Wow dust of this page cuz I finally sat down to write. No one would believe that I visited this place in February and now bloggin bout it, but such is life i guess. The economic down turn was taking a toll on the journey! But we manage to get out there ever so often! Unfortunately I'm stickin to old favorites so hence not much to write about. However I got out the new Ins and Outs 2009 and happened upon Taryn's "The Panyol Place" on Mucurapo Rd. which boasts authentic Venezuelan cuisine in a cozy atmosphere. So when I was on the road and had the opportunity to stop for a quick lunch I gladly parked and tried their hand.
As I walked in I should have know better since it looked like a Spanish mini mart with snacks, groceries and what not. After walking down to the back I found the "restaurant" area which was very simple and homely. No menu, no menu board just a bain marie with a little shredded chicken,beef, black beans and Empanadas. I inquired about any other menu items and decided on a Pork Arepa (pork was in the back). While I waited I took a look in their drink chillers and for such a humble place they had quite a variety of foreign beers and specialty foods, even individual Tiramisu cups.
I got my Arepa and a piece of home made Carrot Cake, paid and left with lunch in hand. For $38.00 my bag felt real light but so are the times. Sadly I did not enjoy my Arepa.The pork was fried, chewy and tough cubes with lots of fat and the arepa was oily to no end. At the very least the cake was above board. So bad food in a shabby setting...... boo who!
I'm not sure if Taryn's was a shop turned restaurant or restaurant 1st and hard times hit so they converted into a pseudo mini mart but either way they should stick to one or the other cuz it looks like they are stretched thin and it's affecting the quality of their food.
Monday, June 1, 2009
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
Tandoori Hut Hut Hut!!
So I was checking out the Cre-Ole 2008 tryin to find somewhere different to hit but most of the restaurants i already knew and just wasn't feelin :( but hark a little spot close to where i work..... why not! So i walked to Shoppes of Maraval with two foreigners and took up my place at the Tandoori Hut counter. They boast of AUTHENTIC Indian Cuisine (i.e. no roti and buss up here!) It was a simple over the counter set up with seating available for dine in customers. It was pretty cool to see Tandoor ovens where stove tops would be in a traditional food outlet and even more interesting to watch them cook .
The staff were super pleasant and accommodating and since i was curious and there was no line i started “What would u recommend as the 'Tandoori Hut item' ?” The Cashier/Waitress/Part Owner went to town with suggestions based on meat preference, spicy or not, here or take away, sides i might like and so on. We finally settled on the Chicken Vindaloo with Garlic Naan, a Mango Lassi and two Gulab Jamon.
Numero uno Lassi as it was explained to me is a Blended Yogurt drink (think Yogurt smoothie) and its the shiznit! The Vindaloo was hot no tail but under all the fire was a highly seasoned, flavourful chicken dish. It was a brilliant red stew of sorts with pieces of whole star anise and spices. The Garlic Naan was to die for! fresh out of the Tandoor with little charred bits and full of flavour. The Lassi was the ideal complement to the hot Vindaloo because it cools the pepper much better than water or soft drink. The only damper on the parade was the Gulab Jamon..... it was way to soggy! Yes i know that it's supposed to soak in syrup and stuff but it was like eating a soaked sponge dripping with syrup in every bite..... not appealing . Now this experience was a good one i enjoyed my food, had enough to share with a friend and got some cardio in by walkin back up the hill but i will not be doing this often cuz this little run cost me $125. 00 and unfortunately my budget does not allow for such a lunch everyday. Pictures will soon follow.
The staff were super pleasant and accommodating and since i was curious and there was no line i started “What would u recommend as the 'Tandoori Hut item' ?” The Cashier/Waitress/Part Owner went to town with suggestions based on meat preference, spicy or not, here or take away, sides i might like and so on. We finally settled on the Chicken Vindaloo with Garlic Naan, a Mango Lassi and two Gulab Jamon.
Numero uno Lassi as it was explained to me is a Blended Yogurt drink (think Yogurt smoothie) and its the shiznit! The Vindaloo was hot no tail but under all the fire was a highly seasoned, flavourful chicken dish. It was a brilliant red stew of sorts with pieces of whole star anise and spices. The Garlic Naan was to die for! fresh out of the Tandoor with little charred bits and full of flavour. The Lassi was the ideal complement to the hot Vindaloo because it cools the pepper much better than water or soft drink. The only damper on the parade was the Gulab Jamon..... it was way to soggy! Yes i know that it's supposed to soak in syrup and stuff but it was like eating a soaked sponge dripping with syrup in every bite..... not appealing . Now this experience was a good one i enjoyed my food, had enough to share with a friend and got some cardio in by walkin back up the hill but i will not be doing this often cuz this little run cost me $125. 00 and unfortunately my budget does not allow for such a lunch everyday. Pictures will soon follow.
