PG's Jamaican Takeout

It goes without saying that there is not a whole lot of choice when it comes to Jamaican cuisine in the GVRD.  Sure, there is The Reef, but for me at least, it has become pretty mainstream after they opened up 2 more locations.  So when I spotted a Groupon for PG's Jamaican Takeout, I immediately bought it without noticing it was located in...  White Rock???  Okay...  I guess they have no immediate competition!  I was able to get Emily to join me on this food adventure as I promised rollerblading.  Apparently White Rock is a no fun zone as they have more "No Rollerblading" signs than stop signs...

We decided to start our meal off with an order of their Johnny Cakes not knowing that each dish came with one.  Doh! No matter because the mango coconut butter made it all good.  It was creamy, aromatic and lightly sweet.  However, the Johnny cake itself was on the denser side.  On the outside, it was all deep-fried goodness being crispy (almost crunchy) and only a touch greasy.  The ones at The Reef are better. For our first plate of food, we dug into the Stewed Oxtail.  It featured gelatinous and tender pieces of meat (albeit the smaller pieces of the ox tail, which are generally more tender anyways).  Flavours were tight with a definite meatiness to go with sweetness from the onions.

Next up was the impactful Jerk Chicken.  Normally, I find the jerk chicken in Vancouver to be too mild and one note in flavour.  The one here was complex with layers of heat mixed in with the nutmeg, cinnamon and rum (this had a striking resemblance to some moles I've had in the past) .  We liked how the flavours had penetrated the meat and at the same time, the meat was still moist and tender while the skin was rendered.  On the side, the beans and rice were nicely dry so it could soak up all the tasty spice.  Equally tender, the Curry Goat exhibited a rich curry hit that was a touch salty.  However, it went well with the rice as a result.  I liked how the goat was not dried out.  In fact, the pieces were gelatinous and fork tender.

Lastly, the Ackee & Saltfish was money.  The tender pieces of ackee were nicely flavoured by the salty fish.  Smooth and fluffy, the ackee maintained a texture without being mushy.   I couldn't stop eating this dish, which was pretty much the theme of all the items we ordered.  In the end, it was worth the trip out to White Rock because the food at PG's is legit.  We would've paid regular price (without the Groupon) and would've been happy.  It wasn't only because of the food either as the people there are super nice too.

The Good:
- Impactful flavours
- Solid execution
- Nice people

The Bad:
- Small place, it truly is takeout unless you can snag a table
- It's not exactly cheap (especially if you order the larger portions)
- Johnny cakes could be less dense 

The Reef (Main Street)

Hot Chocolate never lets me forget about the time we went to The Reef without her.  So I keep promising her that the next time we go, she would be included.  In fact, I would make it mission of mine to head there just for her benefit.  Well, that was nearly 5 years ago when I made that declaration. That's as long as someone has to wait for surgery in BC!  LOL...  Anyways, I finally followed through and we made our way over to the Main Street location after Monday night softball.

Before anything else arrived, we were treated to their complimentary Johnny Cakes.  These freshly-fried balls of joy were exactly how I remembered them - crispy on the outside and a firm fluffy on the inside.  These were sweet and with melting butter, well let's just say they were good.  While looking at the menu, I was eying the Tasting Platter consisting of Chana Salad, Plantain Chips, Jerk Wings and Coco Prawns.  Hence, I enlisted the help of Boss Woman, Milhouse and Bear to help me eat it.  Such helpful people!  The wings were moist while mostly mild with only hint of spice.  Crunchy with a snap, the coco prawns were okay, but over-battered.  I found the chickpeas to be rather soft while bathed in a mildly spicy garam masala.

Bear also went for his own order of Doubles.  For those unfamiliar, it is a sandwich made with bara which is fried flat bread. There are different fillings, but for this one, it was curried chickpeas.  Unlike the one I had recently at D Roti Shak, the bara was dense, greasy and really crunchy.  The chickpeas were no different than the ones from the tasting platter being mildly spiced. For his main, he had the Trini Roti with curry chicken. Since most of the filling was dark meat, it ended up being moist.  Unlike the chickpea curry, the heat level was amped in the roti where it lingered.  He didn't end up opting for the dahlpouri (spiced lentils in between the layers of roti), hence his roti was a bit chewier and less "fluffy".

