Taberna de La Muralla, Plaza Vieja, La Habana

              When I feel like being a tourist I like to take a walk through Old Havana. I usually end up at this Pub-Brewery in Plaza Vieja, "Taberna de La Muralla". It's the only pub-brewery in Havana. It sits in one of the corners of the plaza at Calle Muralla & Calle San Ignacio. Just follow the sound of live music. There seems to be a band playing every time I go there. I realized on this last visit that the bands change every hour or so.
               Over the last few years they've transformed this beautiful but rundown plaza into the magnificence it is today or would have looked like. Durning all these restorations the pub has been there with the bands playing traditional Cuban music, "Buena Vista Social Club" style.
               The Taberna serves food but I don't find it to be anything great. It hasn't been very consitant through the years. The skewered meats & fish, what they're known for, are good most of the time but not always. They have; chicken, shrimp, lobster tail & pork on the skewer. I had the grilled chicken breast on my last visit & it was pretty good but it didn't come with anything. My guest had the filet of sole that didn't look very appetizing. The main reason to come is for the beer and to chillout. Light lager or Amber beer served in 3 litre cylinders with ice to keep it cold & a spout for dispensing or you can order by the pint. The food is not very expensive, just a few CUC per person. I can except it as a good accompaniment for the beer. This place is just a great spot to spend a couple of hours listening to music with a beautiful backdrop.

Video Clip.    
http://youtu.be/oFOvU4eCtrk

Cafe Laurent, La Habana (restaurant review)

                Just before my last trip to Havana I read a blurb about this new restaurant 'Cafe Laurent'. It was very positive so I decided to check it out. I had no address but knew it was close to Hotel Nacional. Fifteen minutes later after driving in circles and asking around, we finally found it. Just a tiny little sign in front of an apartment building was the only indication that a restaurant existed. We were cordially escorted inside the building and led into an elevator which took us to the penthouse.
                 Once you enter the apartment you forget where you are. You enter a large space which is the main dining room and you can see the room extend to the terrace. There is as much seating outside on the terrace as there is in the main room. Huge patio with a beautiful view. There is also a small bar to the side of the room with another much smaller terrace lined with a few stools. Very tastefully done, the walls are lined with old newspapers but it works. There was a television screen playing 'Chris Botti' in concert, low volume, good choice. To the back, towards the kitchen and bathroom, is a private room that can hold about 12 with it's own small balcony, bar and bathroom. Imagine what a great apartment this must have been.
                  The service was very pleasant. Right off the start, the waitress informed us that they had no meat because they were not happy with the quality available to them at the time. If that was true, I can appreciate that. If it was a lie, good move. Regardless, there was plenty to choose from. It was a tough choice to make but I went with the 'Lobster Cocktail' for my appetizer and the whole fried 'Red Snapper' for my main. I couldn't understand how they would fry a whole 1 1/2 lb. fish. I'm used to having it grilled or baked. My guest had the 'Cod Stuffed Pimentos' as her appetizer & the foil wrapped 'Baked Fish Filet' for her main course. When I got my appetizer it blew me away. There were about 1 1/2 lobster tails cut into large chunks, perfectly cooked with a perfect mayo based cocktail sauce on the side. That could have been dinner. The main course, the Snapper, was actually very good. I expected it to be dry but it was cooked just right. With a drizzle of olive oil, that was on every table, it was perfect. My guest's appetizer, the pimentos, were not as strong as I've had in the past. Usually anything with salted cod is quite strong but these were tasty. The fish filet she ordered was beautifully done. The fish was cut into cubes and placed into the foil package with onions, eggplant, white wine and other tasty treats. I won't get into the desserts on this post but we had the Crema Catalana that was to die for. An excellent sellection of homemade goodies. We had a bottle of Chilean Rose with our dinner and a bottle of mineral water, with 10% tip included on the bill, the total was 55cuc. I think that's an excellent deal for what we got. One the top of our list of favourite restaurants in Havana. Can't wait to go back.
                   Refreshing, a little different than the usual fair. The owner-chef, Victor, has worked with his partner Pepe for the last three years in Mexico, New Jersey and in Havana in El Templete, a very good restaurant on the Malecon behind Plaza de Armas. Victor says this is the beginning of a revolution or change in perception and quality of food available in Cuba (which really means Havana). I for one love it.

Calle M  e/19 y 21 no.257 Penthouse
Vedado, La Habana
Tel.(537) 831-2090   832-6890

Interview
http://youtu.be/-pj4HMTC8xM

Looking at the entrance to the restaurant.



Looking at the bar with the small terrace to the left. Chris Botti
blowing his horn on the tv screen.

The Terrace.

