Potential of Cuban cuisine, fulfilled convincingly
Cuban food gets a bad rep from all-inclusive resort tourists who complain about bland buffets. Well, the lack of quality produce and purchasing power hasn’t exactly helped the dining scene in Cuba. Sadly, for outstanding Cuban food, one has to venture out of Cuba. Fortunately, you don’t have to go far if you are in Toronto. Just hop over to El Habanero & Churrobar in the outskirts of Scarborough.
El Habanero proves how good Cuban cuisine can be with quality ingredients and masterful technique. The dishes are not sophisticated but they are packed with flavour. The restaurant also doubles as a “churro bar”, which is exactly what you think it is and more. Besides churros and drinks, the restaurant also churns out churro-inspired desserts. Their churro cakes are especially popular and photogenic.
The food
Let’s start with the restaurant portion of El Habanero. Since it was my first time there, I had to order the national dish, ropa vieja. Ropa vieja literally means old clothes, and the dish sort of looks like that. The star of the dish is the shredded beef in tomato sauce. It looked like torn strips of clothes, which may have given rise to the name.
Ropa vieja is usually accompanied with rice. The version at El Habanero includes moros (rice and beans) and maduros (fried sweet plantains).
For such a simple dish, it was incredibly aromatic. The tomato base was tangy and unami. The beef itself was pulled well and retained some structural integrity. If you are looking for melt-in-the-mouth pulled meats, look elsewhere. I prefer some chew. Onions, bell peppers, green onions have different cook times and they were added to the pan at the right moments.
Can we talk about the moros? Prior to El Habanero, I’ve never had amazing rice and beans before. This is a staple food throughout the Caribbean, Central America, and Northern South America. All the versions I’ve tried in my travels are tasteless at worst and forgettable at best. Most chefs treat it as a filler component. The moros at El Habanero is one that I will remember. Each grain of rice and bean was cooked to the right texture. Proportion of rice to beans was perfect. Just enough to create textural interest but not so much as to make everything dense. More importantly, it was savoury and made me want to have more. I could eat it on its own.
Maduros were sweet and nicely caramelized. They were melt-in-the-mouth. I left it as dessert but it was versatile to sit amongst the main courses.
Just for fun, I got a churro to try since this place is famous for them. It was made fresh and carefully shaped. It had a generous coat of granulated sugar.
Sadly, the interior was too doughy for my liking. The exterior was barely crisp. It could be that the fryer was not hot enough. Maybe it would be better if I had ordered a larger batch of churros to get the manufacturing line running smoothly. Flavour wise, it was as expected of a churro – hints of cinnamon and vanilla.
The place
The interior is a warm, modern cafe. On one side of the restaurant is a mural of old Havana. On the other, a chalkboard wall with the menu and daily specials. It is a hip place to hang out for some churros, coffee, and drinks.
In the days of pre-COVID, the display case would boast churro creations like churro cakes. It was empty when I visited.
Verdict
El Habanero proves that Cuban food can be outstanding with the right ingredients and chef. Also, a first: tasty rice and beans. Churros and related desserts are ok. 8.5/10.
Practical information
- Name
- El Habanero and Churrobar
- Rating
- 8.5/10
- Recommended dishes
- Ropa vieja
- Prices
- Ropa vieja: $22.54 ($19.95 excluding tax)
Churro: $1.98 ($1.75 excluding tax). Bulk discounts available. - Address
- 4915 Steeles Avenue East, Unit 8
- Hours
- Friday to Saturday 1500h – 2100h
Sunday 1500h – 1900h - Date of visit
- July 2020