Hot Chocolate went for one of my 2 choices being the Calypso Oxtail, but since she is a super nice person, I got to try some. Stewed with potatoes and carrots and served atop rice and beans, this was a substantial portion.  The meat was fall-off-the-bone tender with only a few stringy parts.  The flavours were rich, but missing something.  For myself, I decided on Jamaica's national dish - Ackee & Saltfish consisting of ackee fruit, salt cod, onion, tomato and peppers atop rice and peas with coleslaw on the side.  For those who haven't tried ackee, it has the consistency of scrambled eggs.  Combined with the salted fish and veggies, the mix exhibited varied flavours including some saltiness, spice and sweetness.

Milhouse went for his standby which was meat in the Dominca Beef consisting of cumin & garlic marinated tenderloin tips with salsa verde served with mashed potatoes & veggies. I was able to sample a piece and it was really tender and moist.  The flavours were definitely there, but not too strong.  The mash was whipped, hence being quite light and fluffy.  As for the broccoli, it was a bit underdone being really crunchy.  Judes doesn't handle spice well, so she ordered the only dish she could off the menu - Island Thyme Chicken.  Consisting of coconut milk marinated chicken slow cooked in Jamaican thyme, the dish was aromatic if not a bit bland.  The chicken breast itself was surprisingly moist for being slow-cooked.

Boss Woman had essentially what Bear ordered minus the roti in the West Indian Chicken Curry served with white rice, coleslaw, mango chutney and dahi.  So similarly, the chicken was moist being dark meat while the curry was quite spicy.  The plate could've used a bit more rice as a result.  In the end, The Reef met our expectations in terms of Vancouver Jamaican food.  Since Hot Chocolate hails from the Caribbean, she summed up our experience the best - the food does the job decently for where we live.  Anyone expecting more should then buy a ticket to Jamaica because restaurants try to appeal to the local population (they are a business after all).

The Good:
- Something different
- A low-risk introduction to Caribbean fare
- Love those Johnny Cakes

The Bad:
- Flavours could be even more impactful

Calabash

I often get asked where are the best places for brunch in Vancouver.  Each and every time, I draw a blank. Yah, go figure right... That shouldn't be the case as there are many choices for breakfast and brunch in the city.  But with the emphasis on "best", it gets a bit dicey.  Sure, we can list off the obvious places such as The Red Wagon and Cafe Medina.  However, what about something really different?  Well, Miss Y and I were invited to try out Calabash and their tropical Caribbean brunch menu.

We were started off with their Coconut Dumplings (like fritters) which were similar to the Reef's Johnny Cakes except with the aromatics of coconut.  These crispy and fluffy nuggets were further enhanced by the side of mango butter which afforded a tropical sweetness.  Furthermore, the background tartness helped lighten up the heaviness of both the fritter and butter.  Our first dish was the Escovitch Fish which was pan-seared and served with fried plantain, fresh cucumber and rice & peas.  We found the fish flaky and moist.  The tangy escovitch sauce added acidity while a dollop of mango hot sauce livened up the flavours. Slightly crisp, the fried plantains were sweet and soft on the inside.

Next, we had the Rise & Shine Roti consisting of jerk scrambled free-range eggs, roasted cumin potatoes, tomato and garlic choka, jerk pork belly and coconut rundown Hollandaise.  Atop the flaky & crispy roti, the scrambled eggs were slightly too done for our tastes, but the jerk spices were apparent.  We liked the spicy bark on the fatty and meaty pork belly.  As for the Hollandaise, it was plenty creamy with a strong coconut milk presence. Onto the sweet item of the meal, we sampled the Salara French Toast made with fresh baked Guyanese coconut bread accompanied by spiced mango maple syrup, banana cream and fresh fruit.  For us, the bread reminded us of Chinese Gai Mei Bao (which is a good thing).  However, with a considerable amount of coconut, there was no mistaking the main ingredient in terms of texture and taste.  With the addition of fragrant banana cream and the sweet tropical syrup, this was certainly something different.

