Irie mon! Tucked into a small storefront on the foot of Yates St. is a little slice of Caribbean sunshine – just what this secret diner needed on a windy, hailing winter night. The three of us blew in and directly settled into a cozy booth, enveloped by bright colours, reggae music and warm hospitality. The room was already buzzing with students, seniors, tourists and suits – quite a mix of value-minded folk. We decided on the $15 Dine Around menu and in the hospitable Jamaican way, ordered one of every option listed to share between the three of us.
Over a bucket of complimentary warm and crusty Johnnycakes (cornmeal, butter and sugar fritters) and with our Red Stripe (Jamaican beer won out over VQA tonight) we warmed up and thawed out before our starters arrived. A large plate of salty Plantain Chips with a side of spicy Jerk mayo were snapped up faster than any potato chips I've ever seen – delish! We also had Squash Fritters – 3 small deep fried orbs of goat cheese alongside savoury mango chutney. Mouths now warmed as well as body, we cooled the palate with a more Red Stripes before our mains. We each chose a different West Indian Curry – all paired with white rice, Caribbean coleslaw and the aforementioned mango chutney. Lady selected the Chicken curry, Fellow went with the Goat and I tried the Ital – a vegetarian mixture of cauliflower and potatoes. All were generously sized and topped with a dollop of cooling yogurt. Thank goodness. While the spices seemed innocuous at first, they slowly built in intensity until the yogurt becomes more of a necessity than a garnish. The chicken wasn't overly juicy, but still highly flavourful – a result of the long cooking. The goat, on the other hand, was fork tender, and had the consistency of pulled pork – again, highly flavourful and spicy. The same spice flavours were seen in the Ital – nice large chunks of long simmered veg. We ended with rich and creamy scoops of tropical ice cream – a duo of mango and coconut refreshed and returned our palates to normal.
It was hard to leave this cozy and casual Caribbean for the cold, chilly night air, but we couldn't have eaten anything else anyway, so off we headed – full of food, and Island sunshine.
Bon Appetit – The Secret Diner
533 Yates Street, Victoria, 250-388-5375
