Revolucion de Cuba - take 2

Avid readers may remember that my initial thoughts on Revolución de Cuba were not wholly positive. No one was more surprised than I therefore when I received an invitation in my bulging postbag to go back and try their new and about to be relaunched menu, this time with added chef.

I was invited to their press launch which, along with the fact that my previous thoughts are so clearly public, put me slightly on edge I must admit. Not just because everyone else there was 10 years younger and prettier than I am, but also because I'm always unsure of the protocol of such events and I invariably end up sitting in a dark corner, wishing that I hadn't driven over so I could ask for too many free drinks and not care when I inevitably make a knob of myself in front of a group of people I don't know. And so it was with these pressures bearing down on me that I grabbed my metaphorical Che Guevara t-shirt and headed off to see if I was ready to join my Communist comrades in arms.

First I was given this sticker with my name on it to distinguish me from the General Manager who was also called Rob.

Then I was plied with a stripy banana-ry and strawberry-ry cocktail which turned out to be really tasty and went down far too quickly. 

And it was about here that I had decided to give Revolución de Cuba 10 out of 10 for effort before the food even came out. The enthusiasm displayed by the unfortunate member of staff that had been volunteered to give us all a mojito making lesson in the face of a considerable enthusiasm deficit by the assembled associated press was admirable. Thankfully @powderpuff_room jumped in to help demonstrate the technique while the 'make-a-cocktail-whilst-blindfold-game' was taken well by the participants (MK locals @joeatsworld and @loubou) but still didn't seem to do the trick on the rest of the crowd which I would suggest is far more a reflection on the rest of the miserable buggers than RdC.

So having been suitably 'warmed up', we were led away and addressed by Rob (the GM) about the new dishes before they came out for us all to have a nibble on. To be honest, I did take a load of pictures but most of them were rubbish so I'll leave it to @joeatsworld to give you a much better view, she at least had the foresight to bring a proper camera. If she puts them up, I'll link to them here. UPDATE: I knew she had taken some proper pictures.

Instead, I'll talk about why I like what Revolución de Cuba have tried to do here. As I mention in my previous rambling opinion, they suffered an appalling misfortune just as they opened and they struggled to provide their punters with consistent quality from the kitchen because of that. The food they served wasn't good and in recognition of that fact they have adapted which is what good businesses do to remain commercial and goodness knows we need a few more of those if we are to keep the Theatre District alive here in MK. 

I can't help but be honest and say that the food we had here was not stella, there were too many bland dishes without enough salt, too much chilli powder, or dry balls and soggy buns (as the Actress said to the Bishop) that but I beg you not to be put off by this; for there were gems hidden on the menu and with their 2 for 1 tapas deal still going strong I hope that RdC is starting to find it's feet. Of the food I tried, the butternut squash in particular was one of my favourites and the chicken skewers weren't too shabby either, but it was the Spanish black pudding that is included on the brunch menu (I think) that was the most memorable. 

I'm not the worlds biggest butternut squash fan and to be honest, I probably wouldn't have ordered this if given the choice which is why I'm happy that I liked it so much. The chilli jam and goats cheese saucey thing actually worked really well and I have already recommended it to a couple of friends. If nothing else it should prove that it always pays to broaden your horizons! Similarly, I didn't mind the quesadilla's or the sardines too much either and they are both part of that tapas deal which is great for a couple of bites in between drinks.

I did mention the rubbish photo's didn't I.

So I surprised myself with being pleased and supportive of the effort RdC have put in to try and match the experience with the vision they originally had. There is still a miss-match but RdC is not out to attract people like me to go and rave about the food or at least I don't think they should be, they are a venue you should visit before you go out, rather than a place to go out to. It's perfectly placed to hit up some weird and wonderful cocktails, a couple of rum shots and a few mouthfuls to line the stomach before you salsa dance your way into the early hours. In my humble and thankfully amateur opinion, the bright young things of Milton Keynes that RdC should concentrate on are the people who want to eat something that isn't awful, that they don't have to pay through the nose for before they go and do whatever young people do these days. I think that this new menu is a step in that direction and if you visit with that in mind and choose your way around the menu sensibly, you'll get on all right.


www.revoluciondecuba.com
@RevdeCubaMK