Lastly, we asked to try the Oxtail Brunch Bowl because others raved about it.  Since we were pretty full, it was served with only one egg (rather than the regular 2).  This concoction consisted of rice and peas, braised ox-tail, fried plantains, poached free-run egg and coconut rundown Hollandaise.  The star of the show was definitely the ox-tail as it was moist and meaty with a peppery-clove thing going on.  Mixed with the rest of the ingredients, it was a decadent creation.  From the items we sampled, it is pretty clear that Calabash offers something different for brunch compared to the regular.  For roughly the same price, it is definitely worth trying out.

*All food and drinks excluding tip were comped*

The Good:
- Something different
- Although quite mild, the multitude of non-typical flavours (esp for brunch) makes it interesting
- Reasonably-priced considering the ingredients

The Bad:
- Neighbourhood still in transition

Juici Patties

Falmouth?  Where the heck is that???  Well, that was our port-of-call in Jamaica for our cruise on the Allure of the Seas.  Some quick research resulted in a decision to hire a driver to take us to Montego Bay instead.  Essentially, RCCL built a shopping area in Falmouth since there was little there to begin with.  On our little tour of Montego Bay, I noticed a place called Juici Patties and insisted we stop to try some.  Our driver ended up taking us to a "nicer" location where I stuck out like a sore thumb while lining up for my patties.

Hey, there are Chinese Jamaicans!  And actually I know a few of them too!  But sadly, I didn't look anywhere remotely close to Chinese Jamaican as I tan as well as a white piece of paper.  So I ended up getting 4 of patties including the ever popular Beef Patty.  For roughly $1.50USD each, these were a fair size.  The pastry was flaky and a touch drier than I'm normally used to but hey, this was Jamaican Patty in Jamaica.  The filling was steaming hot and only slightly spicy.  It was easy to eat and flavourful from the beef as well as the spices.  This was both satisfying and messy as I covered the myself and the car with crumbs.

Not being all that hungry, I was only able to sample one other patty from the 4 that I bought.  Marked with a green dot, the Chicken Patty was of course equally flaky.  On the other hand, the filling was lighter and creamier than the beef.  It was also lacked the spiciness as well despite the curry hit.  These were some pretty tasty and substantial patties that satisfied our cravings.  Not mind-blowing, but definitely legit (duh... we were in Jamaica...).

The Good:
- Cheap
- Substantial
- Flaky

The Bad:
- I would've liked it spicier
- They have a location in Toronto...  how about Vancouver?

Riddim & Spice

It was a dark and stormy day... With raindrops the size of marbles and puddles as deep as some wading pools, this was the Vancouver David Duchovny hated. No wonder he always wore a long coat and carried a flashlight... For me, I had to drive all the way to Ladner in rush hour traffic. Due to some really crappy decision-making, I traveled through Vancouver and even attempted to cross the Knight Street Bridge. When I called Snake Eyes to say I would be late, he laughed at my foolishness. So when it came to eats, I had to step it up. No usual stuff, no chain restaurants and certainly no Richmond. Imagine the traffic in this weather! So I suggested Riddim & Spice. Good ol' Caribbean comfort food on a dreary day.

Surfer Girl, who joined us despite a bum leg, started with a Beef Patty (as did Snake Eyes as well). I'm not completely sure, but these closely resemble the one from Calypso. So putting one and one together (which really hurt my head...) I figured they were supplied from Calypso (since they supply many of the Caribbean restaurants in town). Someone correct me if I'm wrong. These were flaky and slightly spicy. The meat filling was smooth and really hot (temperature-wise). However, I still love the ones from The Patty Shop more. For myself, I started with an side of Fried Plantain. Looking a little like Bananas Foster without everything that goes into a Bananas Foster (if that makes any sense), these were starchy as plantains normally are. They were only slightly sweet and a delight to eat.

