Asia de Cuba is a unique addition to Abu Dhabi’s dining scene

One of the most anticipated restaurants to open in Abu Dhabi, Asia de Cuba, is here, offering cuisine unlike anything the capital has seen before.

For the next couple of weeks lucky diners are getting quite the exclusive with the company’s third international location: the debut of its new menu. New York patrons won’t be able to try these dishes until the restaurant reopens later this month, while those in London will have to wait even longer as its venue undergoes a complete facelift. Dubai will have to wait until a fourth Asia de Cuba opens later this year.

The restaurant, located within the shiny new Nation Riviera Beach Club on the Corniche, immediately impresses with its large beachside terrace offering clear views of the water, complete with beachside cabanas, a gorgeous bar and colourful lamps. The interior is decorated in soothing tones, mixed up with luxe, curved booths and copper-shaded lighting. But we all know it’s the food that will make or break a new restaurant in this city – and this one delivers.

Cuban cuisine is about so much more than black beans and rice, with influences from both Spain and China. The Chinatown in Havana, Cuba, is one of the oldest in the Americas.

Jeffrey Chodorow, the American restaurateur who started Asia de Cuba in New York in 1997, grew up in Miami, Florida – a city with a large Cuban population. “I wanted a menu that reflected Cuba’s multicultural heritage by infusing Asian ingredients and techniques in a way I thought a modern knowledgeable Cuban chef would, if given the opportunity,” he has explained.

Original article by Stacie Overton Johnson

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Asia de Cuba is a unique addition to Abu Dhabi’s dining scene