Maureen's Caribbean Takeaway

And so it's back to the Caribbean... Well, when I say 'Caribbean' I really mean Leeds!   Well, to be fair, a very rainy autumnal lunch time in Leeds... It simply screams the Caribbean doesn't it?  OK - I am being a bit sarcastic - but if a rainy and cold Leeds doesn't feel like the Caribbean Maureen's Caribbean Takeaway, on Roundhay Road, will certainly make you feel half way there!

Browns Delights, Hyde Park, Leeds

The brutal hot chilli sauce!

Browns Delights Curried Mutton Rice and Peas - Yes please, don't mind if I do!

A perfect and satisfyingly yummy dish if ever there was one... the old Curry Goat (Mutton in this case).  Always a little milder than the Indian counterparts, but the taste of the sunny, warm Caribbean seeps through the consciousness spoonful after spoonful.  It's great...

Even peering through the window to the rather drizzly and drab brick Hyde Park vista, could not spoil the 15 minutes I had with the Curried Mutton.

Browns Delights version oozed quality.  No potato or veg filler here, just very tender, melt in the mouth mutton.  Only one small bone detected too - although not an issue as used to Curry Goat often being served 'on the bone'. Excellent quality dish. Well seasoned and very very tasty. I over did it with the hot chilli sauce condiment, and made my Mutton a touch too hot!  But I soldiered on! Otherwise a wonderfully balanced dish in the classic curry goat style.

Curried Mutton, Rice and Peas + foolish application of chilli sauce.

Browns Delights is a simple little cafe, with quaint mismatched tables and chairs and chalk board menus. Very friendly and efficient service, made me feel right at home.  A variety of hot/cold sandwiches are offered in addition to the traditional Caribbean fair.  I will definitely be visiting more often - I can see yet another regular haunt here. 

FiFi's Caribbean Delights, Morley

So Morley...

Errrr?  Ummm?  A town on the outskirts of Leeds, actually probably considered more of a suburb these days... and is famous for... errr... its Town Hall for one...

Oh and a Wilson's Pies Award Winning Pie Shop*...

And then there's Ernie Wise...

And now hopefully soon - well in my eye's any road - Curried Goat with Rice and Peas, courtesy of FiFi's Caribbean Delights.  (A full Caribbean menu is available)

The Curry Goat was scooped from one of a range of massive pans adorning the ranges of the open kitchen behind the counter.  The lady was working hard and had a mass of food prep on the go.  No reason to think my dish was anything other than fresh. The Curry Goat did as Curry Goat does - it was fairly mild, but rich and full tasting with the slightly fatty meat and coconut milk. Some bones but not many were present. The inclusion of chunky potato and carrot was a nice touch and added dimension.  This was a good Curry Goat.

I heard the pin of a microwave - which I assumed was the Rice and Peas - but they tasted good too.  Rice smooth tasting and well seasoned. Fresh and moist also. Good.

FiFi's itself was pleasant enough.  A few green plastic tables and chairs filled the edges of the space.  Not really a cafe cafe as such, but my food was served on a plate with cutlery etc - but did need a nudge to the proprietor who initially went to put my Curry Goat in a polystyrene container.  Nice decor too with good pictures of the Caribbean Islands and flags.

It's good to know these place are about, where you can get a decent, quick and cheap fill of some tasty fodder and I will go back when in the vicinity.

*Very good they are too

Cabin Caribbean Cuisine - Leeds

Well great stuff.  A quick Google search revealed this little place - Cabin Caribbean Cuisine - to be just up the road from my work.  Amazing what crops up sometimes - I never knew it was there.  And remember my old adage for not only curry based Leeds fodder, but also from my experience, most Leeds based fodder options - when in Leeds go Caribbean.  Although getting better recently, Leeds is still awash with chain/franchise eateries and, for me, generally offers little dinning interest.  However, a few miles north of the city centre, in the Chapeltown and Harehills areas, Leeds becomes alive with the sounds and smells of the Caribbean, and a number of such establishments exist. 

No kebabs/burgers/pizzas here.  Just
Caribbean classics.  Pumping tunes and a
BBQ outside too!

I am actually happier than I look.  Always a
bit weird sitting and eating alone and
photographing yourself!  I'm not a weirdo
I promise.

