Our Flock has a long affinity with Sheffield, aka The Steel City. I have always loved this vibrant city for days and nights out, but both The Man and Fledge have lived and learned within its bosom: at University of Sheffield, and Sheffield Hallam University respectively. His Nibs and I were thrilled, therefore, to receive an invitation to sample the delights of one of its longest-loved venues, Cubana Tapas Bar, which is now entering its 26th year of trading!
Like most city centre sites, Cubana doesn’t have its own on-site parking, but there are loads of parking sites within a 10-minute walk. Having secured a spot in the closest car park, we wandered over to Leopold Square, where Cubana is now located. The building itself is imposing enough from the outside, and the sense of anticipation builds as you ascend the steps on the entry terrace. Located over two floors, Cubana Tapas Bar certainly isn’t lacking in size! The lower floor is an impressive open space, perfect for sociable drinking, dancing, and celebrating; the upper floor is home to the restaurant, which was our destination.
The Spanish (and South American) influence isn’t confined to just the Tapas-style food and dining, the welcome we received at the host desk was warmer than the Iberian sun at its summer peak. We were shown over to our table and introduced to our server who then left us for a couple of minutes to settle in and decide on drinks. I fancied a glass of Malbec and The Man had a pint of Neck Oil, from the massive choice of wines, beers, lagers, spirits and cocktails; in fact, co-owner Adrian Bagnoli told us that they have 305 Rums alone at Cubana! Say whaaaaat?!!
Just as impressive is the range of Tapas on offer – it took us a good 10minutes to decide what we fancied and, in the end, we opted for the Deluxe Tapas Set Menu as this offers an incredible selection of dishes. Priced at £34.95pp (minimum of 2 people), you begin with an Antipasti board of Spanish Cured Meats, Cheeses, Olives and Bread, followed by no less than eight Tapas to share. Vegetarians are nicely catered for; the trio of meat-containing Tapas can be swapped out for equally scrummy veggie equivalents.
With it being the Friday before Valentine’s Day, Cubana was pretty full; not only were couples dining, there were groups of ladies doing ‘Galentine’s’, and mixed groups out celebrating birthdays. The mixologists were shaking up fruity storms, and bottle chillers were wending their way to tables that were indulging in bottles of wine. I was in my element, goggling at the busy bar and the open kitchen at the back of the space – you all know what a sticky beak I am! My nosiness was [happily] interrupted by the arrival of a massive wooden board bearing our Antipasti selection, and we hungrily dug in.
His Nibs isn’t a fan of Olives, which is fine by me, so I had the lot to myself. Now, I am by no means an expert on Olives, so I am going to assume that Spanish ones would be the serve of choice at Cubana? If that is the case, I think the mix I savoured was of Cuquillo, Arbequina, Manzanilla and large Gordal varieties, meaning there was a pleasing range of texture and taste intensities for my palate to enjoy. We both loved the contrast between the two cheeses, Manchego and Tetilla, that were on the platter: the Manchego was firmer in texture, with a great nutty, tangy taste, whereas the Tetilla was softer and subtler; mild and creamy in flavour.
A grated, fresh Tomato dip was perfect for dunking the plentiful, artisanal Ciabatta bread in and, combined with the slices of Serrano Ham, cured Catalunian Fuet, and Iberian Salchichon, made for a seriously tasty, cold introduction to our meal. As with my Olives, the spread of flavour profiles from the meats was superb; from Serrano’s salty sweetness and melt-in-mouth texture, to Fuet’s mildly savoury, garlicky hint, and finally [Salami-esque looking] Salchichon’s nutty, peppery bounce.
Our server was greeted with probably the widest smiles she’s ever had from guests as she came to clear away our Antipasti platter! Mind you, given the dazzling quality of food we’d just eaten, it was entirely justified and, looking around, we weren’t the only happy campers in Cubana.
In the interim between our cold and hot dishes, I took in the gorgeous interior of the restaurant a little more. Apart from the obscenely gorgeous chandeliers (I am fixated with lighting!), the star of the show has to go to the outstanding mural that transformed bland breezeblocks into the stunning ‘exterior’ of an elegantly antique Cuban House…complete with balustrade and twinkling lights. Nothing short of breath-taking. Dotted on walls were colourful paintings and prints, and more (smaller) murals depicting people meeting in rural settings. Modern, coloured concrete flooring, upbeat music and sleek wooden tables and seating all added up to create the most marvellous ambience. Obviously, the owners (Adrian Bagnoli and Brad Charlesworth) will have had input into how they wanted their vision to come to life, but the final props have to go to the individual(s) who made it happen.
One of the best things about Tapas dining is that it’s very relaxed and informal; the dishes come out as-and-when Chef has cooked them, so there’s a natural fluidity that slows the pace down and allows you to be fully in the moment whilst you’re eating. This ebb and flow means that conversation happens easily and spontaneously, which kind of dove-tails with Cubana’s ‘Goce del Vivir’ energy.
Soon enough, our warm Tapas dishes began to appear, and we dibbed in like the professional gluttons we are. No word of a lie, everything was exceptionally tasty, whether it was meaty, non-meaty or grain. Personally, I loved the extra detail of the King Prawns being de-veined in the Gambas Pil Pil, and the punchy sauce that bathed them wasn’t harsh in the slightest. Don’t get me wrong, there was still that hefty wallop of Chilli and Garlic that characterises this iconic Tapas dish, but it didn’t drown out the delicate nature of the seafood and there wasn’t any excessive oiliness either.
