Wesley and I weren't originally going to eat here for lunch but the restaurant we were planning on going to (which was very close by) was closed. I had eaten at Mambo Tea House once before with a girl friend but it was a rushed lunch so I always intended on going back for a proper experience. Today seemed like as good a day as any.
Restaurant details:
Located at 98 Park Avenue in Rutherford, NJ. This restaurant is Cuban themed with some Asian accents mixed in. The theme was inspired by the owners: a Caribbean born husband and his Hong Kong born wife. It's a bring your own bottle type of place. They also sell their own tea if you fall in love after sampling some and need to take it home with you.
We arrived at around 1pm on a Saturday. It was pretty empty inside aside from maybe four tables that were taken. We chose to sit near the front mostly because I wanted the sofa seat. This was a big mistake. Because I'm so short, I had to stuff pillows behind me so I could reach the table. That didn't damper my mood though. I happily awaited our food as the Cuban music played throughout the restaurant.
The Food:
Wesley ordered the Ropa Vieja which is shredded beef with peppers and onions in a tomato based sauce. It came with beans, yellow rice, and two plantain slices. As you can tell from the image below, he was so eager to attack this he didn't wait for me to get a photo first. He seemed to enjoy it although he did complain that the beans tasted like the canned variety and could have been better. He accompanied that with Passion fruit juice.
On a side note, how adorable is that little pot the beef came in? It was baby sized. Too cute.
I ordered the Sandwich Cubano aka The Cuban Sandwich. This sandwich consisted of ham, pork, Swiss cheese, pickles, mustard, and what the menu referred to as their "special mojo sauce." On the side I also had sweet potato fries which were crispy on the outside and soft inside just the way I like it. In the image below, you'll see a lone fry in the front. This was the one bad fry in an otherwise delectable batch.
I have to admit I really enjoyed this meal. The salty meats and cheese in the sandwich combined with the biting flavor of the pickles and mustard are a wonderful combination. I've never had a Cuban sandwich in Miami so I'm not sure how it stacks up but as a Jersey girl I thought it was pretty darn good.
I also had the Mambo Iced Tea which is green tea with ginseng, honey, and fruit flavors. The sweetness of that and the potatoes made sure all of my palate had something to work with.
We couldn't leave without ordering some tea. This is a tea house, after all. They have a huge selection to choose from and everything sounds so good. We ordered the Valentine's Black Tea. This one was flavored with chocolate and strawberries. As soon as the pot was placed on our table the air was filled with a deep chocolatey aroma. This tea had a natural sweetness to it so no sugar was really needed. I enjoyed it a lot.
We decided to share a dessert. Wes loves fruit after a meal so he automatically wanted the Conchas de Guayaba. It's essentially guava shells with your choice of cream cheese or vanilla ice cream. We went with the ice cream. Once I bit into the Guava I realized we probably should've gone with the cheese instead. The guava is overwhelmingly sweet. You can tell it's canned because of the syrupy goop it's covered in. The ice cream and tea helped to balance the taste a little. While not the worst dessert I've ever had, I probably wouldn't want to order it again.
The Price & Final Thoughts:
Our entire meal came out to $26.64.
Wes and I liked Mambo Tea House. Wes said he'd give it an 8 out of 10. Bottom line: It's a nicely decorated spot, the food is good, the staff was very friendly, and the price wasn't bad at all for the area. I'm not sure what it's like around dinner time but I would definitely recommend it for lunch.
For more about this restaturant, visit them at: www.mamboteahousenj.com
