Cubana to open second restaurant
Former Treasury minister Phillip Oppenheim, the owner of Cubana bar-restaurant in Waterloo, is to open a second Cubana venue in October.
The new restaurant will be in Smithfield, London EC1, and will feature a coffee roaster and a Latin American-style bakery, alongside the mojitos and fresh tropical cocktails for which the original Cubana is known.
The 3,000 sq ft site in Charterhouse Street will also have a fresh ice-cream maker which will be used to make a selection of Latin American fresh fruit ice lollies.
It will offer a range of Cuban-style dishes including slow-roasted free-range pork and pollo criollo. All meat will come from free-range animals, and the restaurant is working towards its Marine Stewardship Council certification for its fish.
The Giesen coffee roaster will be one of the main features of the restaurant, and will allow Cubana to launch a new single origin Cuban coffee brand named after the eaterie.
Oppenheim already has a strong interest in coffee, having been involved in the launch of the Cuban coffee brand Alma de Cuba, where he is still non-executive director.
He said: "With just four months to go until launch date, we are excited to be bringing our vibrant brand to the heart of London while, at the same time, introducing our own Cuban coffee and on-site coffee roaster.
Phillip Oppenheim opened Cubana in Waterloo in 1998 after a political career that included a period working at the UK Treasury for former Chancellor of the Exchequer Kenneth Clarke.
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