The revamped menu at Asia de Cuba looked intriguing and full of fantastic fusions combining Latin vibrancy with Asian flavour set in the glorious Covent Garden area. Was it any good? Time to find out...
Ideal for:
Dinner with a quirky difference
Dessert lovers
Date night
Ambience & Décor
The quirky, unique interior certainly has the wow factor. Random assortment of books wrapped around one support pillar, arbitrary hanging photos encasing another and Art-deco Cuban posters transporting diners to Havana. The mismatched furniture added to the bonkers setting but this distinct, dishevelled interior all came together bizarrely. A room you will not forget. The diners creating a hushed vibe.
Service
The waiter, Mario, was fantastic as he had plenty of gusto and verve, and was knowledgeable about the menu, giving us advice on what order to consume dishes. He earned his tip.
Food
The Signature Menu (£60 per person) provides an amuse bouche, 3 starters, 2 mains and 3 desserts between two. The amuse bouche of Grouper Ceviche with spicy mojo Amarillo sauce, sofrito crudo and radish was perfectly cured in citrus and good flavour pairings.
The Casabe Cakes starter (left) had Guava BBQ pork, onion mojo and fresno pepper. The cake was light and flavoursome. Guava and BBQ pork seem peculiar but the homage to Cuba is a culinary masterstroke. Sweet, savour and heat. Perfect trifecta and a fantastic way to start the meal
The Crispy Calamari Salad with banana, chayote, cashews, heart of palm and orange-sesame vinaigrette (right) was my first taste of the Cuban plantain, chayote. Fruits with calamari does not mix, and the artichoke-like texture of heart of palm was a further oddity. The orange vinaigrette was strong, and left its unsavoury mark. This dish was as confusing as the décor and did not work for me.
The image is a disservice, but the Tunapica Tartare (left) was the best starter. Spanish olives, currants, toasted coconut, almond and avocado ceviche served in a taco. Bitterness from the olives, sweetness from the currants, savoury from the coconut and almond, with the hit of sharpness emanating off the ceviche. Perfect flavour combinations in the right proportions.
The main of Seven Spice Half Chicken with snow peas, shiitake mushroom, creamy congri, maduros and pan jus saw the Asian flavours overpower the Cuban ones. The moist chicken was livened up by the sweet jus with the earthy tones from the winter veg adjusting the flavour balance. The Maduros is a Cuban fried banana that felt superfluous given how balanced the flavours and textures already were. The portion size was good value for money.
Where the chicken and rice was a hearty crowd pleaser, the Cumin Dusted Tuna with white bean purée, chorizo salsa, tatsoi and garlic-sesame vinaigrette (right) was more refined. Visually, the dish was stunning. Whilst the tuna tartare was delicious, the purée was bland and the tatsoi-vinaigrette mix left a destructive bitter taste. I really wanted the taste of chorizo but got none. Sadly, this dish was only a pretty face.
For sweet and decadent relief, first up was the Thai coconut and lemongrass flan with fruit salad (left). The flan was cooked perfectly having great texture and consistency. Lemongrass was not overpowering, and the coconut was equally subtle. The fruit component added much-needed natural freshness, explosion of colour and vibrancy. The whole dish was so light and more-ish.
Contrasting the light flan was the heavier doughnut (right). Drizzled with sugar, cinnamon and caramel sauce, it was tasty. The highlight of an already impressive dessert offering was the Guava Whipped Layered Cheesecake (right). Not only aesthetically stunning, the wafers were crispy, the guava cream was smooth and rich in flavour. Citric desserts are a personal favourite and this was a fantastic one.
Overall the food was of a high quality, two blemishes away from perfect. Given the portion sizes, food quality and sticking to the Asian-Latino fusion, £60 was a tad expensive. The prevalent use of plantain will be hit-and-miss but what will not be are the sublime desserts.
The Signature Menu is the best Asia de Cuba has, and whilst not perfect, is a solid A rating.
Photos of Asia de Cuba and more can be found on Instagram here.
Final grade: A
Final comment: Latin vibrancy meets Asian flavours to create truly unique dishes.
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