by Ariel Taylor | Having eaten at close to 30 restaurants and paladares in my six weeks since arriving in Havana, this morning I was beginning to wonder if I’d exhausted most of what this city has to offer for a decent meal.  But the thought of yet another course of beans and rice made me open my trusty guidebook for the hundredth time and, let me tell you, I’m happy I did because this time I struck gold.  The two-liner description of this ‘inconspicuous’ paladar , dubbed Decameron, hadn’t exactly grabbed my attention in the past, but with precious few listings left to explore left (and even fewer recommendations from Cuban friends) I decided to hell with it, a girl’s gotta eat!

I can’t say it was exactly love at first sight; a simple two story house with barred windows and a cement front yard on the corner of two of Havana’s major streets wasn’t all that convincing (and the locked front door had me almost right back to square one), but my growling stomach made me ring the bell.  I’m given a quick up and down by a Cuban woman from a tiny inlaid window and, apparently satisfied, am ushered inside with the door locked behind me.  I think only “Holy Shit” truly captures my first reaction.

An antique lovers’ dream, the walls of Decameron are lined with pendulum clocks, faded brass instruments, and an array of vintage memorabilia all expertly lit and well preserved. Two dining rooms and a small bar take over most of the first floor and from, somewhere in the back, the smell of baking bread suggests the kitchen.  Sky-high ceilings, aged wooded doors and exposed stonework all help to create an air of antiquity and the faintest familiarity of a grandparent’s house.  I’m even addressed as Nina (child) by the elderly woman who shows me to a table.  While the ambiance alone was well worth the visit, the menu too was a welcome surprise.

Unconventional by Cuban standards, plates of octopus, duck and even a stake fillet, all paired with steamed vegetables, fresh bread and yuca (think mashed potatoes), priced in the 4CUC to 18CUC range ($5 – $20CND) makes even the food a steal.  My puffed pastry filled with flaked tuna, veggies and melted gouda, paired with a generous salad at a mere $5.00 made it easy to indulge in chocolate ice-cream and a cappachino for dessert.  When you consider the limited supplies available to a wannabe chef in Cuba (you’ve never seen a supermarket so empty) its admirable what this paladar is able to dish out.  The service too is noteworthy and little extras such as complementary samplings of salamis and a shot-glass of warm soup make for the kind of pleasantries we Canadians have come to expect from dining out.

Decameron is truly a Cuban anomaly and one which I wholeheartedly recommend to anyone who might find themselves hungry in Havana.  In a city often described as suspended in time, this paladar is as good as any museum, yet as comfortable as a family living room.  And for the atmosphere and price, its an easy place to spend a quiet, drawn out meal.

Decameron
Linea no.753 e/Paseo y 2
Phone: 7/832-2444

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