Main Courses

Stuffed Pimentos

Lobster Cocktail

Whole Fried Red Snapper

Foil Wrapper Filet of Soul

The Sweethearts of Cuban Television

Angel Ramirez (artist) part 2

                 It's been a year since I last visited Angel Ramirez. The last time I tried he was off on some exhibit. I caught him this time but I only dropped in to tell him hello. He seems to be in good health and in his usual laid back self.
                 He was born in Havana in 1954. He's a painter, engraver and creator of objects. He is a poet and a writer and ties in many of his pieces with ironic writings or poetry. In a lot of his works he uses recycled materials and paintings are often mixed with objects to produce a dramatic effect that needs to be seen in person. I have taken a lot of photographes in his studio but the photos aren't in 3D so you don't get the full effect. Angel has had many exhibits around the world and I'm hoping he comes to Toronto soon.
I hope you enjoy the new batch of pictures taken in his studio.

Jose Fuster (Artist) Part 2

                   The project started in 1994. It started simply, he began fixing his house, a typical wooden structure you see a lot of outside the city. The first pieces, Alex told us, were placed on the outer wall and it spread out from there. One day, a neighbour came by and asked Jose if he could help him fix up the front of his house in the Fuster style. After that, another neighbour came to him and said "If you did it for him, why don't you do it for me" and it kepted growing from there. Now, 18 years later, it has become a successful urban project with most it being done with their own money.
                     Things were never easy and he often got hassled and fined by the government but since the erection on the "Olympus of The Five", things have been much better. The hassles have stopped and he actually gets support now. He has had a fair bit of press lately, being interviewed by several television stations and has had many exhibitions within and outside of Cuba. They even did a showing at the "Wine Country Film Festival" in Napa Valley where, Alex tells us, they met Al Pacino and other major movie celebrities.
                      Well, like I said. the door is always open at the Fuster house. It's a must visit but be prepared to spend 2 hours from the time you leave 5th Ave, walking to the house. The next time I visit, I would like to walk all the way to the ocean and explore the rest of the village, it's not too far.
5th Ave and 226 Street and go north, you can't miss it.

http://www.havana-cultura.com/en/int/visual-art/jose-fuster/cuban-artist-painter-and-sculpture

Jose Fuster (Artist) part 1

                  Jose Fuster was born in 1946 in Caibarien, a little seatown on the north side of the island in the Villa Clara province. He moved to Jaimanitas, where he lives now, another fishing village but this one is 15km west of downtown Havana. Jaimanitas is now considered part of Havana.
                   Although I did not have the pleasure of meeting Jose on this trip, I have been told that he has an energy that emanates from his body and transfers to all those around him. It's easy to believe after seeing how he's transformed his simple wooden abode into a massive art museum. It's not just his house, although his is the most elaborate, it's more than two blocks of houses. When he began this project 18 years ago, he had no idea the community would come together to make this a neighbourhood affair. He also didn't limit himself to painting, he also took up drawing, etching, ceramics & sculpture & is influenced by Antoni Gaudi & Pablo Picasso. Pictures don`t give you the full scope of this project.
                   I came accross this artist by chance while surfing the internet one day and bookmarked it. I decided to visit him on my last trip this past october. He wasn't there but we were graciously received by his son Alex. He was an excellent host with the little time he had and took us on a private tour of his home/studio. He was expecting a bus load of Americans on a humanitarian mission. When Jose Fuster is at home, he always finds the time to welcome anyone who visits. I'm looking forward to meeting him on my next trip.
                     The road to Jaimanitas, calle 226, runs off of 5th Ave and is marked by a street sign showing the way to the Fuster house. His street is 2 blocks towards the ocean going north. As soon as you take a few steps you realize you're not in Kansas anymore. It almost starts immediately, most of the fronts of houses are decorated in glazed tiles and majolica ceramics and in some cases even the sides and tops of houses are wildly painted and adorned.
                      When you finally get to his house you can see from the outside that this is going to be something special. When you step through the entrance it feels like you're entering a fairy tale, like Alice in Wonderland. The front door is always open and the locals that come by don't take notice of the Jose house but when you arrive here for the first time your eyes don't know where to look. You have huge statues over 2 meters tall covered in colorful ceramic tile. Most of the stone walls and ground are adorned with art of some kind but then you look up. You have multiple levels and balconie and several covered roofs. There's also a relatively new colossal sculpture that now stands as a revelation "The Olympus of The Five", a tribute to the five Cubans imprisoned in the US. Jose's tribute to freedom.

This video clip features Alex Fuster, Jose's son.
http://youtu.be/jXka6JvHna0

This is a video clip of the interior of the property.
http://youtu.be/JhrcbyIk6o4

5th Avenue

 

                                               The Walk to The House

The Front of The Jose Fuster House

                                                         A Bench Outside The House

                                                     The Wall in Front of The House

The Olympus of The Five

                                                          A Shot From The Top Balcony