Soul de Cuba - Cuban Cuisine in Downtown Honolulu
I haven't ventured into downtown Honolulu/Chinatown for a long time, but had heard from friends that several new bars and restaurants had opened up over the last few years. At their urging and insistence, I finally started to check out a few of these spots. The first restaurant I decided to try is Soul de Cuba simply because I had never had Cuban cuisine, but knew that it had some Spanish flavors which I really enjoy.
Soul de Cuba is a relatively small and clean restaurant located on Bethel Street near the Hawaii Theater in downtown Honolulu. When I first walked in, I immediately noticed the striking and beautiful religious paintings hung on the far wall above the bar. The place was packed and had a good vibe. The atmosphere was relaxing and fun, making it tempting to sit around and chat the night away.
The food and drinks did not disappoint. My friends and I ordered mojitos which weren't too sweet but could have used a bit more mint, and a bottle of sangria. The sangria was perfect and went well with dinner. For food, we ordered the soul sampler which had a taste of the devil crab, beef and vegetarian empanadas and camarones bailando, which is shrimp in a black bean-type sauce. All were delicious, but I particularly enjoyed the devil crab. For dinner, I had the tortilla and shrimp plate. A Cuban tortilla is not like the Mexican tortilla - a flat flour or corn bread - that most of us are familiar with. A Cuban tortilla is like a Spanish tortilla - a round, layered omelet with thinly sliced potatoes, onions and spices. There was a good size serving of jumbo shrimp in a kind of light tomato sauce on the side. My friends tried the fricasee de pollo and the camarones con salsa. The chicken on the fricasee de pollo was tender and well-marinated. I prefered the shrimp with the tortilla to the shrimp in the camarones con salsa. The tomato sauce on the camarones con salsa was a bit heavy and a little spicy. Both the fricasee and camarones con salsa came with white rice and plantains. The portions were perfect - not too large, but just enough to share and fill my friends and me up. The prices are reasonable, with entrees between $10 - $20. Overall, Soul de Cuba was an enjoyable experience and I will definitely go back.
