CALLALOO TRINIDADIAN KITCHEN

Some friends and I went to Callaloo on Christmas Eve of this past year (Wow, it’s 2023!). My one friend had previously tried it, and I had been wanting to try it for quite some time now after I had heard great things about it. They do not take reservations, but it is first come first served, and the customer service is great. They are open Wednesday to Sunday. It is located downtown on North Mulberry Street. It seemed like there might be a few parking spots available for street parking, but fortunately we could walk to it and didn’t have to drive.

Coming into the restaurant on a day when it was about 13 degrees outside was quite nice. The inside of the restaurant is relatively small and cozy. There are a few tables against the wall, but it wasn’t full. The waiter greeted us and showed us right to our table, near the door. There was a seasonal menu at the front that included specials, and there was a QR code at the table that you could scan to see the regular menu online. I like the menu because it is small and not overwhelming. We wanted to, of course, try everything! For drinks, I had the Sorrel (roselle hibiscus) drink, which was sweet and quite refreshing. One of my friends had the LLB (lemon, lime, and bitters) drink.

We all started with the must-haves. The Doubles appetizer, the most famous street food from Trinidad, featured flaky fried bread with curried chickpeas. It came with a very cool, refreshing cucumber chutney (made fresh as well). Next we had the Aloo (potato) Pepper Roti (bread). It definitely had an Indian flavor, and was shaped in triangular pieces. It was a table favorite, along with the Fried Chicken Bao Buns with their sweet and spicy glaze! The bun was thick, soft, and tasty. The restaurant even had a homemade hot sauce for dipping. Our waiter was very attentive.

For the main course, we all wanted to try each other’s dish, since the appetizers were excellent. I ordered the Curried Chicken Buss-UpShut (buss up shut buss up shut!). The flaky bread, termed “paratha,” is an Indian bread dipped in curry, just like naan bread. The curried chicken was excellent; it was tender, served with chickpeas, pumpkin, and potatoes. Everyone at the table enjoyed it and said they wanted to order it next time. My friend had the Char Siu Pork Belly. The braised pork was very nicely cooked with a tasty glaze and a hint of sweetness, served over fried rice. Her son had the Bulgogi Beef Bowl, a Korean meat dish with a barbeque glaze. The meat was braised, slow cooked, and tender but nice and crispy on the outside. It was served over rice with a nice egg on top. Lastly, my other friend had the Curried Fish and Shrimp Bowl. The fresh coconut curry broth was perfection, with both the fish and shrimp perfectly cooked. We all enjoyed all of the dishes. The average cost of the entrees was about twenty dollars each.

We didn’t think anything could top what we had so far, but we were wrong. For dessert, we ordered the Coconut Bread Pudding with dulce de leche caramel sauce and the Crème Brulee with cardamom infused custard. I have to say the crème brulee was everyone’s favorite, and a perfect end to the meal! We all wanted more, and we would definitely order that again.

Callaloo is a perfect choice for dinner, especially if you like to try unique, authentic, fresh, very tasty cuisines. I can’t wait to go there again.