This small cafe is perhaps a little bit more take away than proper sit in kind of place, but there was a single table with four seats, and a small bar with stools around the window.  The table was presented with a table cloth and a few condiments, so felt fairly civilised.

Curry Goat, it just had to be.  £5 for a small portion (£6.50 for a big, but to be honest the small was massive), and served with rice, Rice and Peas or Hard Food(??).  The dish promptly arrived, and slightly took my breath away with it's size!

The classic Curry Goat with Rice and Peas.

Great flavour from the curry itself.  The goat was 'on the bone' but had been cooked to such an extent it had come away.  The goat was fantasticly meaty in flavour and high quality.  It melted in the mouth and had little to no grisly bits.  Lovely.  The sauce was of fairly thin consistency which mixed well with the Rice and Peas, and had chunky potato and carrot added also.  Spice wise it was just right.  Not too hot and had the lovely undercurrent of the mellow coconut milk to keep everything in check.  Hot clilli sauce was a table dwelling condiment if the need to spice things further was deemed appropriate - it wasn't on this occasion.  The Rice and Peas, were good too.  Perhaps a little on the salty side but once all mixed up, this was not an issue.

A great little place and is going to be a regular from now on I can tell you.

A Taste of Trinidad, Leeds

Big Tone finishes his Rice and Peas with
the Dhalpouri Roti in the foreground

NOT BRADFORD? 

No, but sometimes for the well travelled Bradford Curry eating aficionado such as myself, eating in the Curry Capital of Britain is not always possible and, when out and about in neighbouring Leeds - a cool place but notoriously bad for eating I find - I try to get some Windies food in.  Hence A Taste of Trinidad (AToT).

I appreciate Bradford curries from many of the giants such as Akbars, Aagrah, Newaab, Mumtaz can be procured in Leeds, but only in the evenings and, to me, it just doesn't seem quite right?  I don't know why?  Please note, however, A Taste of Trinidad isn't exactly Leeds city centre - nor are any of the other likely sources of West Indian fodder in Leeds - and you are looking at a good 10min drive/35min walk from City Square.  So a little bit of dedication is necessary.  But it's worth it.

I spotted AToT during the Capletown Carnival last summer.  It looked good, and I was keen to make a visit.  However, I'm not called John the 'Speedy' Bradford Curry Blogger, and my return to the area to sample the the food has been some what leisurely!  And the buffet lunch - I spotted advertised on AToTs facebook page over the Christmas period - seemed like the perfect opportunity to sample their fare, especially with my increasingly fussy little girl in tow!

We arrived to be told the buffet was no longer being run!  Not enough interest apparently!  WHAT'S WRONG WITH YOU PEOPLE OF LEEDS!  We were informed by the very friendly proprietor that there were also a few other issues with availability of certain things on the menu - such as the children's meals!  Eeek!  He offered to do the Fry Bake - basically some crispy fried flat bread - with red sauce, and he also chucked in some chicken nuggets.  Izzy seemed to quite like it so we were happy.

Curry Goat - as part of the Goat Dhalpouri Roti

Thankfully there was no issue with the Main Courses, and Big Tone ordered the Chicken Curry with Rice and Peas, and I ordered the Goat Dhalpouril Roti.  Many of the words seem pretty familiar don't they?  Dhal, Pouril and Roti, all have roots in Indian food.

Big Tone's dish is fairly self explanatory, and tasted fantastic.  The flavour of sunshine oozed from the dish, with abundant smooth and sweetish coconut.  The chicken added a lighter note to the dish compared to the traditional goat version I tried in the past.  Bit spicy too.  Yum Yum!  My Goat Dhalpouril Roti may need a little more explanation?  It needed describing to me that's for sure.  It comprised a puri type flat bread stuffed with crushed 'stuff' - I presume the dhal?  With a bowl of Curry Goat, which was embellished with some chickpeas and potato.  It was quite delightful.  The curry, like the chicken version, possessed a full rich flavour of coconut, and some heat too.  The goat added a much richer, and stronger meaty flavour to the dish and melted in the mouth.  I enjoyed it very much.

I love these Caribbean curries, and A Taste of Trinidad do a very good version.  They make a refreshing change to the usual, and I'll be making a return visit.