Wonderful Cuban restaurant near our hotel. Love the music and atmosphere. Service is fast and friendly. We started with some frozen lime cocktails which was so refreshing and lots of fresh lime juice. Our party of four shared Mixed tapas vegetarian sharing plate and mixed tapas sharing plate (that had chicken tapas). I loved the plantains and the omelette. The falafel was my favorite. My friend also had the Camarones crilollos which he really enjoyed. Prices are very good here for the location. read more

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Super disappointing. First of all this Cuban restaurant does not have Cuban coffee. It took a minute for somebody to come and let me know that when I actually asked for that right out the gate before I was seated. Honestly, I might've switched that for a Mojito but when the server came over, they knew nothing about the Cuban coffee. I was looking for and had a frustration. I just decided to move on. read more

It looks more like a bar than a restaurant, so I've never got around to visit. It turns out, they are open in the daytime, and their food is good.   I had Tortilla (omlette), Quimbobo (Okra stew), and a bowl of black beans. Yes, it was probably more than I needed, but everything was delicious. The decor is bear and everything screams boozy bar. I felt out of place, but I would happily go back there for lunch when there is no loud music and drunken people. read more

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Tops Vieja is a must. Some of the best Cuban food I have tried. Had the Croquettes as an appetizer. Can't beat the happy hour prices. read more

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Overpriced, weak drinks, and bland food are the only ways I could really describe Cubana. They've tried to establish a party vibe, but when you're sitting outside in a plastic tent, that's pretty hard. Our server, Jaime, was the only redeeming factor for Cubana. We had a group of 5, so decided to order a pitcher of mojito as they claim to have been the ones to bring it to the UK - this was one of the most watered down mojitos I have ever had in my life. At £23 for a jug, I would have expected much better, and also much bigger. This jug served 5 very small cups, and no more. After our disappointment there, we decided to order a jug of the Cuba Libre, which was also a very weak drink that tasted flat and watered down. To eat, I had the plantain chili rice (so bland - tasted like nothing) and the chicken wings. The wings were pretty good, but weren't as cooked inside as they were charred on the outside. Overall, this was a major miss for me that I really wanted to love. They are open pretty late, which is rare to the area. read more

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If I can give a -5 star, Cubana would take it. First of all the place looked filthy. Second each hostess I spoke to treated me like I was unworthy to exist. I asked the first hostess where I can order drinks for outdoors she said, talk to my colleagues without telling me where to find her colleagues I ran over to the colleague asking for a menu and she points at a table 10ft away expecting me to get it. Yelpers of London- don't come here. CUBANA...DO BETTER read more

Good place for Latin food. Food was good, but portions are small. Drinks were not very strong. read more

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Everything in our order was wrong. Ordered fried plantains they gave us sweet fried plantains (Not the same). We ordered a Cuban sandwich WITHOUT mustard and there was plenty of mustard in the sandwich. Ordered extra, extra, extra crispy wings and they were not even cooked enough. read more

Cubana - Asked for no mustard. - Latin American Near Me - London, XGL

Save your coins for another spot! Sadly, This is definitely not authentic or good cuban food... Also, the piña colada was warm and the sangria was disgusting. These are the facts. read more

I have eaten in many good Cuban restaurants around the world and this is not one of them. A good restaurant experience is based the quality and presentation of the food, the ambiance and the service. Unfortunately Cubans was lacking in all areas. From the moment we arrived for our reservation, the host acted as if he was doing us a favor and "warned" us we only had 90 minutes to finish our meal. That would have been laughable except the service was so slow the food arrived with twenty minutes left on the timer. The tapas appetizers were good with nice flavors. The main dishes were less than acceptable. The Ropas Viejas was so salty as to be inedible and served in a manner that reminded of a school cafeteria. The atmosphere has so much potential but it is ruined by first impressions and mediocre food. read more

We had the most delicious food here and the service from Emily was amazing! She was so sweet and same with every other employee we encountered. Highly recommend!! read more

