceviche arrived. The dish, titled chillo y aguacate fresco, consisted of fresh read snapper and avocado, and came with plantain tostados. The plantain tostados are similar to a cracker, but made out of plantains that are cut into thin strips and then baked. The tostados are used as a utensil for the ceviche, which you place on top of the tostado and then bite into. The tastes in this dish were magnificent. The plantain tostado had relatively little flavor -- over the course of the trip we learned that green plantains are bland and sweet plantains are more like bananas -- and it absorbed the citrus of the ceviche perfectly. In addition to the red snapper and avocado in the ceviche, the combination of tomatoes, onions, and limes added a piquant flavor and texture to the dish. The fish was perfectly tender and the meat almost melted in our mouths. Additionally, the avocado added a soft texture to the chewy fish and the crunchy onion-tomato salsa, all of which was consumed in the same bite as the firm plantain tostado.
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| Chillo y Aguacate Fresco |
While we were knee deep in our ceviche, the restaurant manager approached us with a waiter carrying three drinks. The manager explained that she was so sorry to have inconvenienced us by moving our table, that they wanted to provide us with complimentary drinks. The beverage of choice, watermelon sangria, is Aguaviva's house speciality. Flavored sangrias seemed to be a trend throughout Puerto Rico because on our first day in San Juan we were given samples of cinnamon sangria at a bar in Old San Juan. Aguaviva's watermelon sangria was very good though. The base was a standard white wine sangria, but there was a subtle watermelon aftertaste that lingered in my mouth. There was also a splash of lime somewhere, but I couldn't place whether it was more of a lemon spritz in the white wine or the acidity of the watermelon. Regardless, when my cup was empty, I wished that there had been more.
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| Watermelon Sangria |
Soon after our complimentary drinks came out, so did our entrees. We all ordered the same dish: Blackened tuna steak, which came with amarillo agnolotti truffle scented vegetables and bok choy. I discovered bok choy while I was in China with my family a few summers ago and absolutely fell in love. It is such a good staple vegetable to have on a plate because its leafy texture cleanses the palate nicely. My tuna was perfectly medium-rare and the crunchier-spicy outside complimented the perfectly cooked inside of the fish. A sweet sauce, which was a hybrid of barbeque sauce and eel sauce was drizzled over the fish. Additionally, and most surprisingly, the tuna itself was cold. This created an interesting temperature dichotomy because the truffles, which were underneath the tuna, were warm. So, when I took a bite of tuna-truffle goodness, I was greeted with a fusion of warm/cold-spicy/sweet-chewy/meaty heaven.
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| Blackened Tuna Steak |
Aguaviva was a spectacular way to end spring break. If you ever find yourself in San Juan, I highly recommend you check out this transcendent dining spot.
Visit Aguaviva:
(787) 722-0665
http://www.oofrestaurants.com/
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