travel: HELLO BROOKLYN…in search of west indian food!
SATURDAY afternoon we planned to take a trip to BROOKLYN to purchase some classic TRINIDADIAN food and by “purchase” i mean stocking up on food like it’s Y2K. you just can’t find these amazing meals in MANHATTAN 
just for the record, i usually don’t leave the hood because i am lazy. i will travel if there is a promise of FOOD because i’m such a fat kid at heart. this post is dedicated to my FELLOW FATTIES, BROOKLYN PEEPS and WEST INDIAN FAM!
*as we walked by this barber shop we heard KID CUDI’s “DAY N’ NITE” and we gagged! had to take a picture.
*i didn’t want to interrupt this cute little old lady’s nap, but i needed to take a photo of the restaurant
*i’m going to legally change my name to HOT ROTI. actually, i’ll just keep my current nickname of LITTLE ROTI. check out my stance, only old men crouch down like that – haha.
*we stocked up on COCONUT BAKE (coconut bread), SALTFISH (is tastier than it sounds), CURRY GOAT ROTI’s (again, more appetizing than it sounds), DOUBLES (god’s gift), POULOURIE, and ALOO PIE. i’m going to get into a post later about TRINIDAD and all it’s goodness.
*on the way back we caught the REDBULL BIG AIR snowboard setup. it looked insane from the bridge.
*DOUBLES – it’s like 2 pieces of fried bread with curried chick peas (CHANA). it’s the tastiest snack and in TRINIDAD they sell these on the street like hot dogs. they’re also super super cheap.
*i was dancing the whole time i was eating and getting my plate ready. the round balls are POULOURIE – like fried dough balls in a tamarind sauce. at the bottom is ALOO PIE – it’s a fried bread (again) with peppered potatoes inside.
*SALTFISH and COCONUT BAKE. all this food brings me back to eating at home. my mom would crank out these dishes everyday.
*TING is so good. you could hook an IV bag into my arm filled with this grapefruit soda and i would be as happy as a lamb.
***LATER, i passed out and took an ill 5 hour nap!
41 Responses to “travel: HELLO BROOKLYN…in search of west indian food!”
Ahhh the pleasures and treasures of Flatbush, Little W.I.
IT’S FUNNY HOW VARIED WEST INDIAN FOOD COMES. I’M FROM THERE (or my parents are) AND OUR FOOD LOOKS NOTHINGGG LIKE YOURS. I’M SURE TRINI FOOD IS GOOD TOO CUZ EVERYTHING UP THERE LOOKS LIKE A PASTRY!! SO MUCH BREAD GOING ON LOL
fatties stand up!!!!lol.
yes..i see you on church ave..were the roti shop is @..im half jamaican so you know i know bout that TING!! and the barber shop across the street..i see i see
VA$htie, im VEX, i live right there on east 45th and church, and aint even see u. IM SOO FUCKIN pissed
I’m jamaican and bwoy i kno how it feel when u just want some good cook food. Mi want a ting right now and mi feel fi some ackee and saltfish and fry dumplin.
big up to the west indians
omg i never had trinidadian( i hope thats right) food, and man i really wanna try. I wonder if they have a place in la?
Fellow Fatty cuz i love 2 eat 2 lol n saltfish is the best man my bestie eats dat all the time i love it!
look at all that fried food. tsk tsk. j/k
stay outta my hood hooker
i kinda want those shoes. the food looks great but im diggin your shoes. what kind are they, vashtie?
Funny, you were all in my hood!
I’ve never had West Indian food, but it looks good. It’s definately not sold here.
I love west indian food(especially trini food) In London we have a huge trini community, it cost about £2.50 for a set meal ($5) really nice and filling! nice shoes too! oh and Aifuwa are you Ghananian?
Yes, I love TING, and all that it has to offer. Well next time you go to Trinidad if you havent already tried it go to Maracus Bay and get the Shark and bake. Def a treat, comes with all the chutney sauce and everything. Doubles are the best, especially when they are from the side of the road. Havent been to trinidad for a while now. To bad I am gonna miss Carnival. Its the best time of the year.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zh9CWFcps1w&feature=related
it looks good,i wanna taste it
‘i’m going to legally change my name to hot roti’ – lmaoo, i laughed so much at tht.