For my main, I went for the large order of Oxtail with beans and rice as well as salad. They weren't kidding, this was really large. Not really a great idea for lunch eh? Consisting of small pieces of stewed oxtail, carrots and spinners, this would've filled me up nicely without the rice. Most of the oxtail was moist and gelatinous with a few that were a touch dry. There was a good balance of flavours where the rice soaked up all of the meatiness in the sauce. I found the spinners to be a bit dense while still easy to eat. I originally suggested the Jerk Chicken to Snake Eyes because he can be a jerk sometimes... not! Instead, Surfer Girl took up the recommendation and had the more modest small portion. When it arrived, it really didn't look all that small! I guess they are working with US sizes apparently... Anyways, the chicken was moist and tender. There was plenty of sauce, which was slightly sweet, but not overly so.

Snake Eyes shockingly went vegetarian on us and got the Veggie Roti. Was it to maintain his girlish figure or was he trying guilt me? I was having a big plate of meat after all... Nah, I just mocked him throughout the meal asking if he wanted to try my meaty tail... Er... Well, this roti was really large jam-packed with ingredients. Too bad it consisted of woefully overcooked and pale-looking veggies. The peas looked as if they came from a can. Snake Eyes really didn't enjoy this bland, wet mess of a roti. They have nothing on Rehanah's in Port Moody. Maybe he should've had a meat one instead? That probably would've made the difference. Other than the roti, the food was generally decent here. Of course it is all relative since there are not that many choices for Caribbean food in Vancouver.

The Good:
- Staff is oh-so-cool and relaxed - the Caribbean way
- Good portions
- Reasonable pricing

The Bad:
- Super small tables
- Food is generally decent, but that veggie roti sucked

The Reef (Commercial)

Another epic fail. We were supposed to meet for dinner at Luda to find out it was closed on Tuesdays. Ai Yah! What to do? Viv suggested we head over to The Drive since you can basically walk down the street and take your pick from the eclectic mix of restaurants. Sure, why not... We ended up parking at the North end of The Drive near Sunrise Pizza. We ended up walking all the way to Marcello and all the way back finally deciding on The Reef. I've been to the Main Street location before and it was an okay experience. Some hits and some misses; but definitely different. Kim had only went there for brunch, so he was game for dinner this time around. Rich Guy was all for The Reef because he didn't seem all that impressed with Britannia Sushi next door. Yes, he is very adverse to places that don't seem decent. In fact, he rarely ventures into dives or hole-in-the-walls. I guess he avoids the show Triple D's as much as he avoids Whalley. Hey, I keep trying to talk him into it; but he refuses to cross the Patullo Bridge! Oh well, the life of Rich Guy...

As with any meal at The Reef, we were presented with their complimentary Johnny Cakes. These fried balls of goodness are like fritters with cornmeal. Well, they were crispy and warm on the inside. Spread with coconut butter -what's not to like? If that wasn't enough fried goodness, we shared an order of the Fried Plantains as well. Hey, they were sliced thin, crisp and went well with the jerk mayo. No complaints here either! Oh wait, the appies kept on going... We also got one each of the Beef Patty and Veggie Patty also. However, the beef patty arrived first while they had to redo the veggie patty. Apparently they overcooked that one. Maybe it is personal preference; but I found the pastry to be a bit doughy and hard. I much prefer the ones from the Patty Shop and Calypso which are more flaky and buttery. Moreover, the filling was very mild, bordering on bland. I would've prefer some spice. I did like the texture of the meat and potatoes though, it was smooth and not gritty. The veggie patty was spicier and the tofu filling was chewier.

