Asia de Cuba

So this past Saturday the misses and I had a bit of a 'Spa Day' at Harrods. Actually it was just a shave and a trim for me but that's just fine. Of course all that pampering can be exhausting and you work up quite a appetite, i needed dinner plans for after. So I asked a friend of ours for a restaurant suggestions, since he and his wife make it a point to go out and experience new places to dine in London. I chose to check out one of there top picks which ended up being a restaurant called Asia de Cuba.

         

Of course from the name you can tell what type of cuisine is served. Asia de Cuba does a very nice job of combining both ingredients and cooking styles of Asia and Cuba. Flavors combine and switch from the zing and richness of Cuba and the freshness of a variety of Asian styles. Portions are definitely "Texas Size", which for those of you who don't know what that means, it is a reference to the saying that 'everything is bigger in Texas'. Hence the portions are huge and sharing is the key to ordering dishes at Asia de Cuba. We shared an appetizer, the Calamari Salad 'Asia De Cuba', which was delicious. Crispy calamari, hearts of palm, sweet banana chunks, cashews, crisp greens and a sweet orange/sesame dressing. Very good and very big. For our main we shared the pork spare ribs with pineapple and sides of plantain fried rice w/ avocado salsa and wokked Chinese long beans (sample menu). All very tasty and the pork with meltingly tender. Along with great food they offer a tasty beverage menu with some creative cocktails featuring ,of course, rum. The bar features the largest selection of sipping rums in London. A nice wine selections is available too. Ambiance is lively and the decor is highlighted by their towering 'art columns'.

   

All in all I would definitely recommend this restaurant for a couples night out and especially for a place to meet friends so you can share a variety of their innovative dishes.