I was proper pleased with Cubana. We ventured out for a work lunch and it was nice to see multiple veggie options on the lunch menu. I even had trouble deciding! Crikey!!! Is that even how you spell it? I chose the Quimbombo because it was fun to say but also an okra casserole sounded interesting. The flavours were very nice and I was happy with how nomtastic it tasted with the rice and plantains. They also have this crazy bright orange chili sauce which is delicious. £7 for an entree and £10 for an entree and starter. I had the sweet potato falafel as a starter which was also yummy. Not bad Cubana I'll come back to try your massive pitchers that everyone drinks after work. read more

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As a person from a Cuban bloodline I was curious to see how close this restaurant came to being authentic. It failed. That failure was compounded by the rudeness of the sullen faced host, who snarkily warned that we would be timed during our meal. Who does that? The only saving grace was that the remainder of the wait staff were fairly pleasant. The meat was overly salty, limited seasoning, which is a must for Cuban food and the rice and beans paled in comparison to true Cuban black beans and rice. I will not even talk about the fact that rather than serve platanos maduros (ripe plantains), what was served was more like tostones, without the flavor. A disappointing experience, made worse by the behavior of that host. read more

Great tasting food, I was definitely amazed by how good it was, great service by Ms. Jessica. All around great atmosphere. read more

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The service from Sudanese, Mateus and Ida was great. Loved the mood and environment. All the good vibes :) read more

Cubana - Latin American Near Me - London, XGL

Cubana is a colourful Cuban restaurant near Waterloo offering both dine-in, as well as lunchtime street takeaway. I got the pulled pork box for takeaway, and it was quite scrumptious. Make sure you get the dipping sauces, since they add extra flavour and let you customise your heat level. Overall one of the better Latin options in London! read more

Great food but the worst service experience. We chose this restaurant based on a recommendation from Trip Adviser, we arrived about 15 minutes after opening and there were only two others tables seated when we arrived. It took at least 15 minutes before we ever were able to place our food order and then another 15-20 minutes before i food arrived. The food was fresh, good portions and great taste. The whole time we were there we noticed other tables experiencing the same service issues and even one table leaving due to not being served. Overall, this could be a great restaurant, the food is on point, but the service has to improve. read more

Cubana - Outside mural. - Latin American Near Me - London, XGL

Ugh, everything here was so good that I struggled not to go back, as I wanted to try as many different restaurants in London as possible. I just love Cuban food, in general (see my previous reviews) so it wasn't too hard to find this place simply delicious! I had the slow roasted pork plate with rice, black beans, and fried plantains. I'm salivating right now just reminiscing on it. Also had the piña colada, which was perfect! Not too sweet and decently strong! The only reason I knocked a star off is due to the long periods of waiting to have our order taken, receive our drinks/food, and receive our bill. They clearly were very understaffed with servers, so that dampened the experience a bit. Otherwise, you can't beat the atmosphere, good vibes, and music there! read more

Cubana - Slow roasted pork plate and piña colada. All very tasty! - Latin American Near Me - London, XGL

I went here for a friend's birthday party. It had a great atmosphere, fantastic music (and a later a live band whose bongo player caught me playing the air bongos :#) ha!) Really nice mojitos (as everyone has mentioned) and for being in central London, prices were really reasonable. £5.50 for a mojito (£16 for the pitcher) and under £4 for a pint. Bargain. They are big into fresh fruit (not frozen stuff) and I respect that! Omni Monkey and I both had the (vegan) Cubana Vegetarian Plate and that included: "Cuban black beans, Falafel Cubana, plantain/chilli rice and sweet potato + plantain crisps" and at £7?! YES PLEASE. Holy crap, the falafels were out of this world! "(P)repared with garbanzo beans, sweet potato, plantain, cilantro and spices" I couldn't get enough! Dense and delicious! Especially covered in the black beans.... drooolllll I saw there are lunch specials and happy hour drinks, and we enjoyed it so much we have already made a date to come back to try all those specials when it is not a bustling Saturday night. BONUS POINTS!!!! If you go to the website, there is a section on what is vegetarian and vegan on the menu. AND they have a whole allergy section as well for seeds, gluten, eggs, milk, etc and which dishes they are in. Great place to come if you have a group of mixed diets! Or if you just want to pig out on affordable Cuban food! read more