But man i’ve never assumed that trinidadian food had the same names for some foods that they have in india – names like roti, chana and aloo, lol thts so cool. also trinidadian food looks totally diff as well. really interesting, going to have to try it some time.
i just got home, was thinkin what to eat, saw this post, n hooked up some curry chicken n roti guyanese style. good idea for any day & the nap’s not bad either
I love this post. Thank youuu for putting Trinidad on the map because I’m from there as well and I feel as if we don’t get enough respect. (compared to JA and all…)
By the way, there’s another Trini restaurant on Nostrand that has Trini Chinese food. A MUST TRY if you’re Trini and in the area.
Ohh and to Janelle, I’ve had the shark and bake at Maracas Bay, BEST SHIT EVA
BIG UP TO ALL THE WEST INDIANS OUT DERE!!!
Ting is the shit!
I’m hungry now !
Almost the samething my bajan family eat..
You are really the greatest for this post!! I lovvve roti and curry goat….I crave west indian food.. I now have to go get a champange Kola and a beef pattie because of you!!
West Indians Stand up!!
this post is hilarious, love it, next time you have to bring me a ting back.
Next time you gotta go to Liberty Ave for the real top class Trini food. Singhs Roti shop is the best spot in NYC. Doubles sweet like dat. For the record…SOLO >>>> Ting =P Keep doing ya thing Vash, you making us TrinMericans proud luv.
Yeeeaaaa………So no more hood-old man poses right???
Damn Va$h, your an authentic Dugla gurl. That’s so what it is. I feel you but you got to try Gloria’s out on Nostrand Ave and Empire Blvd. some real Trini food. Foxy “Boogie” Brown was in there picking up food when me and pops were getting some food out there one time, I heard she used live upstairs.
I love this post!
Im not sure how deep you go into bk. but im Jamaican myself, but i deal with the roti heavy. do you eat buss up shut or just regular roti?
i like the buss up shut. Anyway, there is a GREAT GREAT roti place place on Fulton called Exotic Roti. WOW.
If you are looking for bakes and pastries, the best best best spot i have found is on Lenox and Utica (Jim’s Carribbean Bakery) i go there and devour the current and coconut rolls.
Also, there is a good good good Trini spot on Ave D and Utica (Tropical Paradise). They have great doubles!
PS – You gottta find the Pink Ting! Very Nice.
Vashtie!
im not trini, but im def. jamacian to the fullest, not to familiar with traditonal trini dishes, but i have a trini friend, who makes the BEST FUCKING coconut bake and salthfish! I think i need a shandi now.. lol.
glad to see you ventured to my hood FLATBUSH BULLET BULLET**
girl i go to brooklyn just for ROTI
but i get it from Gloria’s [it's on the right side of the block if your walking toward the 3 train.]
the food is crazyyyyy delicious.
vash…i love u man..
u definitely traveled all tha way to my hood for some trini food…
u r definitely a real trini at heart…I mean c’mon, i wouldn’t walking the extra mile to tha trini shop on flatbush & church (even though i live in east new york)..
but u definitely hit up one of tha bests spots here…bk is one of the only places in tha states where u can find that goodness & joyness wrapped up in lil’ balls we call poulourie lol…
but what happened to ur bottle of kola champagne solo..???(lol)
braps!
i stumbled here looking for the proper spelling of poulouri, and it doesn’t really seem like there is one even up here where we have a massive trini/guyanese population. everyone seems to have their own spelling for those delicious balls of dough.
Islandista It Girl: Vashtie Kola « Islandista - June 4th, 2009
[...] so ‘Trini to the bone’ that she blogs about T&T every chance she gets, including a whole blog post about prowling Brooklyn in search of roti, aloo pie, phoulourie, coconut bake and [...]
if thest ppl like how that food looking.what they will say if they see the real thing.i could make doubles better than that!
time for some chana masala for me…
Damn…I’m kinda in love now
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