The selection of a restaurant to host the rehearsal part for my niece’s nuptials was a fairly complicated one, but in the end, the perfect venue of Lola Valentina’s was chosen for a variety of reasons.

The spacious layout of the restaurant allowed us to mingle easily. As we had assembled from points all around the world and some of the bride’s family was meeting members of the groom’s family for the very first time, this was particularly appreciated.

The bride and many members of her family and circle of friends are either vegan or vegetarian and Lola Valentina’s was very accommodating with the special dietary requirements.

The restaurant is ideally located right on Hidalgo in Centro so it was easy to locate by foot or by taxi for newbies to the island.

The bride and groom have travelled the world and are food aficionados. A pedestrian menu would simply not suit this sophisticated couple.

We started with appetizers of guacamole, fish ceviche and poblano chilies wrapped in bacon.

The guacamole was lightened up with the clever additions of tart green apple and slivers of peppers. There were also delectable little balls of deep fried cream cheese adorning the plate.

The fish ceviche was a nice twist from the shrimp and mixed ceviche that we typically order at the shoreline restaurants. The vegetable crudité also lightened it up and provided an alternative to scooping up the ceviche with a taco chip.

The stuffed chilies were over the top decadent and although I could only manage a taste, the complex savoury flavours were much appreciated.

To whet our whistles while we transitioned from appetizers to entrees, two signature drinks were served. I chose the Coconut Frozen Margarita which seemed like a heck of a good idea until we sat through 5 island-wide power shortages and the blenders in the bar were of no use.

The bride and groom allowed us to select between the following entrée choices: Coconut Shrimp,

Chicken Stuffed Chilies including rice and pico de gallo ingredients,

Tamarind fish, Steak Tacos (which I didn’t get a photo of)

and my selection of fish stuffed with shrimp in a pablano cream sauce on creamy mashed potatoes. “Heaven, I’m in heaven…”

The evening was a sticky one and the fans would konk out with the power. But everyone were troupers and stayed on through the sweaty and tearful speeches. We are a mushy bunch all right-exactly how I like my peeps to be.

Kath’s quote: “Tears shed for another person are not a sign of weakness. They are a sign of a pure heart.”  ― José N. Harris

Love never fails.