HEY caramba, it’s not every food review you come away with a pair of maraccas and a natty straw hat. Perhaps the raucous build-up to Christmas, when all around you are in Bacardi-fuelled Havana heaven, was the wrong time to check out a rum bar’s culinary offering, but TOM boldly went – and had a great time.
Revolucion de Cuba on Peter Street recently celebrated its second birthday and has segued straight into the festive works party season. As it says on the front of the cute little newspaper-style menu the colour of the old Sports Pink with the masthead Cantina: “Feliz Navidad, Cubans.”
Somewhere along the way a new menu has been signed off. Nothing revolucionary (sic), just a few canny tweaks.
The food has never been the main attraction. That has to be the amazing specialist rum offering and cocktails with a rum twist, coupled with an infectious feelgood vibe and riotous live music (Son of a Preacher Man and slide-guitar riffs on our visit). Still some gringos, in the same target audience, may be lured away to a different Caribbean rhythm over at Turtle Bay.
There it’s all jerk chicken and goat curry, here it’s a hybrid Cuban/Spanish menu with more than a smattering of Mexican. Mojito meets Burrito at £10 a throw. Eclectically nachos, tortillas, taquitos, empanadas jostle with Cajun cream mushrooms and, leaping the Atlantic, albondigas, patatas bravas, calamari and paella. All best ordered in (generous) tapas form at around £5 a dish. Is it any more than cheap and cheerful? Not really. Invention usually comes in the form of rum mayo, rum sauce or Daiquiri glazed chicken, among the mains.
After some fine sourdough with Cajun butter and tortilla chips (natch) with spot-on guacamole we stuck to tapas with mixed results. Flabby Gambas Pil Pil were underpowered – as was the garlic aioli with the Serrano ham croquetas. Sea bass ceviche was fine but dominated by its large pillow of crushed sweet potato.
Much better were the quesadillas filled with black beans and spinach and an authentic Cuban dish, Ropa Vieja – pulled lamb cooked in a rich tomato and pepper sauce. For £9 as a main it comes with black beans and rice. We took it in tacos, accompanied by rum mayo and a slaw.
After a Hacienda Negroni snifter, with the meal I drank a glass of Chilean Viognier and a glass of Argentine Malbec, both fine from a basic wine list that isn’t the point. Rum and fun is the point and Revolucion de Cuba offers those in abundance. We could have stayed till 2pm closing time and really hit the premium rums, but then I wouldn’t have had the energy to write this. Excuse me while I shake my maraccas.
11 Peter Street, M2 5QR. Tel: 0161 826 8266. www.revoluciondecuba.com
