Revolucion de Cuba // Food Review

THE GEN: Chances are you’ve sashayed around the bar, enlivened by the Cuban tempos of Friday night’s salsa band, or have been imbued with the kind of rhythm one can only attain by drinking copious amounts of signature rum at Rev de Cuba, but have you eaten there? I’ve had first-hand experience of Cuban food, and it seems after the rum bottle’s empty, they’ll turn to whatever sustenance will maintain their existence. If black beans and rice will stem the tide of a hangover, that’ll do, so it’s good to know that the Rev chain actually borrows its drink from Cuba, but food influence comes from the more palatable Me-heeee-co.

ATMOSPHERE: We hit Rev de Cuba – or Cooba Revs as Norfolk has deemed it be – on a freezing Monday lunch. Just ruminate on those two factors a sec: freezing, Monday. Vile prepositions, the both of them. Amazingly, the warm viva la vida attitude, décor and soundtrack of the bar thawed out even the most British parts of my body.

TO START: Sweet Potato and Chorizo Croquetes // Chilli Releños There was once a time, before jalapeños became the ubiquitous measure of manhood, piled high on Subway sandwiches, that we didn’t know what jalapeños were… worse still, jalapeño poppers sounded like ingesting a mild nitrate in a Spanish disco. Nowadays though, we ladle them on to pizzas, in paninis, we can’t get enough of them, and when Rev de Cuba’s own version of the popper combines juicy, hot pepper, soothing cream cheese and a breadcrumb crunch, I’m made. The croquettes waved the flag wildly for sweet potatoes, so often outdone by their white equivalent, but with added sweetness from sweetcorn, it could have done with more chorizo throughout. Not that it stopped me wolfing down the breaded snacks though… mmm, breaded snacks. 

THE MAIN EVENT: Croquetes de Pescado Light Plate // Chicken Burrito Burritos are one of the bar’s staples, and it’s easy to know why when the bloated parcel contains all the flavours of Mexico - guacamole, sour cream, salsa, rice - and is then surrounded, like a Mexican shrine, with further toppings and titbits. The freshness of pico de gallo (the dry onion / tomato mix you often see as a garnish) offset the robust glueyness of the refried beans, producing the kind of dense mouthful that makes your tongue go “THACK”, in a really satisfying way. The Croquetes listed prawns, cod and salmon as its ingredients, which were all present and correct, but having three things in such small quantities amounts to nowt – better off picking one and going to town on it. For once, the salad was more tantalising in taste than its headliner; with creamy tequila dip and fresh edamame, it was zingy and exciting.