MJMK has announced the upcoming launch of its newest venture, Bar La Rampa, a concept designed to celebrate the heritage and culture of 1950’s Havana, in the heart of Central London.
Opening this summer, Bar La Rampa will offer Londoners a destination to enjoy reimagined Cuban cuisine, with a menu developed by Ana Gonçalves and Zijun Meng of TATA Eatery, and a cocktail-led drinks offering curated by respected mixologist and bartender, Marcis Dzelzainis.
Named after Calle 23, one of the best known streets of Havana’s vibrant Vedado region, La Rampa will be a celebration of Cuba’s long-standing traditions of food, rum and live music.
The menu will feature small plates that take influence from both Cuba and the wider Central American region. Signature dishes will include twists on classics, such as a Cubano Sandwich – served at La Rampa with Pork Belly, ham, and raclette cheese; foot-long Pork Chicharrones; and Picadillo Empanadas.
The drinks list at La Rampa will be largely cocktail-led and will particularly look to emphasise the versatility and flavour profiles of rum, a drink central to Cuba’s national identity.
Marcis Dzelzainis, previously of Sager + Wilde, 69 Colebrooke Row and Dandelyan fame, has extensive knowledge of the country, having travelled there many times in the last 10 years, and who has previously won the Havana Club International Cocktail Grand Prix competition.
Fascinated by the art of bartending and the position it holds in Cuban culture, Dzelzainis has curated a menu that seeks to celebrate the traditions and drinks that originated in Cuba during the 1920’s through to the 1950’s, with classics served as they would be in Havana. Mojitos and Daquiris will be a real focus, with variations including the ‘Papa Doble’, a homage to Ernest Hemingway’s drink of choice, and the ‘Jennings Cox’ cocktail, named after the often referenced inventor of the daquiri.
Eminente, a special new Cuban rum imagined by Cesar Marti, the youngest Cuban Maestro Ronero (rum master), which is aged for seven years and made from 100% Cuban sugar cane, will feature prominently.
Located on Market Place, two minutes from Oxford Circus, the venue will accommodate both indoor and outdoor dining, with a large al fresco terrace. London-based designer Alessio Nardi’s A-nrd Studio has created a space that will transport guests to old Havana, with bright and fresh interiors, a pale colour palette and lush, tropical greenery. The bar itself will be constructed of dark wood and rattan, drawing on inspiration from Cuba’s famed cocktail bars.
Live music will also be a large feature of Bar La Rampa, with a house band and regularly hosted Cuban nights throughout the week. Music, like rum, is a cultural signifier of Cuba, particularly throughout the unbridled hedonism of the 1950’s where the streets and bars of Havana played host to Cuban and American high society. Bar La Rampa will be devoid of the usual cliches and will instead look to celebrate the decadent, true spirit of Cuba.
Inspired by his early childhood years spent in Cuba, MJMK co-founder, Jake Kasumov has a strong desire to pay homage to the country in an authentic and respectful way.
Kasumov commented, “I lived in Cuba until I was six years old, and my father spent the majority of his life in Havana, meaning I travelled there often throughout my life. I’ve always been enamoured with Cuba’s cultural heritage, but find it has often been misrepresented through cultural appropriation abroad.
'Marco and I are passionate about bringing Havana’s beautiful history to life in a way that celebrates the country’s authentic food, drinks and design.”
Kasumov , along with co-founder Marco Mendes, also own and operate Casa do Frango - a nod to Marco’s Portuguese heritage - as well as KOL Restaurant & Mezcaleria, Bar Bolivar, and Vinegar Yard.