Shi Yu Restaurant's Cuban Food Festival: A Poetic Taste of Austerity

🌟 A Cuban Limited Event at a South American Restaurant: Reading History Through Portions 📜 Shi Yu Restaurant’s Cuban-themed event feels like a message kissed by the Caribbean’s salty breeze—as someone who’s attended every one of their food festivals, this year’s portions stand out for their modesty: small plates of black bean rice 🍚, dainty fried plantains 🍌, paper-thin slices of roasted pork 🥩. Nothing like the hearty spreads of other South American cuisines. But maybe that’s the point: Cuba’s true flavor lies in squeezing joy from scarcity, using spices and passion to turn simplicity into something special 🌿. On this 64th anniversary, the meal tastes less like dinner, more like a sliver of history—quirky, and surprisingly moving ✨. 🍽️ The Only Dish That Shone: A Gem in Simplicity 💎 Most dishes were just “fine,” but the Cuban-style braised oxtail captured Cuba’s soul. Simmered in tomatoes 🍅, onions 🧅, and rum 🥃 until the meat fell off the bone, every nook soaked in sauce. Tender but not mushy, with a hint of caramel bitterness and lime zing 🍋 . The saffron-kissed rice glowed like liquid sunshine ☀️; sopping it up with oxtail juice? Suddenly, you get why Cubans crave stews when life gets tough. 🎪 Event Vibes: Cuban Flair, From Decor to Dance 🎵 The restaurant turned a corner into a mini Havana: hand-drawn maps 🗺️ on walls, straw hats 👒 and vintage records 💽 strung up, waiters chirping “¡Buen provecho!” (enjoy!) in Spanish. Salsa tunes filled the air 💃, and sipping a mojito 🍹 by the decor, you almost forgot you weren’t in a tiny café off Revolution Square. 💡 Diner’s Ramblings 💭 “Portions were tiny—just enough to taste—but that oxtail? I wanted to stuff it in a box and run 📦” “More than a meal, it’s a cultural nod to 64 years of friendship—you’re tasting history as much as food 📜” “Coming back, but please add big fried plantains. Carbs = happiness, after all 🥳” #64thChinaCubaRelations #CubanFoodFestival #ShiYuRestaurant #FoodieCheckIn