I know, I know. Horrible title. You come up with a better one.

My roommate invited me out for dinner with her and her parents at Asia de Cuba and I agreed eagerly, as I'd been reading about the restaurant and was excited by the favorable reviews.

Asia de Cuba is a family-style Latin-Asian fusion restaurant with a high ceiling that encompasses two floors (bar upper, restaurant lower), dramatic white drapes, and a single backlight color which suffuses the dining area with its glow. The night we were there, it was red. Red has been shown to make people hungry, and man, was I, after I smelled the delicious aromas wafting from the surrounding tables.

We ordered so many dishes, it was overwhelming. The server suggested three appetizers and two entrees for the four of us to split. This turned out to be practically too much; the portions are extremely generous.

To start, we chose Crab Croquetas, Asian Pesto Grilled Shrimp, and Lemongrass Skewered Chicken. As I'm pesco-veg, I refrained from tasting the chicken, but my roommate informed me that it was "nice" (her word for great). The shrimp were large and the flesh was tender; the seasoning wonderful. As for the croquetas, just a bunch of tastiness in my mouth.

For the main entrees, we went all out and ordered the Lobster Mai-Tai and Hunan Whole Wok Crispy Fish. Both were fabulous. The lobster was the freshest I'd ever tasted, submerged in a red curry that went well with the side order of Plantain Fried Rice we also decided to get, along with Lobster Boniato Mash and Panko Crusted Crispy Plantains. The fish was stuffed to the brim with goodness--I'm a big fan of crispy-edged fish, and this was an homage to that. The boniato (a small potato) was creamy and slightly sweet and the plantains were the best I've ever had.

Finally, time for dessert, though our stomachs were full to bursting. My roommate's parents and I both ordered the flan while my roommate chose the sorbets. The flan was good, but slightly too too. I prefer my flan traditional, in the brown syrup. The sorbets, however, were heavenly.

Delicious food, good service, striking decor. Recommended.

Asia de Cuba, 237 Madison Avenue, (212) 726-7755