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Rustica
Once again a by the way trip but definitely what the doctor ordered! Not in the mood for heavy food or too much noise we made our way to Rustica thinking that it was a sister of Snappers.Little did we know that we would be taking the side entrance to the same establishment. LOL the difference between the two was merely different furniture and Rustica only served Pizzas. Which was fine by us. These are not ur average Pizza Boys or Mario's NO NO NO watch ur mouth!!! The hearth behind the counter was not just for show! These are hand formed (well rolled any way), super thin crust Wood Stone baked pizzas. And oh were they good. You could have it anyway you like it Seafood, Veggie, Trini, Meaty with Provolone or Asiago but they tried to stay true to an upscale selection.
I had the Wood Oven Pizza which was Grilled Chicken with Spinach, Roasted Garlic, Bell Peppers and Asiago Cheese. Personally the Bell Peppers should have been roasted as well but man did it taste good anyway! Big chunks of roasted garlic, bite sized pieces of grilled chicken and just enough cheese to compliment but not kill the flavours No ketchup required! slight pepper added though! My riding partner had the Pizza Pollo which closely resembled mine however it was made with Provolone instead of Asiago cheese which gave it a milder flavour a little reminiscent of New Zealand Cheddar that we're accustomed to.
What ppl (well Trinis anyway) don't realize is that Pizzas done this way get a crisp, well baked crust. Slightly roasted think b-b-q of sorts with little charred bits which add to the complexity of the Pizza. Very different from the generic, mass produced, conveyor belt pizzas that you get now a days. But like my Blog title said i paid too much for food! our bill seemed steep for Pizzas and drinks keeping in mind however this was not ur typical Pizza Hut Pizza. In spite of price it was a worthwhile experience. The ambiance was nice and quiet (Monday night lack-o-crowd), pleasant staff, food was great and for beer drinkers, since they share a kitchen wth J Malone's I'm sure you can get a foreign beer to really compliment this "fancy shmancy" Pizza! Oh and don't expect well cooked food at fast food speed, sip yuh drink, talk alot and let the ppl take dey time to make yuh Pizza!!!
Saturday, October 18, 2008
Sweet Lime
Sweet lime is exactly that …. A cool lime! Great for after work chillaxin. I got there while a Heineken promo was goin on so there was instant entertainment watching ppl play video games, do tyre runs, stack cans and the funniest of them all search through a cooler full of ice and beers looking for a key to free the captive Bond Girl all in the hopes of winning the ULTIMATE Bond experience!
Now when you go out with ppl who are “in the industry” it’s bound to make things interesting but when ur group works closely with the establishment wow ma ma watch out! We had kicks and giggle to no end along with Chicken Fingers and Steak Fries. I was informed that Chef Michael was in the kitchen tonight so food would be good (any other night and no guarantees) fingers were generic (sorry folk) but d Pepper Sauce was insane!!!! I found it looked and sniffed hot but I put 3 drops in my b-b-que sauce and it was like molten hot lava b-b-que sauce. Pressure for anyone who playin fas and splash dat on dey food! Colin ordered a sample platter later but I left b-4 it got to the table. Tragically I wanted a dessert but when I asked for a recommendation I was told “um um” and that I would be better off with a Malta or a Shandy! Wow not very encouraging. So I am currently working on samples to help Sweet Lime upgrade their Dessert Menu.
And that as they say is that. Sweet Lime is a cool hangout, it has a live atmosphere and I’m sure that’s true without the Heineken freebies and on a Chef Michael night good food. OH when u going find a proper parking spot cuz the wrecker was out in full force, caught 3 victims in the two hours I was there. Sucks for them huh! My advice is wait till Christmas by then Gabby would have whipped the place into shape and then it will be kick ass 4sure!
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
Botticelli
Oy vay! We got there on a night when i think they didn't expect a soul ....actually there wasn't a person there except staff when we arrived ( to be honest we were going to Ruby Tuesdays but there were closed with water problems and traffic was real bad) but all that is besides the point. We got there.....all 14 of us and we wanted to lime.
After waiting a while for a table we were shown to our seats upstairs but had to be moved because of a leak in the roof. No issues we'll live. The whole place looked like something out of a hotel school text book an old text book at that. We laughed, we joke and tried to find something to eat. But when a restaurant spells Quesadilla wrong on the menu its time to b wary. The font was frustrating, the wording blunt and not very descriptive and the menu just seemed like it was cut and paste from a couple websites.
We settled on a variety of items ranging from Calamari, to Steak. I had the Chicken Pomodoro which was not spelt that way on the menu but that's what our waitress called it (another typo probably). Ppl shot Port (yeah shot tee hee) and sipped on Scotch and reminisced on old times only to realize we were here quite a while and well ahhhhh no food! not even the Apps which were suck eye to fry and kick out in no time. We questioned and waited a while longer and out they came with most of our food (a more glorious site was never seen fus we was hungry by then) they were a few plates short but we were jus happy to see food. Everything was nice, well cooked and presented old school style right down to a sprig of thyme in the middle of every dish.
