Trinidad
Roti
164-17E
165th Street, Jamaica
718- 739-4949
Cuisine:
West Indian
Hours:
10 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Only
a thin sheet of storefront glass separates the icy sidewalk of the
165th Street Mall from the warm island vibe of Trinidad Roti.
The
restaurant, a small, warm and cozy place, has been a staple on the
crowded pedestrian street ever since it opened up 12 years ago.
The
restaurant lives up to its name.
Half the menu is made up of different kinds of roti, a light,
fluffy bread spiced with tamarind and other exotic flavors.
While
the plain roti ($2) makes a fine staple, it’s the different kinds of
meat roti that are the stars of this show.
Chicken
roti ($5.50) is the most popular item on the menu, according to owner
Sandy Segobin. It’s a
big, warm treat.
What
you get is a paperback book-sized roll of roti surrounding some hot,
curried chicken. The
chicken, like the roti, is spiced with tamarind.
The
word “potatoes” should be in the name of chicken roti, too—the
dish is loaded with them.
Other
roti choices are made with beef, goat and oxtail curry, all between
$5.50 and $6. An
all-potato roti is $4, and a shrimp roti is $7.
The
other half of the menu is a “rice and peas” section.
The
menu is similar to the roti menu; the same meats are offered, with the
rice and peas acting as the carbohydrate staple.
Prices range from $3.50 for a small order of plain rice and
peas to $9.50 for a large order of rice and peas with shrimp.
The
food is pretty heavy. Those
with a small appetite (or smaller wallet) may opt for the bite-sized
pholories, which are mini-rotis that cost $1 per eight.
There
are also beef, chicken, vegetable and potato patties, all for about
$1.25.
Doubles,
which are mini-rotis with chick peas, are $1.25.
Trinidad
Roti is more than just a restaurant, though.
Like many Caribbean restaurants it also has a bakery section,
with both spicy and sweet items.
There’s
also a substantial amount of grocery items at the all-purpose
establishment, where Segobin seems to know everyone’s name and calls
them all “honey” and “sweetheart.”
No one item
is most popular, Segobin said. She
stocks many different kinds of chutneys and nuts, as well as some
other West Indian cooking ingredients.
There
are two other Trinidad Roti shops; one at 90-63 Sutphin Blvd. opened
nine years ago, and one at 106-11 Guy R. Brewer Blvd. opened two years
ago.
The
Sutphin Boulevard store is closing in about a month, though, Segobin
said, because of the area’s lack of West Indian and abundance of
“American” customers.
Looks
like a loss for the “Americans.”
—
Shams Tarek
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