Pura Vida Cocina: Fun & accessible Mexican hawker food for the health-conscious

Mexican food isn’t something you’d  commonly find at most hawker centres, but Pura Vida Cocina is looking to change the game. Newly opened at Woodleigh Village Hawker Centre in September, the hawker stall is all about flavourful and dynamic Mexican flavours. 

You’ll find options such as XL tacos,  DIY burrito bowls, freshly made nachos and rice dishes with toppings such as grilled beef and spiced chicken. The brand also caters to the health-conscious, with a focus on minimal frying, carb-free options and a variety of vegetables in its dishes. 

How it started 

Pura Vida Cocina is the brainchild of Teo Kok Pin, along with his wife Wong Min, both 36. Kok Pin has been a chef in the F&B industry for over 15 years. 

After graduating from Shatec in 2009, he worked in various restaurants and hotels around town, particularly Mandarin Oriental (where he met his now-wife, Wong Min), Capella Hotel Singapore, Wine Connection and Chico Loco — where he was head chef.

As for Wong Min, she’d also worked in the hotel industry prior to this, and recently left her job in the investment sector to join Kok Pin’s venture.

Kok Pin says he started the hawker stall out of a desire to return to his first love — cooking. 

“Working in a culinary management position in the corporate world involved a lot of competition, survival tactics and politics,” he adds. “I spent more time managing people and reporting to my directors, rather than cooking.” 

While working at Chico Loco, he had the opportunity to explore Mexican ingredients and flavours and developed a deep passion for the cuisine. 

So when it came to opening his own stall, the choice of cuisine was a no-brainer. 

Conceptualising Pura Vida Cocina’s menu 

Kok Pin spent around six months conceptualising the menu for Pura Vida Cocina, beginning in early 2024.

The menu is divided into the following categories: Mexican rice dishes (from S$6.50) , DIY burrito bowls (from S$5.50), XL tacos (from S$6), nachos for sharing (from S$7.50) and small bites such as corn salad and churros (from S$3). 

One of Kok Pin’s main priorities was a focus on healthy cuisine. “There is a lack of healthier and unique options in hawker centres,” he muses. “Most of the western food out there is not that healthy — deep-fried, with side dishes such as french fries or onion rings.”

To cater to the health-conscious, Kok Pin insists on keeping frying to a minimum for most dishes, with the exception being the corn chips — used in Pura Vida’s nachos — as well as its churros. 

The DIY burrito bowl is designed for health enthusiasts too, with the option to choose from a variety of carbs, protein (such as grilled beef or spiced chicken thigh), vegetables such as purple cabbage and carrot, as well as black beans. 

Those on a keto-diet can also choose to eliminate the carbs entirely.

Customers can also enjoy low carb options as side dishes — for example, its roasted parmesan cauliflower (S$6), served with cheese, garlic, paprika, and curry mayo sauce.

“We included this as a healthier alternative to sides such as cheese fries,” says Kok Pin. 

While these healthier options are popular with diet-conscious millennials, Pura Vida Cocina looks to attract the older generation as well, especially with the affordable pulled chicken curry and rice (S$3.20). 

“The older generation may be sceptical of nachos and tacos,  but a dish like curry rice is something they are familiar with,” says Kok Pin. “The curry is cooked with tomato sauce and not spicy as well, so it caters well to their taste preferences.” 

Given that Mexican cuisine is all about sharing and bringing people together, Kok Pin has also incorporated nachos with toppings such as curry chicken (S$8.50) and carne asada (grilled beef, S$12) into his menu. 

What we tried

We sampled two dishes from the Mexican rice category: The spiced chicken ($7.50) and grilled beef ($14.50). Both come with corn, salad and sunny-side up egg on the side. There’s also the option to replace the regular white rice with short-grain brown rice.

Of these, our favourite was the spiced chicken. The chicken is marinated twice a day — once in the morning, to be served in the late afternoon, and then again in the late afternoon for the next day. 

Chicken thigh is used and the skin removed, with the meat being slow-cooked until tender.

As for the sauce, it consists of a blend of tomatillo & onion spices, including paprika and black pepper.

The sauce definitely stood out to us: It was well-balanced with the right amount of flavour and acidity, and paired well with the rice. We devoured the spiced chicken as well, finding it tender and delectable.

Another popular option is Mexican rice with grilled beef (also known as carne asada). Before grilling, the beef is marinated with a blend of spices, including oregano, pepper and salt, for at least 12 hours.

We enjoyed the grilled beef too, but observed that it did tend to get slightly tough, when left out for too long. 

We were also impressed by the generous portion of the carne asada XL taco (S$12). This large soft-shell taco comes slightly charred and with a generous portion of grilled beef cubes, vegetables, sriracha glaze sauce and corn chips at the side. 

When folded and eaten, the taco was juicy and satisfying with tender grilled beef. The portion was definitely hearty enough to satisfy a hungry individual, too.

“At other Mexican eateries, tacos are typically around five to six inches in length, so you still feel hungry after eating a two-piece set,” says Kok Pin. “That’s why I made an XL option that is filling and packed with ingredients.”

Finally, we had the chicken curry nachos (S$8.50). The corn chips are fried fresh daily, with a generous topping of cheese and dressing (comprising salsa verde, ranch dressing and tomato salsa).The generous amount of corn chips makes this perfect for sharing with two to three diners. 

Making Mexican food accessible for all

With Pura Vida Cocina, Kok Pin hopes to make Mexican food accessible to the hawker crowd. Acknowledging that Mexican food at restaurants is typically on the pricier side, he tries his best to keep prices at the stall affordable. Most dishes on the menu are kept under S$10 (with the exception of the Mexican rice with grilled beef at S$14.50 and the carne asada nachos at S$12). 

“We negotiate with a few suppliers to get the best prices possible,  but it’s been a challenge as the prices of raw ingredients keep rising,” says Kok Pin.

Nevertheless, Kok Pin’s passion and desire to introduce more customers to Mexican cuisine keeps him going. He hopes to expand his brand in future as well, if investment opportunities arise. 

“I hope to bring more clean and healthy Mexican cuisine to the hawker scene or possibly shopping malls in future, so that consumers have more access to healthier food island-wide.”

For the latest on the food scene, read our article on this nasi lemak stall at Holland Village that’s said to be a dupe of the popular KL Village Nasi Lemak, and try TCM-inspired “bubble tea” at Bedok. 

Pura Vida Cocina at Woodleigh is on the GrabFood delivery service and offers free delivery (up to S$3 off) with GrabUnlimited.  

Enjoy up to 50% off when you dine with GrabFood Dine Out.

Alternatively, book a ride to Pura Vida Cocina at Woodleigh.