Cuba

La Cubuna

We decided to fulfill our search for Cuban food at the 92 Ossington Avenue location of La Cubana.  We went in with very low expectations as our primary experience with Cuban food was a visit to the country where we found the food to be bland and lacking diversity.  We had food both on a resort and at several venues throughout Havana, none of them memorable. This is largely due to the United States’ decades long trade embargo with Cuba. Our visit to La Cubuna totally changed our opinion of Cuban food; I guess not being subject to an embargo really makes a difference! 

Like many other Caribbean countries, Cuban food is a mix of of Spanish, African and local cuisine based on a foundation of rice and beans.  Pork, chicken and fish seems to be the main sources of protein and popular vegetables include plantain, yucca, onions, lettuce and tomatoes.  We started our meal with the Jicama salad, a green salad that in addition to jicama included radish, apple and cucumber, and the avocado salad, also a green salad featuring hearts of palm, orange and avocado.  Both salads were served with zesty, tangy, citrusy tasting dressings.  Although fairly simple salads, the combination of flavours and textures made the salads a wonderful start to our meal and awakened our taste buds to the possibilities of Cuban cuisine.  We bypassed the sandwiches, which were essentially the same as the mains between pieces of bread, and selected the pork  shoulder, guava bbq beef ribs and the achiote roasted chicken.  Again, we surprised with the bright, tasty flavours of the Cuban cuisine we sampled.  The mains, or Cuban plates as they are called on the menu, not surprisingly, come with rice and beans, fried plantains and a wonderful accompaniment of a red cabbage slaw.  The slaw’s dressing is the same taste family as the other salads we had begun our meal with and served as a delicious, juxtaposed flavour combination with the deep, rich flavours of the roasted meats.  There was no comparison with the vibrant food we had a La Cubana to the lack lustre food we had experienced in Cuba.  The only welcome comparison between La Cubana and food in Cuba is the accessible prices.  None of the main dishes is over $20 and all of the sandwiches are around $10, which is a deal in my books!  How often can you enjoy an interesting, tasty and plentiful meal for two people for under $50.  La Cubana also had a range of Cuban inspired cocktails, which are especially lovely on a grey and overcast  or humid and balmy summer Toronto day; drinks for all seasons.  For these reasons, we look forward to another trip to La Cubana and a celebration of all the great ingredients we have access to in Canada.