The food was good I'll give them that but everything else Lord have mercy! needs work. They need to remodel and revamp everything! I attribute the late food to two things #1 they didn't expect guest so everything was neatly put away and #2 old school decided to work on the entire bill and tried to send everything out at the same time. A better approach would have been to ask if that's how we wanted it or prioritize slow cooking stuff on the fire first, quick stuff last but hey we had our meal and made enough raucous in d ppl place. Definitely would not return without a crew it would make for to dead a night!
After waiting a while for a table we were shown to our seats upstairs but had to be moved because of a leak in the roof. No issues we'll live. The whole place looked like something out of a hotel school text book an old text book at that. We laughed, we joke and tried to find something to eat. But when a restaurant spells Quesadilla wrong on the menu its time to b wary. The font was frustrating, the wording blunt and not very descriptive and the menu just seemed like it was cut and paste from a couple websites.
We settled on a variety of items ranging from Calamari, to Steak. I had the Chicken Pomodoro which was not spelt that way on the menu but that's what our waitress called it (another typo probably). Ppl shot Port (yeah shot tee hee) and sipped on Scotch and reminisced on old times only to realize we were here quite a while and well ahhhhh no food! not even the Apps which were suck eye to fry and kick out in no time. We questioned and waited a while longer and out they came with most of our food (a more glorious site was never seen fus we was hungry by then) they were a few plates short but we were jus happy to see food. Everything was nice, well cooked and presented old school style right down to a sprig of thyme in the middle of every dish.
The food was good I'll give them that but everything else Lord have mercy! needs work. They need to remodel and revamp everything! I attribute the late food to two things #1 they didn't expect guest so everything was neatly put away and #2 old school decided to work on the entire bill and tried to send everything out at the same time. A better approach would have been to ask if that's how we wanted it or prioritize slow cooking stuff on the fire first, quick stuff last but hey we had our meal and made enough raucous in d ppl place. Definitely would not return without a crew it would make for to dead a night!
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Zanziboo boo
Zanzibar Zanzibar Zanzibar!!!! LOL wat can i say...... well for starters IT WAS JUST THE CORN!!! By the end of the post u'll understand. So we finally got to Zanzibar's in Movie Towne and this trip almost ended like the last.Our first stop, Chilli Peppers on Sackville Street very small, very out of the way, very closed!! onto The Maravillian in Chaconia, well they only open for dinner but we could eat in the Tea Shop if we like........ nah! So Zanzibar's here we go.
On entry it hits you as a kinda New Orleans-ish Friday's without the 10 million things on the walls kinda vibe. Not too many ppl so we were seated quickly. The menu was a nice mix but what struck me was the many sub categories it was divided into. Apps, salads, sandwiches and then the different meats each with its own crazy title bar and pictures. It made for easy selecting.
After a quick convo about experimenting, trying new things and the purpose of our journey we ordered the starter Coco-loco Chicken. Coconut Crusted Chicken Tenders. The breading/crust reminded me of Crushed Coconut Shortbread cookies (but not in a bad way). And the Main course ....... after a good long read we decided on... me- Tijuana Pork Tenderloin (Tenderloin with Roasted Vegetable Medley, Garlic Mashed Potatoes and a Sweet Pepper sauce/concasee kinda thingy) him- The Chefs Seafood Canoe (I think that was the name) a whole pineapple half (yeah i said a whole half) filled with sauteed scallops, mussels, shrimp and pineapple chunks with a creamy white wine sauce and covered with wholesome cheesy goodness. It was supposed to also have Garlic Mashed Potatoes in there making it a casserole of sorts but it probably couldn't fit with all the stuff in there so it was placed on the plate in a very abstract, potato based paint splat way which actually added to the overall presentation of the dish.
So wat corn am i speaking about? Well when my meal came it looked great but at the tail end of the aroma was a “now goin bad” scent. I sniffed the pork...good, sniffed the veggies.... good , sauce..... good! Well alright then my mistake. After eating half my food I was full enough (i wanted dessert) so decided to pack the rest to go. While waiting for the waitress I continued to pick at the veggies and in a corner of the plate was some baby corn which had no real business being on this plate (in my opinion) as I picked and put to lips THE SMELL!!! it was the kiss meh bartty corn that was gone!!! Steups I was so lookin forward to takin that pork home. Excuse me while I rant...... HONESTLY how could something I have no real love for... stupid baby corn....... with its lack of flavour and nutrients rob me of the pleasure of a next day pork sandwich!!! (granted i got the meal free BUT THATS NOT THE POINT). STEUPS
But on another note the Chefs Canoe and every thing else was so good I would actually eat here again inspite of the vile baby corn!! To soothe my soul I had the Buttermilk Coconut Cream Cake which as the name suggests was a Buttermilk Cake with coconut and cream. Quite nice but a little too cold. Portion sizes were large which is cool but I figure scale the portion sizes so it's actually an amount someone would eat and shave the prices to match! But hey if you givin plenty food for money then I can't beat that can I!? All in all I enjoyed my experience EXCEPT FOR THE CORN! and I hate to go out and have to complain about food especially when I was enjoying myself so much but hey such is life!
