Having reached the mid-point in the 2010 Miami Spice dinner promotion, you may be casting about for unusual place to try. With this in mind, I checked out Asia de Cuba, located in the South Beach Mondrian hotel, where Chef Joseph Maynard is winning fans because of the unique type of cuisine this upscale hotel offers.
With more than 100 restaurants throughout Miami Dade County participating in Miami Spice, the competition to choose a favorite is stiff, and I can't pretend to have sampled enough eateries to make a valid decision. In fact, when I dined at Asia de Cuba, I was tempted to hang up my fork, or chopstick, as in this case. This would not be fair, though, but, as a compromise, I did decide to devote a full column to this restaurant, where the food and the decor is equally mind-blowing.
Miami Spice is the two month restaurant promotion when, during the months of August and September, participating restaurants offer specially designed three-course meals for a discounted prix fixe price of $22 for lunch and $35 for dinner, tax and tip excluded. The promotion helps restaurants fill tables during the traditionally slow summer months by enticing diners to try eateries they otherwise might consider too pricey.
In order to participate, the restaurants must be willing to deeply discount their regular fare and Asia de Cuba fits the bill perfectly. For instance, the dinner menu that features appetizers ranging in price from $19 to $31, entrees from $26 to $79 and side dishes coming in at $10-$12. But it isn't only the food that makes Asia de Cuba a good deal; for the price of a Miami Spice meal, you also get to enjoy a most flamboyant setting, even for South Beach, a place that is synonymous with over-the-top. Asia de Cuba is located inside the Mondrian, with fairy tale surroundings as envisioned by Dutch wunderkind Marcel Wanders. If Wanders isn't plopping over-sized lamps in the pool, he's creating a stunning staircase that seems to hang in the air as if by magic.
As a restaurant reviewer, it is my firm contention that the surroundings of an eatery should not overshadow what is on the plate, but the Mondrian's eye-popping decor is very persuasive. Still, the food here is not only beautifully presented as well, but is also delicious, even though the blend of ingredients strains credulity, even for multicultural Miami. According to Chef Joseph Maynard, who recently came from the Delano to take over the kitchen here, Asia de Cuba's food is "designed to embrace the thought of an Asian person coming into Cuba and having to recreate their food with the ingredients found there." Why? After dining here, you would be tempted to ask only, "why not?" (See the video for the interview with Chef Maynard).
Consider the appetizers. Tunapica features picadillo style tuna tartare, mingled with black currants and Spanish olives, and accented with wonton crisps. In the restaurant's signature Calamari Salad, rings of lightly fried squid fraternize with chayote and banana. And the Braised Beef Spring Roll features deliciously Cuban-spiced beef and black bean papaya salsa rolled into a crispy skin.
Among the dinner dishes I tried, the Tropical Hoisin Roasted Duck was the standout, because the meat was permeated throughout with spices that obviously came from a marinade, not just the sauce. The side dishes I sampled were both hefty in size and unusual; the Chinese Longbeans studded with lots of chicharones, or Cuban pork, and Fried Rice topped with a large dollop of guacamole-style avocado. An unusual combo to be sure, but it worked.
For Miami Spice lunch, Asia de Cuba offers small portions, but you get to choose several, and mix and match them, as they come served in an oversized bento box. For dinner, the menu is designed for sharing; for instance, parties of two choose from two appetizers, one entree, two sides and dessert. Sharing one entree did not leave us hungry; the portions are generous.
For me, the best part of Miami Spice is that these prix fixe meals always include dessert. At Asia de Cuba for lunch, dessert is a rich Five Spice Flan, drizzled with orange compote and served with an almond Florentine cookie. So, if you have a sweet tooth, and you are trying to decide whether to head here for lunch or dinner, dessert will definitely tip the scale (in more ways than one). For dinner, there are four choices, including the flan. My dining companion and I shared the Coconut Invasion, a big-enough-for-two-at-least hunk of Coconut Layer Cake. The kitchen was out of coconut ice cream that night, but the creamy made-on-the-premises vanilla was nothing to quibble about. And, although we didn't taste it, the Cuban Opera, a chocolate layer cake layered with coffee mousse looked delectable, and the couple devouring it seemed very happy.
Asia de Cuba is a place for the adventurous diner; avocado topped fried rice, for instance, may not appeal to everyone. So if you are looking for a place to take your cousin Harry, who is a meat-and-potatoes guy, you might want to make another choice. There are plenty of less challenging, but delicious restaurants participating in Miami Spice. Also, be sure to check the I Love Miami Spice web site for hour limitations and menu details.
I found dining at Asia de Cuba frustrating because, when the clock strikes midnight on September 30, Miami Spice, and these reduced prices, will be over for another year. Still, I suspect I'll find it impossible to stay away until August, something that Asia de Cuba, like all the Miami Spice restaurants, is banking on.
For more info: Miami Spice Asia de Cuba
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