#19 wave your flag !
i realized that people nowadays always go for the norm. they only try out their usual or cultural food or what is define as trendy (korean/japanese/western food). as for me, i like to go out of my comfort zone & try out other cultural food. so i am very grateful that bram invited our carecell group members to have jamaica cuisine with his crew. it so happens that bram frequent kingston 11 reggae cafe so he knows the owner and his daughter.
published on july 21st 2010; updated on june 12th 2011.
kingston 11 reggae cafe
232 Lonsdale Avenue,
North Vancouver, BC
(778) 340-6966
View Larger Map
bram made a reservation for a total of 9 people at 7pm. however, when we came half an hour late, the owner was still really nice to us. he prepared all the remaining ingredients that is left so that everyone will be able to have a decent dinner. it wasn’t like the regular serving of rice, salad and jerk chicken or whatever meat you have ordered. we had to share huge portions of ox tail, jerk chicken, rice, salad and curry goat. in addition, i had a canned of coconut juice. the usual price of a small and large jerk chicken/ox tail/curry goat would be CAN$9.50 and CAN$12.00 respectively. so i consider myself lucky to be able to try all three featured meats, salad, rice and the coconut canned juice for a decent price of CAN$12.50. also, the owner does not expect tips AT ALL because he says it is according to free will.
i would have to say that though the place looks pretty ruggard, it was a pleasant experience dining there. the owner’s daughter kept playing with everyone, particularly bram. the owner was very amused when i kept taking pictures of the food served. he also helped to take a satisfactory group photo for us and even went the extra mile by standing on a chair to capture the entire group and restaurant background.
two pointers to take note of: 1) do not come too late as there will be no meat/ingredients left.
many people came after we arrived and the owner had no choice but to reject them.
2) reggaes are bound to happen if you arrive at the right time/day.
unfortunately, i did not experience it.
rice
i love trying out different types of rice !! if you didn’t already know, korean rice and chinese rice are different types of rice ! as for jamaican rice, it is converted rice mixed with red kidney beans. i’m glad to finally try a different type of rice from the usual.
salad
as i’ve stated in another entry, i’m not a huge fan of salads so i cannot really give a comment here. anyways, i’m here for the meats, no ?
jerk chicken
the jerk chicken is the driest amongst the 3 meat dishes. i found it the blandest of the lot but it still satisfies my tastebuds with it’s ground black pepper, cayenne pepper, spices and other sauces though.
ratings: 2.8/5★
ox tail
i would have to say the ox tail is the most distinctive dish at kingston. the spice is not overpowering the meat and that’s what i love about it. the stew has carrots, bell peppers, onions and such in it which made it more flavorful. this dish is highly recommended !
ratings: 4.5/5★
curry goat
the curry goat would be the most spicy dish amongst the 3 meat dishes. the goat is very succulent though. my friends were sucking the tender, juicy goat meat from the bone itself. as the saying goes, ” baddddd to the boneeeeee ” (in a good way though).
ratings: 3.5/5★
coconut canned juice
just take a look at the ingredient list and disclaimer that it has no preservatives. jennifer allowed me to try out hers before i decide on my drinks and since i found it really refreshing for the heat that day, i decided to get it. since it was not made by the owner, i wouldn’t say much about it except to recommend it !
[EDITED]
LAST UPDATED: 12th JUNE 2011
after a year of dining at the raggae cafe, i decided to introduce this place to mich since she was starving. i was surprise that the owner was not around and it was another person instead. the picture depicts the menu so mich chose the curry chicken while i ordered the fish. we were served very well and the server even bothered to find the right spot to snap a shot of us. he also asked us how we found the food and such.
1st picture – i ordered the large plate of rice, salad and fish for CAN$15. the fresh fish contained lots of bones so people have to be cautious when they consume this food. however, this makes the dish more tasty due to the spices they put and how we can chew the entire meat from the bones. i do not usually eat salad but the salad they prepared for us is mouthwatering and helps to blend our taste buds with the spiciness of the fish. obviously, i could not finish it due to my new healthy lifestyle so i took it to go.
ratings: 4/5★
2nd & 3rd pictures – mich had the large plate of curry chicken for CAN$12. she kept claiming that it is excellent and that is definitely a compliment to the owner as mich is a cook herself ! she also likes how cooling the salad was so it can complement the spices in her curry.
the bill came up to a total of CAN$30.80 and the server did not even expect change from us. we just had to put the tips in the tip jar if we wanted to so we gave him a CAN$4.50 tip.
[/EDITED]
my overall ratings are as follows:
ambiance: 7/10 (not perfect but it was fine)
service: 10/10 (read the above and you’ll know why)
food (taste & appearance): 6.9/10 (come here for the awesome meats)
value: 10/10 (inexpensive considering how goat and ox tail cost elsewhere)
total: 8.48/10★
in conclusion, kingston 11 reggae cafe is the place for authentic jamaican food !
hope you readers will try out different cultural food as well !! GET OUT OF YOUR COMFORT ZONE, BUDDY !
swisscheese*
1 Comment
not very comfortable trying out goats and oxtail but the salad looks like a not bad dish for me to cut down my fats