On entry it hits you as a kinda New Orleans-ish Friday's without the 10 million things on the walls kinda vibe. Not too many ppl so we were seated quickly. The menu was a nice mix but what struck me was the many sub categories it was divided into. Apps, salads, sandwiches and then the different meats each with its own crazy title bar and pictures. It made for easy selecting.
After a quick convo about experimenting, trying new things and the purpose of our journey we ordered the starter Coco-loco Chicken. Coconut Crusted Chicken Tenders. The breading/crust reminded me of Crushed Coconut Shortbread cookies (but not in a bad way). And the Main course ....... after a good long read we decided on... me- Tijuana Pork Tenderloin (Tenderloin with Roasted Vegetable Medley, Garlic Mashed Potatoes and a Sweet Pepper sauce/concasee kinda thingy) him- The Chefs Seafood Canoe (I think that was the name) a whole pineapple half (yeah i said a whole half) filled with sauteed scallops, mussels, shrimp and pineapple chunks with a creamy white wine sauce and covered with wholesome cheesy goodness. It was supposed to also have Garlic Mashed Potatoes in there making it a casserole of sorts but it probably couldn't fit with all the stuff in there so it was placed on the plate in a very abstract, potato based paint splat way which actually added to the overall presentation of the dish.
So wat corn am i speaking about? Well when my meal came it looked great but at the tail end of the aroma was a “now goin bad” scent. I sniffed the pork...good, sniffed the veggies.... good , sauce..... good! Well alright then my mistake. After eating half my food I was full enough (i wanted dessert) so decided to pack the rest to go. While waiting for the waitress I continued to pick at the veggies and in a corner of the plate was some baby corn which had no real business being on this plate (in my opinion) as I picked and put to lips THE SMELL!!! it was the kiss meh bartty corn that was gone!!! Steups I was so lookin forward to takin that pork home. Excuse me while I rant...... HONESTLY how could something I have no real love for... stupid baby corn....... with its lack of flavour and nutrients rob me of the pleasure of a next day pork sandwich!!! (granted i got the meal free BUT THATS NOT THE POINT). STEUPS
But on another note the Chefs Canoe and every thing else was so good I would actually eat here again inspite of the vile baby corn!! To soothe my soul I had the Buttermilk Coconut Cream Cake which as the name suggests was a Buttermilk Cake with coconut and cream. Quite nice but a little too cold. Portion sizes were large which is cool but I figure scale the portion sizes so it's actually an amount someone would eat and shave the prices to match! But hey if you givin plenty food for money then I can't beat that can I!? All in all I enjoyed my experience EXCEPT FOR THE CORN! and I hate to go out and have to complain about food especially when I was enjoying myself so much but hey such is life!
Friday, August 29, 2008
Wishes do come true
Be careful what you wish for cuz you just might get it!! I wished for a journey and in one night BOY DID I GET IT!! 4 restaurants in one night and we ended right back where the journey started ! Restaurant #1 Maravillian . We decided to try this hotels inhouse restaurant for a change but started out late, halfway there we realized we would be getting in 5 min before kitchen closed and being in the biz (ha ha "in the biz" funny) I don't like to do that to staff and I wanted to hang awhile so onto Restaurant #2 La Trattoria Garibaldi. Got there it was quiet, just a few ppl. Cool, casual setting, we got as far as bread on the table and realized our waitress was a trainee no problem right? Well we placed our order three times but everything we ordered was 86'ed or she had to go ask for clarification on and then finally we were informed that well there was just no chicken on the menu and my too picky companion wasn't in the mood for fish so we cancelled my Ozzo Bucco and onto restaurant 3 Zanzibar We never even made it to the door. As we rolled into Movie Towne we took one look at the overflowing car park and knew its Friday the "incrowd" had this place packed and peace was nowhere to be found so for sanities sake onto Restaurant 4 which is the original #1 Paprika's. Needless to say it still looked so cool and the staff were welcoming. Mohito was dirty not hygiene eyewww dirty but more, like rustic, hardcore, dutty mistress, crushed mint and lime slices dirty a little too much lime but quite a good drink. Food was great and we had a ball all in all a nice end to a long evening. AND THEY HAD CHICKEN ha ha! Stupid crack pot ended up eating fish!
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