Cubana - Vegan Cubana Vegetarian Plate. Cuban black beans, Falafel Cubana, plantain/chilli rice and sweet potato and plantain crisps - Latin American Near Me - London, XGL

Such a rude female greeter/hostess at the front by the computer! Young girl with braces and dark hair. She sat us at a table literally behind the counter near the female restroom and we moved one table over because we are here on vacation and didn't want to be miserable and wanted to enjoy a nice diner at a descent table and she came and said we couldn't sit there that we had to move back or leave, I asked her why was that an issue as the place was pretty clear with open tables everywhere literally, she just didn't want to accommodate us and was a total rude, unkind, unfriendly and needs to be retrained because she is costing the business money, i own my business and would never treat my clients that way. Can't wait to post about our unpleasant experience everywhere as she needs immediate training. read more

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It's Monday and I survived. Celebratory cocktail time is completely in order! Meeting a friend by Waterloo she had never been here so what a great opportunity so close to the station. We only had cocktails here, but if you came at 6ish when we did you could definitely score a table for food. And the menu looked pretty good at a glance. Fusion of the Latina vibe with some Cuban influence (apparently). I reserve the right to review this when I actually do eat here. We knew we were onto a good thing when we turned up to happy hour (5pm - 7pm) and with free tables for bar drinkers only. We grabbed a cheeky table down some steps amidst the vibrant coloured walls and stocked up on cocktails before the deal ran out. Mojitos, not good. Strawberry daiquiri, much better. The problem is how can you really complain at 2 for £6?? However after the deals were over we treated ourselves to full price caipirinha (£6.50) and this was WELL worth the money! Now this is my favourite cocktail so if I approve it is worth approving ;) great texture in the muddled sugar and good flavour balance. Tempted to try food next time, make a light of it read more

Cubana - Latin American Near Me - London, XGL

In the area for Alice's Adventures Underground at Waterloo Vaults, we were looking for a quick drink to pass some time. It being a sunny Friday in the early evening, Cubana was absolutely heaving outside! Needless to say, we couldn't get a seat on the 'terrace' area, so headed inside to the bar and to scope out a seat. Unfortunately the majority of seating was reserved for eating, but someone directed us to a small drinking area behind the bar. This was not unlike sitting in someone's living room, with a few leather couches and posters dotted around the walls. We both had a margarita, quickly shaken up by the bartender, and at £6.50 for two (hello, happy hour!) this isn't to be sniffed at - especially when considering usual London prices! The drinks were tasty, with a real sour kick, balanced out with the salt rim. We had to leave due to heading to the theatre and, although considering popping back in on the way to the tube, it was even busier. Good to know about if you're in the area, but wouldn't make it a sole destination. read more

Cubana - margarita (2015) - Latin American Near Me - London, XGL

Cubana is maybe not the most polished of restaurants, but what it lacks in refinement it certainly makes up for in character. PROS The food is authentic & deliciously packed with flavour. It's also a bonus that it's also relatively healthy for those of us who are trying to keep control of our waistline. Less healthy but no less enjoyable are the cocktails - and you'll struggle to find a fun, lively but relaxed place to sip the night away in central London. They also do some really fresh smoothies & non-alcoholic cocktails. It's located just a 5 minute walk away from Waterloo station (15 mins if you've had a few too many cocktails) & is well priced with the typical bill for drinks, starters & mains landing in the £60-70 range per couple. CONS It can be busy, particularly during the week during & just after their happy hour (5pm-7pm) Side dishes are usually served with your starters (?) so make sure you clearly say which meal you want your sides with. For a place that claims to be the "home of the mojito" they are inconsistent & occasionally lacking in sufficient rum. The customer is not always right, hence the 2-stars. Twice now we have ordered & been billed for one thing but received something else. On the latest occasion the waitress insisted that our plate of fried plantain was in fact rice, chilli with plantain (despite there not being any rice or chilli anywhere in sight). Presuming your customers are stupid is never the right choice & is a great shame as it really detracts from what is otherwise a fantastic place in the city. read more

