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Cuban tastes: La Bodeguita Del Medio
Cuban cocktails, cigars and food fit for Castro arrives in Sydney in a restaurant that feels like the 1950s Caribbean
Prepping mojitos at La Bodeguita Del Medio. The drink is more suited to Western tastes than the original.La Bodeguita Del Medio has done an impressive job of bringing the romance and character of Havana to Sydney -- replicating the famous 1950s birthplace to the mojito in the city's CBD.
It was Ernest Hemingway who penned in Spanish: “My mojito in La Bodeguita, My Daiquiri in El Floridita.”
This quote can be seen at the entrance to the bar in the heritage listed
Stoddart House, opposite QVB, which made its long-awaited opening last month.
Patrons enter into 1950s Cuba: hand-carved
finishes, recycled paper menus fastened to boards, clay dishes and a wood-paneled rum locker room where members can store their preferred bottle under
lock and key.
Rums and cigars
The drinks list features more than 100 rums, including those from the Dominican Republic, Haiti and Colombia.
La Bodeguita Del Medio's $10 mojito version deliberately doesn't imitate the original.
“Their recipe is a little bit off what a Western palate
would appreciate and, essentially, Cuba has been doing things the same way for
decades due to the embargo," explains bar manager
James Carlin.
So if you want 1950s Cuba, fork out the cash and time and head to Cuba to try and get as close as possible, but at La Bodeguita Del Medio you have a modern slant on food and drinks.
For retrospective authenticity, The Pacific Cigar Company ensures the humidor and cigar range, and Cohiba-lovers can puff on the cigar terrace out back.
You can even smoke a cigar and drink a Dictador rum in honor of Fidel Castro.
Not so humble beans and rice
La Bodeguita Del Medio -- not a salsa club. Focus on the food, not dance steps.
Live Cuban music most nights and a Latin soundtrack sets the mood -- but it's not a salsa club. The 350-person venue focuses on the menu.
The cooking is influenced by the Cuban prevalence of pork, but also South American and Central American ingredients, with an emphasis on seasonal produce.
Executive chef Parreno has a Peruvian background and has worked from Miami to Melbourne, and at Upper House and The Apartment. Head chef Burgos set up Melbourne’s Mamasita. Their aim is to prove that Cuban food is much more than refried beans and melted cheese.
