Miami Beach

For us avid travelers, the ultimate birthday celebration is of course abroad. At least to me! This year, my đẹp trai gets to blow his candles in Miami Beach, USA. It’s a great city with architectural influences of Mediterranean revival, Classic art deco and Neoclassic. Enriched with contrasty pastel-colour buildings and accessorized with 1940-1950s cars, the streets of Miami Beach hold a rich Latin-American culture that gives us vibes of New Cuba.

Miami Beach, Florida

☀️ | 26°C
📍 Hilton Bentley Miami South Beach

As Canadians, we enjoy a winter escape to the sunny side of the world. On the occasion of celebrating my man’s special day, we flew to Miami to unwind at the beach, enjoy city activities, and explore Cuban food and culture.

Our stay was located on Ocean Drive, the perfect spot that faces the beach and is very accessible to downtown Miami Beach, downtown Miami, Little Havana, Wynwood, Brickell, and more popular neighbourhoods. It was flawless for our first visit; being able to wake up in front of the ocean, spend our daytime in the city across the bridge, and enjoy our dining experiences in the evening.

Most importantly, we have to talk about the food scene! We indulged ourselves with Cuban cuisine from day one. Having more familiarity with Latin American culture, I was looking forward to experience it with my đẹp trai through Miami’s point of view. Previously, my man wasn’t interested in my homemade empanadas…ever. He didn’t even know what the dish was until he had his first bite of this deep-fried patty stuffed with goodness in Miami. He wanted empanadas every single day there. And now he wants it at home too. Outside of the empanadas, we tried delicious traditional Cuban dishes like ropa vieja, Cuban sandwich, lechón asada (roasted piglet), and fried patacones (fried plantains).

Las Olas Cafe

Our first stop was at this local cafe that offers an encyclopedic menu of Latin American food: a variety of empanadas, tamales, cassava, plantains, their combos that serve rice, beans, and meat specialized per Latin American country. We had just settled in Miami, and our appetite was very welcoming, but we couldn’t stomach all the food. We had an empanada each, shared a roasted pork sandwich, and a salchipapa (fries, chorizo, sauce). We also shared one of my favourite natural juices: sugarcane! It was such a mouthwatering lunch, and we would come back here in a heartbeat.

Alma Cubana

Located in the Gabriel Hotel, this restaurant has a nice terrace on Ocean Drive. It’s ideal for a break from walking; to enjoy Cuban food and great clientele service. This place also serves brunch. We received a huge menu with brunch items on one side and lunch items on the other side. We were here for lunch, and I ended up ordering a comforting breakfast dish because my eyes always go to the authentic or traditional section of a menu. I really enjoyed my dish called ‘Mi Pueblo’ that has rice, black beans, roasted pork, fried egg and avocado slices all together. It was delicious. My foodie partner had the Cuban sandwich, which is simply a must. Let’s not forget that we shared empanadas for starters.

Marabú

We visited Brickell City Centre for…food. I mean priority first, right? It was so strange how we ended up there. I couldn’t recall anymore what was the point of our plan for the day, but we visited this shopping centre by starting with a good Cuban lunch at Marabú. We started with…empanadas as tradition. I then had a dish called ‘Tasajo over tamal en cazuela’; a cured short rib served over corn puree, roasted peppers and Cuban-style tasajo glaze. My man had camarones al ajillo (shrimp sauteed in garlic, olive oil and white wine). It was a very nice lunch followed by shopping (because we were at the mall!).

Sala’o Restaurant & Bar

A Cuban experience wouldn’t be complete without some music! Within our limited stay, we had such a fun evening in Little Havana celebrating my man’s birthday in a lively environment of salsa and rumba live music, dancers, and a singing crowd. We were lucky to enjoy Cuban food once again. And guess what? Empanadas for starters, always. I had a lovely dish of fried red snapper while my beau had a nice churrasco (grilled steak).

Españolita

We may have cheated a tiny bit by celebrating my man’s birthday every single day we had in Miami. It was a birthday long weekend for him. If it was me, it would and it has been a birthday month. What can I say, I love celebrating and share love and joy with my loved one. That’s exactly how we kicked off his birthday week here at this restaurant on the Española Way, an iconic historic inspired by Spanish and Mediterranean Revival designs. We enjoyed a Spanish dinner on the terrace: jamón ibérico (Iberian ham) for starters, lobster and seafood paella for two, and a nice bottle of Ribera del Duero. The waitress and I planned a surprise birthday song when it came to dessert time. She and her colleagues all came out singing and clapping hands. The waitress fed a churro to my man, right to his mouth. Surprise indeed, even for me. Nonetheless, I filmed the moment, and it was a wild evening and we’re both all about having fun in life.

El Salón

Speaking of suprises, we somehow found this gem in South Beach: a speakeasy right next to Españolita Way. We had to walk through a couple of doors before we reached this hidden bar. It was an overall nice experience, calm and intimate. The cocktails were perfectly dosed.

Our culinary experience definitely had a Cuban fever, but we did enjoy other cuisines as well, such as a Michelin-star omakase.

The Den

Hidden inside of The Marriott’s Azabu restaurant, this intimate area welcomes 16 seats around the chef’s station. Serving 10 carefully designed dishes with sake pairing, we tasted the most amazing flavours ever. Freshness of the sashimi and umami. I already love Japanese cuisine and fell more in love with Japanese culinary methods that evening. Simplicity and singularity. Our waitress explained carefully every dish and sake to us. We took photos with the chef and sous-chefs at the end. It was unforgettable.

Chef Creole

You bet. We visited Little Haiti mainly for food at Chef Creole where we had a pleasant and tasty lunch outdoors. We had oxtail, fish filet, fried plantains, pikliz, rice and beans. We then enjoyed a nice stroll in the neighbourhood until we arrived at the Little Haiti Cultural Complex. It’s a nice centre where their square gives on their outdoor stage and paintings on the wall. This area connects two buildings; one that is the front desk, art gallery, and conference rooms. The other one has a theatre, activity rooms, and marketplace.

The city was colourful in many ways: architectural-style buildings and homes, rich food and hospitality, and modern art.

Wynwood

Curated by Goldman Global Arts, selected artworks from muralists, graffiti writers and sculptors around the world frame today’s mural museum. Every mural was an astonishing piece of work and their colours blended well with each of the walls there. Our highlight was Leon Keer’s 3D reset button artwork. He’s known for his use of surrealism and play with optical illusion in his street art. His works are also showcased temporarily all around the world.