Cubana - The bar inside Cubana - how can you not love a place that has actual AK-47's for wall decorations? - Latin American Near Me - London, XGL

Food was absolutely delicious! Very trendy and hip restaurant, prices a bit high for the amount of food you get, on the upside happy hour specials on drinks were great. Also- if you're looking to have a sit down dinner after 5, make sure to make a reservation read more

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It was a happy accident the night I discovered Cubana. From what I remember of the evening it was a barmy summers night, and I had just tottered out of what I thought was the last bar of the night, when all of a sudden, I saw Cubanas bright red star staring down at me. As I walked, ok, staggered towards it, I could hear the loud hum of salsa going strong. There were almost as many people outside as in (the smoking ban had just come in), and I happily paid my £5 to get in. Inside was some kind of wild party with a salsa band playing, people throwing themselves around, everyone having a good time. Someone got me a Cuba Libra and a Mojito, both of which tasted fabulous. What I liked about this place was it felt authentic, not like some other Cuban bars in London which can feel a little contrived. Its also open quite late on a weekend, till 3am, so its a great place to end your evening. read more

Cubana - Latin American Near Me - London, XGL

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To all of the people giving this place a good review - are you okay?! I've actually never had cuban food this bad. Like ever. I was so hopeful and ready for some delicious cuban eats but I was greeted with less than mediocre food and a strange ambiance. The yuka fries were dry, the falafel shouldn't even be on the menu and don't even get me STARTED about the salsa and plantain chips. I've had better food served to me out of the back of a sketchy van parked next to the beach which ended up giving me food poisoning. At least it tasted good! The staff was incompetent and slow (We waited so long for our food). The only reasons I gave this place 2 stars instead of 1 is: a. I had a nice time due to the copious amounts of tequila b. I didn't end up with food poisoning (but it was a close call). It's safe to say I won't be back and to be honest, I am very disappointed with the online community for leading me to this place. This is NOT good cuban food and I could honestly make better food myself. To the people who thought this place had good food- please contact me and I will show you what actual good food tastes like. Do yourself a favour and don't waste your time and money. read more

We stopped in on a Thursday night and this place was swamped inside and out. Our wait for a table was surprisingly short. The service was very good and the food was delicious. This is clearly a social gathering spot - groups, first dates, and those looking for love - not to mention a few that over-imbibed. read more

When the restaurant you mean to go to is flooded Yelp can be such a life saver. This place was incredible. First off for the easy access to Waterloo it is very well priced. I didn't get the name of every wonderful staff member I interacted with, but from the bar tender who served us our happy hour jugs to our main waiter Juando who made sure we were well taken care of (and didn't laugh at our broken Spanish). The food is really delicious and well done. The drinks were incredible, they aren't so expensive and are very well made (and strong). This is a great happy hour joint, so grab the two for one jugs and laugh at the drunk 18 year olds. Grabbing food after is a great treat. Look forward to coming back to this gem. read more

Cubana - One of the veggie options! - Latin American Near Me - London, XGL

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Nice place to go for drinks. They definitely know how to make good cocktails in Cubana. I had a fresh frozen smoothie of ripe guava blended with tropical fruit and juices, which tasted quite refreshing. It gets busy in the evenings, we went on a Sunday evening and almost all the tables were taken. If you are planning to go for food, better book a table in advance. I was pleased with lively music and colorful decor, portraits of Che, rifles and revolutionary flags hanging on the walls. The service was good too. Easy reach from Waterloo station, within 5 min walking. There is a nice lounge terrace area outside, which would be good to sit at during the warmer evenings in the summer. read more

Cubana - The colorful fasade makes it hard to miss - Latin American Near Me - London, XGL

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Nothing very memorable here. The food was just ok. I had a salad as did my friend. There were about 6 shrimp on mine which were ok. Not enough dressing. Tomatoes were hard as was the avocado. Server did not come back to check on us. Had to flag down another server to finally get a check. read more

Enjoyable food mains & yummy deserts well designed restaurant, nice selection of foods, Bad points. environment was really loud so was difficult to talk to people on your table also only one bathroom read more

