2013
It turns out there’s an upside to UNSW replacing all the independent food shops selling bad food with chain restaurants selling restaurant food. It means we can catch up over lunch or coffee at a cozy place selling tasty food without heading out of the campus. The price increase isn’t that significant either because the independent food shops had a monopoly over food on campus, so could charge whatever they wanted.
Anyway, last Monday, I had lunch at Coco Cubano with my thesis supervisor. Coco Cubano is a cafe/bar whose atmosphere and menu are inspired by Cuban culture. All items on its standard menu, including the fancy cocktails but excluding the cigars, are available at the UNSW location.
Coco Cubano uses old cigar boxes as table numbers, which I found very novel.
They serve breakfast all day and night. That’s great ‘cause sometimes I just want something simple for lunch.
I had the Cubano Poached Eggs, which consisted of ‘free range poached eggs with aioli, baby spinach, grilled tomato and sourdough toast’. The eggs were deliciously runny and the tomato was grilled only just enough so that it wasn’t squishy. I distinctly recall tasting something like cheese in my last bite with the aioli and that was strange, but the aioli was pretty standard otherwise. I particularly liked that the sourdough toast retained its crispy outside-fluffy inside texture even though it had soaked up a lot of the egg yolk and the aioli.
I also had the Mango and Lychee Iced Tea out of curiosity because D had introduced me to existence of fancy Monin syrups just a few days before, and Coco Cubano had an impressive collection of them sitting behind the counter. Unfortunately, the iced tea was a bit too sweet, and the flavour of mango overwhelmed any hint of lychee. That’s consistent with reviews that Monin’s lychee syrup is not that flavourful, I guess.
Coco Cubano is located at Gate 2, University Terraces, High St, UNSW Campus, Kensington NSW 2033.
2014
It’s interesting seeing how two restaurants from the same chain do things differently. The first time I went to Coco Cubano was at the store in UNSW. And there, there was no table service, Cuban cigars were taken off the menu (understandably), old Cuban cigar boxes were used as table numbers, and the food came on huge white plates. This time, we went to the Coco Cubano at Central Park. Here, there was table service, Cuban cigars were on the menu (despite its vicinity to UTS), the table numbers were boring black letters on metal, and the food came on wooden platters.
I had the crispy battered fish and chips. The chips were beautifully crispy on the outside, but deliciously fluffy on the inside (maybe even a bit too fluffy!). As for the fish – the batter to fish ratio was just right, and the batter was crispy and not soggy at all! I’d expected a piece of fish like you do at your suburban fish ‘n’ chip stores, so was surprised to see fish that looked like bigger versions of the fries, but hey, bite size! The aioli dip came in the cutest saucer, too. I’m not too much of a fan of salad when I eat out, and this is no exception, but compared to other places, this was one of the fresher salads. I thoroughly enjoyed this meal!
N had the classic burger. The burger was piled so high that it was impossible to eat with your hands without all the innards falling out the bottom – I guess it makes sense why they give you a knife and a fork? Amusingly, they used a leaf of lettuce the size of your face, even though the burger itself was standard at a bit bigger than the size of your palm. N tells me that the burger was not worth the mess.
And of course the drinks!
On the left is the mango and lime granita. I was a bit surprised to see that it’d separated before it was even brought to our table, and that the top two-thirds was frothy. Since we’d ordered a granita, I was expecting something semi-frozen. Anyway. I’m more a lemon person, so the lime took a bit of getting used to, but after that the combination of mango and lime was quite refreshing.
On the right is the lychee and mango iced tea. Now, I’d tried this before the last time I ate at Coco Cubano at UNSW. I wasn’t too impressed that time ‘cause the mango syrup overwhelmed any hint of lychee. This time, however, it tasted nothing like lychee or mango and tasted more like some berry flavoured syrup. It was all wrong! Although I did get two canned lychees in the drink, unlike last, but even they tasted weird. So, the lesson? Do not order the lychee and mango iced tea again! Ever.
Coco Cubano is located at Central Park, Lower Ground Shop RB06, 28 Broadway, Chippendale NSW 2008.
2023
Approximately ten years have gone by since our previous visit, but one evening, driven by a healthy dose of laziness, we found ourselves back at Coco Cubano thanks to a rather convenient deal.
Southern Fried Chicken Burger ($18.90), described as ‘southern fried chicken, creamy slaw, house chilli sauce, served with fries’.
The milk bun introduced an element of sweetness that D did not enjoy. The fried chicken had a satisfying crispness; however, the use of breast meat contributed to a slight dryness. The sauce boasted a tangy profile accompanied by a mild heat, while the inclusion of coleslaw provided a welcome crunch and freshness. On the whole, the experience was adequate but failed to inspire a desire for reordering. The standout element for us was unquestionably the delightfully crunchy chips.
Grilled Salmon ($29.90), described as a grilled Tasmanian salmon fillet, served with fries and side salad (+$2.00 for Cuban rice)
The salmon leaned towards a touch more doneness than our preference, yet maintained a pleasingly crispy skin without excessive oiliness. The rice, a blend of fried short grain and black beans, was passable as it lacked seasoning and was chewy and prone to adhering to one’s teeth. The aioli accompanying the fish was a positive addition, contributing a touch of tangy creaminess akin to tartar sauce. The accompanying salad remained notably fresh and crisp, with a satisfying assortment of elements including cherry tomatoes, lettuce, cucumber, and red onions. However, over time, the vinaigrette became rather overwhelming in its impact.
Coco Cubano is located at 302 Church St, Parramatta NSW 2150.