My time was seriously running out. The engagement party was to be held in four days and I had not yet popped the question (you know, blah, blah, will you merry me?).
So I booked a table at Asia de Cuba, our favourite restaurant in London. I also invited two good friends for moral support, to share the moment and to try to masquerade my intentions.
The dinner was as grand as it always is at Asia de Cuba but I felt the dishes were coming to fast. Before I knew it, the deserts were served, gulfed down and the bill was on the table – it was crunch time.
To my horror the topic of the discussion had drifted away from the safe wedding plans via risky “who is going to be the next president of the USA” to the right out catastrophic “underage female victims in Israel”.
With no effort of being smooth, I just raised my voice and proclaimed that the real reason why we were gathered was to be able to ask a very important question. With that I proceeded to get down on one knee, having opened the little box with the ring. The dumbstruck expression on my wife to be was suddenly worth all the effort. The answer was another yes.
Unknowing to us, The Rock had been dining with a small party right behind us. They had witnessed my clumsy going-down-on-one-knee act and had a big grin on their faces as we were leaving. When saying hi to them, The Rock looked me in the eyes, nodded in acknowledgement and wished us good luck.
Tag: asia de cuba
Asia de Cuba – London
What a treat it is to visit this exotic yet elegant restaurant in the heart of London. Asia de Cuba is situated in the beautiful St Martin’s Lane hotel, giving you a chance to see one of the coolest hotel lobbies around. Look around and enjoy the slightly surreal entrance, the oversized chess pieces, the ambient lightning and odd furniture.
As the name suggests, the food on the menu is a (brave) mix between Cuban and Asian flavours and traditions. The colourful descriptions will fire up your imagination but the food will surpass it. My standing favorites are Seared tuna with Wasabi mash and Surf n’ Turf so try these if you are having a hard time deciding.
The portions are deliberately large to be shared. They are a key element that makes Asia de Cuba unique and every dinner to a social event. For a group of four, two starters and two mains are more than enough.
The staff is the best I have experienced in London. A very good balance between personal, knowing, recommending but never in your face. Always making sure that the customer is fully satisfied. You will often be served by two or more individuals; one of them being knowledgeable about the wines while the other about the food and the rest. Don’t be shy starting a conversation.
If I have to find something negative about Asia de Cuba it would be the prices. It is simply above my everyday budget and some people find it over priced. It’s nice to start the evening with some drinks and they are around £9. The good wines are in three digit price range and thus unreachable. The sharing of the food helps a bit and I think £50 / person is a rough price tag for the superb experience.
45 St. Martin’s Lane, Covent Garden, London, WC2N 4HX [Map]
Tube: Covent Garden
Tel: 020 7300 5588 (book early!)