Cubana - Yummy deserts - Latin American Near Me - London, XGL

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This place has interesting decor with posters from Cuba so we were intrigued. I ordered the Caldo Gallegos and the Avocado Salad, which were tasty. However the caldo was way too salty (I like salty food but this was too much) and the salad had gritty lettuce, which I could not eat. The "sangria" was horrible--way too sweet with an odd peach flavor. Their happy hour seems to attract a following and there were several drunk customers bumping into me as we entered and left. My companions liked their food but we won't be back. read more

Dear Cubana, Your food is mediocre and over-priced. But that still could have earned you three stars in my book--my standards really aren't that high. It was really the service that got me. Shall I count the ways? 10 were the 2-tops that were open when I arrived. Yet, you refused to seat me at any of them claiming they were reserved. Despite an entirely empty restaurant, you put us between two other tables, with 6 inches on either side. In an empty restaurant. Why is that you reserve the tables for the groups that are sharing a £15 jug, when my group of two that you completely shafted on tables spent three times that? I also saw you seat a number of people without reservations at these so-called "reserved" tables. 6 were the inches between our table and the two on either side of us. It was fun, at least, to find out what first dates were like again because I got to hear two up close and personal. 7 were the tables that were still empty 90 minutes later when we left. Reservations, my ass. 30 were the minutes that I waited for my starter, which ended up arriving after my main. Despite me pleading with the waitress for it. 1/2 was the flan that you gave me. A flan mold is pretty small generally, so to find that you empty them, cut them in half and serve was heartbreaking. 4 was the bites of flan I managed to eke out of my meager dessert. 2 was the times I had to ask for my bill. 12.5% was the service charge you tried to hit me with after giving me the worse service I've had in this price range in a long time. 1 for the first time I've EVER refused to pay a discretionary service charge. I actually think you must be taking the piss--no one in their right mind would go back here unless they were so hopped up on mojitos that they didn't remember it clearly. I'd love to love you, you're so conveniently located and I love minty drinks. But seriously, fire your waitresses. Or teach them about seating. Maybe you provide a good bar-only experience but for a dinner date? Avoid avoid avoid. Love, LIna read more

Mediocre-hokey-pseudo Cuban bar/restaurant. The food was uninspired, menu unappetising and staff uncooperative. Drinks were OK, however, very stingy measures in the cocktails made them taste like Gatorade. With loads of ice. And fruit that clogged the straw. I liked the location at least. Apart from being accosted by the local homeless people. There are better versions of this type of place in London and certainly WAY better over the pond. read more

Some people hate this place. Personally, I can't see why. Is it a corporate re-badging of a quirky Cuban food concept? Possibly but the folks were friendly, the food was very tasty and the restaurant was a pleasant interior decorated in bright equatorial colours. Got in and the place was jumping. The colour scheme is a bit of an assault on the eyes after trudging through the longest rain season in London. Lass at the front takes us to a tiny corner table that had a serious equilibrium issue and one of the legs of the chair I was sitting on was about to give way. As I perched on the corner of the chair, I mentioned it to the fellow who came over first and he rushed away to grab an alternate. So sitting on a much more stable platform, we ordered. Peter, my fellow traveller, ordered the slow cooked beef hash and rice. I was put off by the word hash. I have had some bad experiences with hash in the past, so I ordered the steak. A couple Czech beers later and we were settled in and enjoying looking at the busy restaurant. Food came within 15 minutes and immediately regretted my decision. The steak was great with a really nice salsa verde and a spinach salad, but the "hash" looked like classic Barbacoa. Slow cooked beef and then pulled into tasty meaty pieces. It was 5 quid cheaper than the steak and I would say worth twice the price in terms of taste. I would definitely get this the next time here, Lots of options in this area for food but I would say that Cubana is a decent place to go. read more

