Walking into Shalamar’s, the enticing aroma of exotic spices fills your senses. Known by the local islanders as “the place to go for roti and doubles,” Shalamar’s doesn’t let you down. In fact, a friend of mine was telling me over lunch that one of her Trini friends took her and a bunch of her colleagues to celebrate Trini-Carnival at this really good roti shop, and she dug out the receipt just to tell me where it was…...and it was Shalamar’s, the very place that my Trini friends go to for a taste of home. The word on good food gets around! But once again, unless you are looking for it, you most likely won't see it tucked in the corner of the strip mall. But it's the real deal...
I ended up taking my own caravan of coworkers to Shalamar’s for lunch. And in good fashion, we all ordered separate things and then nibbled on each other’s food: veggie roti, goat roti, and boneless chicken roti (all tasty). Roti is essentially an unleavened/flat/thin bread that encases your choice of filling. And to give them the full experience, doubles for all (for those who haven't stayed up with my blog, doubles are a common street food in Trinidad consisting of a curried chickpea mixture ("channa") sandwiched between fried bread)!! Of course, ‘peppa sauce’ for those who dared the heat (Shalamars' pepper sauce is deliciously home-made). Tasters be warned, even without the pepper sauce, it's spicy (but so worth it). I think it's safe to say, it was a hit.
By the way, I'm told that doubles do wonders for hangovers and know a few who order a few more on Friday in anticipation of Saturday hardships. I have heard it does the trick :) Perhaps it's for this very reason that if you buy five, you get the sixth free.
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| boneless chicken roti |
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| doubles coming up... |
This little hole in the wall is a bit bigger than you’d expect, so bring a few with you when you try it. And, for those of you eating Halal, it’s a safe bet for good eatin’ (there's some things for you vegans too :)). While you are there, go ahead and order a Trini beer ("Carib") or soda to top off the experience.
Check it out:
1432 St. Rd. 7
Margate, FL 33063
Tel. (954) 977-6753
I shouldn't have read this at work.......now I'm craving all of the above! I'll be taking my Boca-crew for a lunch date @ Shalamars pretty soon myself. :)
ReplyDeleteI have been there and absolutely love the food.
ReplyDeleteThe restaurant is clean which is always my number one concern. Everybody is friendly and nice.
The food was delicious!
In Trinidad, there are places where you can order doubles in the wee hours of the morning and a good many people will go there after a night of heavy drinking at a féte or club to eat before heading home to bed.
ReplyDeleteWhile the roti/curry based dishes at Shalamar are delicious, if you haven't already, you also need to try some of the other dishes on the menu like the Pelau and the stewed chicken. :)
the thursday special,fried rice,lo-mein and trini style fry chicken is of de hook
ReplyDelete