For Viv's main dish, she went for the Calypso Oxtail. With a generous portion of moist oxtail, this was a hearty dish. It was made even heartier since we had 2 of them. No, we didn't order 2. Our server had accidentally entered 2 of them in place of my order. Thus, we got one of the oxtails for free. More oxtails for everyone! Too bad Viv thought it was salty. I could see that; but for me, that just meant flavourful (actually, when Viv ate the leftovers the next day, she didn't think it was that salty anymore). Really solid dish in my books; yet the rice could've been cooked a bit more, it was very firm.

Kim went for a dish I considered ordering; but since he got it, I didn't. No duplicates! The dish in question is the Jamaican national dish in the Ackee and Saltfish. Ackee is a fruit where only the yellow flesh on the inside is used for food.
It must be properly prepared or the existing toxins can cause vomiting and seizures. Good luck Kim! LOL... Anyways, the saltfish part of the dish is exactly that. Usually salted cod, the fish is preserved and then rehydrated before cooking. The result is a dish that blends the smooth mild-tasting ackee with the flavourful salt fish. Not for everyone, much like Chinese ham yew. For me, I thought this was a good version of the dish. Mind you, I've only had this once before, so don't listen to me... But honestly, it was balanced with sweet peppers and none too salty.

Rich Guy decided to try the Jerk Chicken and this time around, the meat was not overcooked as with the Main Street location. Despite being white meat, the chicken remained moist. As you can see, there was a good amount of jerk rub and sauce. However, if you didn't get any of it on your fork, the meat was a bit bland. Alright, after a short wait, I finally got the St. Bart's Lamb Shank. The highlight of this dish was the red coconut curry. Mildly spicy with an aromatic coconut kick, it not only completely flavoured the lamb, it made the mash potatoes better too. No sauce or gravy has ever made my mash potatoes sing like they did here. A really nice balanced curry with the right amount of spicy, sweet, savoury and smoothness. Imagine how much disappointment there was when I poked into the lamb and it was hard. Generally, a lamb shank will be soft and gelatinous. The meat here was dry and slightly chewy. Overcooked. If the lamb shank was cooked properly, this would be the most awesome dish. So sad really. But other than that, the meal as a whole was quite good and distinctive. In a culinary landscape which is overrepresented by Asian cuisine, it is very nice to have a meal that takes us to tropical place.

The Good:
- Something different
- Pretty distinctive flavours
- Reasonable pricing for what you get

The Bad:
- Sure the chicken was moist, but the lamb shank was woefully overcooked (see Main Street location)
- A few mix-ups this time, to their credit, they made it right

Kingston 11 Reggae Cafe

We are over 5300 kilometers geographically from the Caribbean. That doesn't bode well for Caribbean cuisine here in Vancouver. It will not take very long to visit each and every Caribbean restaurant in the GVRD. For me, I enjoy different cuisines, particularly the ones that are least represented. That's what prompted me to find Calypso in Surrey and the reason we ventured into North Vancouver. Located on lower Lonsdale, Kingston 11 serves up authentic Jamaican cuisine. Their menu is always in constant flux since they only use what ingredients are available at the time. For me, I was hoping they had oxtail and apparently, if you show up too late, they might run out and that's it.

Luckily for me, there was Stewed Oxtail and normally all dishes come with rice and salad. For some reason, there was no salad today. Didn't bother me, I'm all about the meat anyways, who cares about the greens?!?! I went for the large order which goes for $12.00. Not a bad deal since oxtail is not exactly cheap. Laced with peppers, tomatoes, carrots, onions and spices (which I really couldn't figure out), the stew was actually decently spicy. Not burning hot; but there was a nice underlying heat. The fall-off-the-bone meat was perfect being slightly gelatinous.

Viv wasn't too hungry and ended up with the small Stewed Chicken for $9.00. Predictably, the chicken was a bit dry; yet it was still quite moist. It exhibited the same underlying spiciness as the oxtail. It was slightly sweet with a hint of cloves. Again, this went well with the rice. Where we were sitting was not the best conditions for taking pictures. So I did what I've done in the past and got up with my plate, walked over to the window and took a picture. This obviously caught the attention of the one staff member there and he asked if we were from out-of-town. I said yes, from Burnaby. LOL... I just told him I like Jamaican food and have a keen interest. I made a comment about Calypso in Surrey and he exclaimed that they supplied their meat patties.

