Yummy de Cuba

So Mark and I decided to sample the pre-theatre Menu at Asia de Cuba (thank you Top Table), an Asian-Cuban fusion restaurant (if you didn't already realise that from the name). For those of you interested, we went to see War Horse at the New London Theatre,  which is an absolutely wonderful production and highly recommended - timely as well, as the film comes out this week in the UK!


Hidden in the corner of the very stylish St Martin's Lane Hotel, the restaurant itself has great ambiance, a sort of living room / member's club feel with old books and pictures on several large columns throughout the room. So not hotelly at all (unlike Theo Randall's restaurant at the Intercontinental, but that's a different story).

We went for the two course meal option (£19 on Top Table), limited to a selection of 4-5 dishes on each course. The limited menu didn't matter at all though - both Mark and I went for the restaurant's signature dish, Tunapica, which is chopped raw tuna, mixed with finely chopped olives, grated coconut, dried blackcurrants, sesame oil, soy sauce, chopped almonds and lime. This on three won ton style crisps, with a small sliced cucumber salad on the side (with a lime type dressing). It was absolutely wonderful and perfectly sized for a starter. 

We accompanied this with alcohol-free cocktails (we're giving up booze until the end of February...see how that works out!). I had an Oriental Rocket (fresh lychees with lemongrass, ginger / ginger ale and lime juice,which was yum!) and he had an Apple de Cuba (fresh apple with mint, lime and sugar - a bit too appley for me).


For main course, I had the grilled strip steak (rare), with ginger chickpea fries, melon slaw and citrus ginger soy. The steak was coated with what tasted like parmesan, but clearly wasn't, and was perfectly cooked. The chickpea fries, which I was initially sceptical of, were quite nice, if a little tasteless. This was accompanied by a side dish of wok sauteed Asian and Caribbean vegetables (mini corn, mange tout, carrots and something unidentified which tasted pretty good) - lovely if a little over seasoned with soy sauce.

Mark had the sweet soy wild salmon, served on a bed of sauteed Asian mushrooms and topped with cucumber escabeche. Apparently the salmon was nice,  also a little over soy sauced - but the mushrooms were amazing. Given my weird love of mushrooms, I had a fair bit of food envy going on.

On a final note - the service at Asia de Cuba is brilliant. Our waiter was attentive, but not too much so, chatty and down to earth. So - all in all, we'll definitely be going back here - but looking at the prices, I think it will probably be on another Top Table menu!