Both red meat-containing Tapas dishes, Albondigas and Res Y Frijoles Negros, were superb; the meat melted in the mouth and was intensely flavoursome. The sizeable Meatballs (Albondigas) were beautifully dense in texture and didn’t disintegrate into millions of crumbs when cut into, and the unctuous Tomato Sauce with them was a total taste triumph. Paired with softened Black Beans (that were comfort food heaven), the slow-cooked Beef was mesmerising and was falling apart in luscious ribbons before a knife got anywhere near it!
Now, you all know that I’m not the world’s biggest lover of Potato; I’ll eat it if I’m in the mood and/or there’s not too much of it – unlike His Nibs who’d scoff it at every meal – so it may surprise you when I say that the Patatas A Lo Pobre had me utterly captivated. Honestly, you’d think I had come out of the devastating, 19th Century potato famine of Ireland the way I was ploughing through the crisp-outered cubes! I have no idea how Chef weaved together Spuds, Onions, Red Peppers and Garlic to produce something so magical, but that’s exactly what he’d done.
Humble Rice was given the star treatment, too; paired with mixed veggies, the fluffy grains were perfectly seasoned and mopped up all the excess juices/sauces from the various Tapas bowls. Roasted Mediterranean vegetables (Peppers, Onions, Courgette and Aubergine) were delightfully softened in the pan and accompanied by Olive Oil and Balsamic Vinegar, making them pop on the tongue and come alive in the mouth.
Like anything else in life, quality shines through and nowhere else was this more evident than in the pan-fried wedges of [La Rioja-made] Chorizo Sausage that we were contentedly stuffing our faces with. In the past, I have sometimes had to limit myself as I’ve felt a smidge of harshness at the back of my throat when eating this specialty sausage, but not this time at Cubana Tapas Bar. Seductively rounded and satiating, this minx was charm incarnate; both of us helped ourselves to piece after piece, savouring each one.
I had been hopeful that The Man would finally come to see how fantastic Mushrooms are when he tried the Mixed Mushrooms and Spinach that was topped with a melting log of Goats Cheese. It seemed, however, that this was still a step too far! I will give him his due though; he tried a pair of mushrooms with some cheese, saying that it was nice but that was all he wanted. Baby steps, eh? I, however, was a smitten-kitten and heartily tucked in, revelling in the creamy, earthy and tangy notes of this dish.
With a sea of clean, empty bowls in front of us, His Nibs and I silently congratulated ourselves on finishing such a feast. Our smugness was short-lived, ended by the arrival of one of the team asking if we’d like dessert? Of course, we did… but we were going to need a small hiatus! After gathering our breath (and furtively unbuttoning those pesky top restraints on trousers), we ordered the Tentacion de Chocolate (£7.45) and the Delicia de Limon paired with a Limoncello shot (£11).
My choice of refreshing Lemon dessert was amazing! Perched on top of a [perfect-textured] biscuit base was an impossibly indulgent, creamy filling that carried citrus hints within it. Already a winner, it was hard to imagine that this could get better, but it did when I popped the Lemon syrup/drizzle on my spoon, too. Oh my, prepare yourselves to spiral into gastro giddiness with this sweet treat; there are no words to adequately describe the Delicia de Limon – you’ll just have to trust me when I tell you it was ruddy magnif! The Limoncello was spot-on, too.
If ever there was an apt name for a dessert, ‘Tentacion (temptation) de Chocolate’ is it. Pure velvety naughtiness is just what this morsel is, with added richness, decadence and mischief. Choose now whether you’re in the politically correct camp or not, cos this dessert is the equivalent of a Chocoholics Crack – Catnip, if you’re PC. I don’t honestly think I’ve seen such ecstasy on The Man’s face than as he scooped spoonful after spoonful into his mouth; bit of an ego bash for me, but I know when I’m beat! Needless to say, if you put our dessert plates under a microscope, you wouldn’t have found any trace left behind of either dessert.
As far as evenings go, this one was the stuff of legends – and that was before Adrian kindly offered us both a snifter of Rum. I admitted my ignorance in this spirit (I am rather partial to it in cocktails, though), so he recommended ‘Plantation XO’ produced to celebrate the 20th anniversary of this Barbadian rum, the result is a warming, smooth tipple. I discovered that I’m a straight-up gal; you can keep your rocks – each to their own though! Whilst we were sipping the Rum, live music began playing; something that features every night at Cubana. The young lass had a super voice and opened with slower, gentler songs, leaving the more up-tempo ones for later in her set. It was a pity that we had to go home – I think we could’ve stayed all night, but poor pooch can’t let himself out, can he? Yet again, that bloody DeLorean didn’t materialise, but we didn’t stop yapping all the way home, so I guess we did relive the meal in a way.
Hot Wings more than happily awarded to this exquisite Sheffield Tapas Restaurant and Bar. If I could conceal myself in the eaves undetected and sneak into the kitchen every night, I jolly well would! To book a table call 0114 276 0475, or visit www.cubanatapasbar.co.uk and hit the ‘book now’ button in the right-hand corner.
Closed Monday and Tuesday, Cubana re-opens Weds-Thurs 5pm-Midnight, Fri 4pm-2am, Sat Noon-2am, and Sunday 2pm-11pm. Food service times are slightly different to the bar: closed Mon-Tues, open Weds 5pm-9.30pm, Thurs 5pm-10pm, Fri 4pm-10.30pm, sat Noon-10.30pm, and Sun 2pm-9pm.
