Havana Koi - Morristown

Service was adequate. Food was totally bland and tasteless. Portion size was small for cost and presentation was ordinary. Take your money somewhere else. There are many terrific restaurants in Morristown. This place will be gone before too long.

Great concept b/c there isn't much competition for a Cuban style eatery in the Mo-town area. Nice decor helped to heighten my anticipation. We ordered a variety of tapas, empanadas, skewers which were mediocre at best. Pork belly was at temperature (safe to eat) but very much undercooked w/ the top layer being excessively chewy/tacky. The rest of our plates were far from cult status leaving plenty of room for improvement. Next, we ordered the tempura whole bass, but were told that they didn't have it in stock (on a Friday night? Then we ordered the Miso crusted fish were again disappointed that there was none in stock. That's when we started doubting the freshness of our tapas (tuna crudo scallops). They need a better chef.

We've eaten at Havana Koi twice now. The first time the food was excellent: interesting choices, and everything we tried was really good. We especially loved the mango and Asian pear salad: crisp, delicious, with clear flavors of mango and Asian pear. The second time was a strong disappointment: we shared of the smaller dishes (a mix of salads, small plates, and sides); two were good, three were so-so, and the mango and Asian pear salad was dismal: a barely detectable trace of mango, a slimy dressing, and so much raw onion that we couldn't taste the Asian pear at all. We'll wait a while and try them again maybe this last time was the chef's night off.

We had dinner on the outside terrace the other night. The appetizer lettuce wedge salad with chorizo and blue cheese, crackling pork and miso fish entrees were fabulous! For dessert we tried the dulce de leche cheesecake which did not have any caramel taste. When we told the server, she brought a flan in its place which was wonderful! The setting was nice, although the table was a bit rocky and unstable. One recommendation is to have candles or lighting of some kind as it gets dark. It was very difficult to see what we were eating.

A refreshing change from the usual Italian or Steak house in Morristown! Great to sit outside on a nice summer night and enjoy some interesting Cuban style small plates.