Cafe La Vida

キューバサンドを初めて食べたが、肉のスモークの風味？がとてもよくてチーズもたっぷりで美味しかった！

I didn’t realize Mojita cane to be in Cuba, so it was a no-brainer to try one at Cafe La Vida. Among those in the list, I’ve never seen Chocolate as an added flavor - the chocolate flavor was only a hint to add to the pretty strong mint flavor. This was certainly one of the best mojitos I have ever had!

We made the mistake of ordering Fried Yucca (Cassava) with our Cuban Sandwich not because it was not good, but just because we didn’t know the sandwich was also cooked oily (to the point it tasted a bit “fried”) so we were having too much oily food. I wish we tried Yuca con Mojo instead. Nonetheless, both the fried yucca and sandwich were good.
The table beside ours had Black Beans Soup and after tasting it, decided to immediately order more - must have been very good; would love to try that as well too!

Service was not bad at all, though we slightly felt that we were being asked to order more. They weren’t pushy at all, but just that recommendations were repeated a few more times than we felt necessary.

The restaurant is in the basement and with nice interiors and a small stage for a live band. There were a few tables in addition to a broad bar counter.

I was anxious to try this place, but ended up being a little disappointed. I had the Cuban sandwich which was good, but a bit greasy. What bothered me the most was the incredibly long wait for service. A large group that came in after me were served before me and seemed like they were getting good service, so maybe it was because I was sitting by myself. The guy next to me was alone and ordered takeout and also seemed discouraged at having such a long wait. It really wasn't crowded until the group came in after me so I can't figure out why the poor service. I guess solo diners don't get the same treatment. Also the food on their website looked incredible but I didn't see a lot of those choices on the lunch menu; it seemed to be more limited. While I can appreciate that they might take more time to make things fresh, being there over 2 hours for just a sandwich seems an excessively long wait. I wasn't planning on spending my day there. I also asked if I could have a frozen margarita and the waitress asked me isn't that more for evening? Well, I guess. But it was a hot day out. Is it a problem? But, since it seemed too complicated, I settled for some juice instead. Even after I finished I had to wait probably another half an hour for someone to notice that I had finished and ask if I wanted anything else. The restaurant wasn't full and it is very small inside, so I can't figure out why the poor service. I'm glad there are good reviews and other diners had better experiences than mine, but as for me, I think I will find another place to go for Cuban food in the future.

2020年02月01日
広尾散歩通りにあるキューバ人シェフが手がける本格キューバ料理店「Cafe La Vida」
ランチメニューより、「日替りキューバンプレート」1,300円+税
スープ・サラダ付。
当日は、キューバンポークのフリカッセとキューバ風黒豆ポタージュ (フリホーレス・ネグロス) &キューバ風ご飯のハーフ。
キューバンポークのフリカッセは、様々な香味野菜・スパイス・白ワイン・トマトソースで一緒に煮込んだもの。スパイスがしっかり効いており、肉も柔らかく仕上がっていてご飯が進む美味さ。
黒豆ポタージュは、黒豆を豚肉・ベーコン・ハーブ・香味野菜と一緒に煮込んだキューバの定番料理。
黒カレー的な見た目だが辛くも甘くもなく、日本人の味覚にも合う素朴な美味さ。
スープはチキンスープが供されたが、これまたスパイスが効いており、飲むというよりじっくり食べる系で味わい深い。