Nothing ground-breaking here; but the food was solid and to me, a good value. Usually, Jamaican food in Vancouver is not cheap. At $9.00 for a small and $12.00 for a large, I find it one of the better values in town. Furthermore, with meats such as oxtail and goat available, it is even a better value since the material costs are high.

The Good:
- Hey, the food tastes good
- Good value
- Relaxed atmosphere (wait, isn't anything related to Jamaica relaxed?)

The Bad:
- Menu is limited (but that makes it more focused)
- Being that most of the food are stews, it's already to go, it can sit around for awhile as a result

Lion's Den Cafe

Despite unwavering confidence in my own decision-making skills, Viv often reminds me otherwise. I suppose she is the second sober thought? Being a responsible wife? Or merely out to pull me back down when I'm too high on myself? Could be all three I suppose. Well, I must admit that it was totally an error in judgment that I decided to play hockey on Sunday morning. I was sick as a dog and really should've taken a couple of days off from work last week. But no. Being quite stubborn, I worked every day and decided to play hockey as well. It really wasn't too bad despite the throbbing headache. However, once the blood got pumping, the headache got worse and my play deteriorated. People were wondering why I wasn't moving. I was wondering why I was playing...

Oh it gets better! Having already missed an eating opportunity with Darina & Victoria at Les Faux Bourgeois on Thursday, there was no way I'd miss a meet-up with Kim, Karl, Jessica, Mark & Elaine at the Lion's Den. Yah, when most people would be in bed with plenty of cold medication, I decided to eat Japribbean food. Ja-what??? Yah that's right, a mix of Japanese and Caribbean food. Hey, why not? Trying not to contaminate my fellow bloggers, I tried to touch as few things as possible and ordered a ginger beer to hopefully calm my cough. We decided to share some dishes and started with the Jerk Chicken. It is really too bad we started with this dish since it was hands-down the best one of the meal. Everything else afterwards paled in comparison. The jerk chicken was really flavourful with plenty of heat; but not scorching hot. The meat was fork tender. The whole dish just worked.

Then, unfortunately, we were presented with the Curry Goat. It was completely bland comparatively. No heat, no body, no nothing. Although the meat was tender and a bit gelatinous, there was not even a whole lot of goat gaminess. Good for some I suppose; but I wanted to taste goat. The same could be said about the Oxtail as well; but for me at least, there was a noticeable sweetness to it and a richness due to the oxtail breaking down in the sauce (thus a bit gelatinous and full of body). The texture was right on as well, with fork tender meat with little morsels of fat. Hey, I'm a bit biased since I love oxtail. It's probably only second to my love for tongue. Replacing the rice for our Goat Curry was a side of Roti (filled with crushed yellow split peas). It looked to be nice and fluffy. However, it was quite dry and it was still dry even after dipping it into the curry.

There was a small gap between these dishes and our final one. We were warned that the Okonomiyaki would take 30 minutes. It probably took longer; but when you're busy snapping photos and yakking, we didn't seem to notice. We actually added pork to ours and it turned out to be the star of the dish. Large morsels of tender pork (which had a good "porky" flavour) were like buried treasures within the flour and egg "pizza". The okonomiyaki itself was a bit disappointing though. I thought it was a tad on the doughy side. Although the sauce tasted alright, the colour was quite strange. I'm more used to a darker okonomiyaki sauce. As we were leaving, the owner insisted we all crowd into the restaurant for the story behind the stuffed lion (yes, it's in the restaurant). I'm not going to retell the story; but let's just say he is one charismatic fellow who cares about his business and customers. And that is partly the charm of the Lion's Den, even though the food is just okay.

The Good:
- Reasonably-priced
- Friendly owner and staff
- Interesting menu items

The Bad:
- Food on the whole is quite average
- Very small restaurant, but didn't really matter in this case, we sat outside in the nice weather