Count that as 3'5 stars. I went twice and the reservations seemed a mess. They refused to seat us when we arrived 20 minutes late although we called and were told that the table would wait for us. Twice the service wasn't good. I am not blaming it on the waitresses, they clearly have a lot on their plate. The second time I was even charged for something we did not order. Having said that, I must admit the food is pretty good. I mean, let's be honest, there are no plenty of choices in Cuba, so you can't expect that here. The ropa vieja is simply the best dish they serve. Really good, great portions and filling. The prawns are also one of my favourites as so are the croquettes. I even ordered the vegetarian plate and was ok although a bit dry. The drinks are really good. I would say I had the best mojitos outside Cuba, but they are a bit overpriced. Not too bad considering they are freshly made :) After eleven you can move your body with the latin music, which is really nice. Don't expect a lot from the service, have some patience and enjoy the music and the atmosphere. Also good it you want to hire one spaces to celebrate a birthday. read more

We were looking forward to a fun night of dinner and live Latin American music. We got it, but it wasn't quite what we were hoping for. We made the latest possible dinner reservation, 9:30, hoping we would be well positioned to have a table to chill at once the live music started up. Unfortunately, we were only hurried through our meal faster, as they stack up all the tables and chairs to transition to club mode. That's right, once it is club time, don't expect to sit down for the rest of the night. There are not even any barstools, which is ridiculous when you consider people are dancing and might want to sit and rest a quick minute. Anyway, the food. I had the ropa vieja, which was a little bland. My wife had the slow-roasted pork and loved it. We ordered within minutes of sitting and had our food possibly less than 5, but not more than 10 minutes later. Service so fast it feels like the food has been sitting around all day waiting to be ordered. Uncomfortably fast. I didn't feel as though my meal was cooked for me in response to my order. The server was friendly, but the speed of the service prohibited enjoyment of the restaurant. And that's coming from an American, where you know we love our food fast! Perhaps my wife and I have grown to appreciate the European-style restaurant experience during our two years living in England, but I think it was a bit impersonal even by American standards. Then there was the "live music." It was live in that there were people being paid to be there, but it was more like glorified karaoke. A woman in control of an iPad would select a song, and then her counterparts with bongos would beat along with the background music and sing. I was hoping for a Latin salsa band, but instead we got a chick with an iPad. Still, the experience was a fun night out, so I can't knock it too much, I'm just not sure we will go back. read more

Cubana is the simpler version of Floridita and I say that with all the love I can muster for a bar. Which, as it turns out, is quite a bit. As the name suggests, it's a Cuban themed bar and they do it well. On most nights, you can expect a lively atmosphere, some colourful decorations, and mojitos galore. But what really gets it going are the live acts on the weekends! The last time I was there, the band was composed of three middle aged guys that looked as if they had just strolled in off the streets of Havana. They were exceptional musicians and had the whole place dancing up a storm in short order. Unlike Floridita, where it seems that everyone is a professional salsa dancer, Cubana attracts the more amateur crowd and you can muddle your way through the basic steps without feeling too awkward. And after a few of the £17 mojito pitchers, it's unlikely that you'll give a damn and just go for it! They also have some crazy bright green drink (something Alligator) which looks ridiculous, tastes delicious, and has enough of a punch to floor an elephant. The minor gripe I have is the lack of dancing space given the various rooms and levels the bar is divided into. You can make do, but you're constantly dancing around the stream of people trying to make it to the bathroom or the bar. Still, given the fairly cheap drinks prices, the excellent music, and the great location next to Waterloo station, it's an easy win!. read more

Cubana is a mixture of a bar and restaurant I think it succeeds on both ends. The cocktail menu is quite extensive and all of them are a good deal through the happy hour. I do get happy when I drink cocktails, I don't know why :) I loved the Ensalada Fresca - that's a vegetarian salad and comes as a starter but don't fill up on it as it is quite big and you wouldn't get to try the goodness that comes later. They also have all sorts of deals through lunchtime. That being said and topped with the high quality of the food itself adds up for a brilliant choice for a lunch spot. If you're in the area you should definitely try it, despite the lack of imagination regarding the design of Cubana - it seems quite unwelcoming to me. read more

We just happened to stop by because we love Cuban sandwiches. We sat down and they said they only serve them from opening to 1400. Wtf?! That's absurd but we still ate there. I don't remember what we got but we shared a typical Cuban dish, pork, rice , black bean and plantain dish. Very very very good. Prolly one of the best we ever had in London. All the restaurants in London are not authentic. read more