When Asia de Cuba first opened back in 1997, its unique fusion of Latin-Asian fare quickly deemed it as exciting and of the zeitgeist as the Morgans Hotel home it occupied. Although the restaurant shuttered its doors in 2011, its founding restaurateur Jeffrey Chodorow has rebooted the concept in a swanky downtown location, with talented new Cuban-born chef, Luis Pous at its helm. The kitchen serves up a selection of ceviches, salads, plancha and wok dishes, which range from chili rubbed scallops with black rice and Japanese aioli to tuna ceviche paired with seared foie gras and Asian pear, just to name a few. The revamped menu is made all the more appealing by the new location’s glamorous interior, designed by Rafael de Cárdenas, who looked to Havana’s seductive nightlife scene when creating the enticing atmosphere. From the dining room’s faux skylight that drenches everything in a rose-tinted glow, to the site-specific mural and lightbox artwork created by the artist Evan Gruzis, the re-imagined Asia de Cuba lives up to its legacy and more.
