yaokui: La Isla

Address: 104 Washington Street, Hoboken, NJ

http://www.laislarestaurant.com/

Phone: 201-659-8197

This is one of our favorite Cuban Restaurants in the NYC metro area. It was recommended by a friend Pei, who used to live in Hoboken. The restaurant is tiny so expect to wait in line to get a table. Some of our favorite dishes there are the Ensalada de Espinaca y Remolacha (spinach tossed with mango, avocado, blue cheese, oranges and red onion in a champagne vinaigrette with toasted macadamia nuts, served over roasted beets), Sopa de Pollo (homemade chicken noodle soup with potatoes, carrots, celery and corn), Camarones al Ajillo o Enchilados (sauteed shrimp in garlic sauce or red creole sauce) and of course, their Sandwich Cubano.

Gan: I still remember the first time Pei and Kelvyn brought us to this place. We were so skeptical about having any decent restaurant in New Jersey, let alone a Cuban restaurant. Wow, this was even better than most of the better Cuban restaurants in NYC! This remains one of the best restaurant you can find in NJ.. heck, it can be compared to any good NYC restaurants. We've been coming here regularly since Hoboken is very close to Jersey City, where we live.

Gan's favorite drink at La Isla --Morir Soñando (frappé made with fresh orange juice, evaporated milk and sugar)

Gan: Lol.. sweet tooth. I'm just surprised how well orange juice go with evaporated milk.

We usually order this Daily Special for lunch, Pollo Asado or Roasted Chicken (thigh). The dish comes with two sides.

Gan: One of my favorite dish. Only about USD7. Classic Cuban food like Pollo Asado or Aros con Pollo is one of the best chicken dish you can get. For some reason, Sarah and myself just adores Cuban food. We think the really flavorful way of cooking is similar to what we eat in South East Asia - maybe the spice we use are similar. Yummy.