by MARK SLUTSKY

A mix of the Spanish and Caribbean, Cuban cuisine is popular in the States, especially Florida, where by most accounts the stuff beats even the food in Havana. But as Montreal doesn’t exactly have a huge Cuban community, it can be hard to find ropa de vieja and Midnight sandwiches in this town. Meat Market, reviewed in these pages several weeks ago, does offer a Cuban marinade and a Cuban sandwich, but it’s not really the same.

That makes Cuba Saveur Tropicale a welcome addition to the city’s resto scene. The place is actually more than just a restaurant—with a built-in art gallery and a boutique selling crafts and cookware, it’s practically a little Cuban cultural centre unto itself. The restaurant space is divided into a front room and bar, empty when we visited, and a cozy dining room in the back, where several families were eating. Overall the vibe is low-key and quietly festive.

While almost all of Saveur Tropicale’s dishes are available à la carte, a couple of combos caught our eye. The fanciest-seeming of them, the Sabor Tropical ($19.99) is a prix fixe menu, with soup, dessert and coffee included. First course is soup, and we went for the chicken, full of lots of shredded meat and veggies. The broth was a little under-flavoured, however, and the wedge of lime that accompanied the bowl didn’t really make much of an impact; this was more of a job for the good ol’ salt shaker. The main course consists of a few generous strips of roasted, marinated pork, which is sweet, citrus-y and tender. You also get a plain green salad and plenty of Moros y Cristianos, which is to say, beans and rice (the beans are black and the rice is white, thus Moors and Christians, get it?). Rounding off the plate is a serving of yucca root, which, despite the criollo seasoning, could definitely use some more flavour; as it is, the pale mushy blocks of starch seem like the most generic definition of food, like what the aliens serve you in the hotel room at the end of 2001.

The Club Habana Tropicale ($14.50) is a more economical plate, and though it’s only one course, you actually feel like you’re getting more food than the Sabor. Along with the roast pork, rice, yucca and salad, you get a little serving of ropa de vieja, a very tasty shredded beef served atop a soft tamale studded with niblets of corn, a couple of savoury deep-fried ham or chicken croquettes, as well as a larger, yummy potato croquette. A good deal, and filling meal, all around.

We had to try the shrimp ajillo ($22.75), a typical Cuban dish, with the pink crustaceans fried up in lots of garlic. This dish was a bit of a mixed bag, as some of the shrimp didn’t taste particularly fresh. As with all à la carte dishes, you have a choice of two sides from a long list including several kinds of rice, beans, tostones (squashed fried plantains), yucca, salad etc.

Of course it went without saying that we’d try one of the place’s Cuban sandwiches. There’s a variety, ranging from chicken to pork to steak, but we went for the classic, the Tropicana (or Midnight) sandwich, which has a little of everything: roast pork, chicken, turkey, ham and cheese, all stacked between a soft bun and pressed in a hot grill, almost like a panini. The sandwich wasn’t quite as flat as it could have been (could have used a little more pressing), but it was tasty, if not mind-blowing, nonetheless.

All in all, one of my dining companions noted, eating at Cuba Saveur Tropicale was much like eating in Cuba itself—authentic eats prepared with not always the finest ingredients. Still, with its boutique, gallery and comfy decor, it’s a fun place to eat with an ambience all its own.

Cuba Saveur Tropicale
ADDRESS: 1799 Amherst (between Ontario and de Maisonneuve)
HOURS: Tue–Sat 4 P.M.–12 A.M. (kitchen closes
at 11 P.M.), Sun 2 P.M.–11 P.M.
BEST FEATURE: The juicy ropa vieja or the affordable
Club Habana Tropicale combo
ALCOHOL: Yes
VEGETARIAN FRIENDLY: Not unless you’re willing to
combine sides; it’s more Soy Cuba! than Cuban soy
CREDIT CARDS: Yes
NON-SMOKING SECTION: Yes
PRICE: $10-$20 per person, before tax, tip, or wine
RATING: ** and a 1/2 out of ****