Samadhi, Barrio Escalante, Costa Rica

Samadhi is perhaps the most unique and impressive cafe/bar/restaurant I've ever been to. On the edge of San Jose's gastronomic neighbourhood, Barrio Escalante, it has a vegan menu, is full of beautiful wall art and has the most unusual entrance, full of intrigue, which reminds you that a night can be filled with all sorts of possibilities.

An enormous, shiny stiletto is the canvas for a brightly coloured mural in the background, in front is a Japanese style pebble garden, with its fine gravel raked out neatly around small cairns of balanced stones... and a fire burns from a cubist podium. Tendrils of vines hang from the ceiling as you enter, and you know you've left behind the streets of Costa Rica's capital.

One problem. My friend and I didn't realise it was a vegan menu, so when her grilled chicken skewers came out, neither of us had realised that they were a fairly inadequate chicken replacement product! I was delighted with my asparagus and béchamel pizza and the drinks were great... but she was left a little hungry after a big day.