Yesterday, Michael and I visited the Caribbean Oriental Restaurant for a late lunch after a trip to Ikea. Michael has raved about this place for a while, and every time I’ve gotten off for a federal holiday and tried to take him to lunch there, they were closed. We phoned them yesterday and they were closing early, but we made it in before they closed.
Maybe you and I go into restaurants expecting different things, so I’ll let you know what the criteria to become a place I enjoy eating is.
- Relative quiet. I like to have conversations while I eat. I care not about the ambience so long as I can have a conversation at a reasonable volume with my party.
- Reasonable Prices. I don’t mind paying more for more food, or more for better food. But I want the food I get to correspond to the money I pay.
- Vegetarian food. I will eat fish/shellfish sometimes when I am out, but I prefer to have vegetarian and vegan options. It makes me feel better about eating out.
- Good food. I know this varies from person to person. If I go out to eat, I want fresh food. I want it to be the right temperature. I want it be spiced correctly, and if I’m purchasing quality ingredients – I want to taste them. I don’t want a crab cake stuffed so full of spices and breadcrumbs I can’t taste the crab. What’s the point of that?
- Good service. I like prompt, friendly service. I don’t want people hounding me, but I like to know that they’re available. It’s a difficult balance, and of course I understand that fresh food will take longer to prepare than Burger King or Applebee’s.
I have to say, this restaurant satisfies on all that criteria. It is low-key, arranged almost like a cafeteria. You go to the counter to place your order and can purchase sodas from a fridge. There are, however, lots of tables and plenty of space to sit and wait for your food and eat.
The cafeteria set-up can be more stressful when eating at a new restaurant because you can feel self-conscious about ordering. Luckily, there’s not an enormous menu here, so it’s pretty easy to pick a selection. And the food that they do here, they are guaranteed to do well, based on the menu size.
Much of the menu is devoted to roti – large, flat-bread that they serve flaky and hot here. The roti are so good, some people come in just to get roti. Michael ordered the chana and potato roti, with the chana served on the side. I ordered the spinach roti, again with the spinach on the side. You can also get the roti filled, instead of getting the filling on the side as Michael and I did. We each got a Jamaican soda from the fridge – Michael got ginger beer and I got cream soda. The ginger beer was good – sharp but sweeter and more complex than Goya brand.
While we waited for our food, we listened to traditional Indian music, which was later switched to Celine Dion. There is also a tv for people so inclined. The food does take a bit of time to cook, but in a way this is reassuring – your food is being made fresh. When it comes out of the kitchen, you will not regret the waiting period.
Michael’s chana and potato was great, just a little kick at the back of the tongue upon finishing a bite. The chickpeas and potatoes were cooked perfectly, retaining their texture. I expected to be disappointed by my spinach in comparison, but I was pleasantly surprised. Fresh, chopped spinach was lightly seasoned. I’ve never had spinach taste so simply good. The spices didn’t over-power the light spinach flavor, but complemented it.
The roti are beyond compare – flaky and light and served steaming hot.
Beyond rotis – they serve fish, jerk chicken, goat meat and many other things. Nothing on the menu looked bad to me – if I was a meat-eater, I think I’d like this place, too. They also serve caribbean pastries and desserts and sides like fried plantains (which I will get next time I go, I love fried plantains but missed seeing them on the menu).
This restaurant is new, and obviously a labor of love for the owner – whose children can be heard and seen on weekends. The owner enjoys talking about the food she creates, and will remember your face (as she did Michael’s). Although the location is a little odd, and the place lacks some of the ambience you might find in better established restaurants – the simplicity creates space for you to enjoy your meal. And the place is bright and spotlessly clean – always a plus in my book.
If you go, remember to call ahead and check on hours. Their listed hours are 10-9:00 during the week, 10-10:30 on Fridays and Saturdays and 11-7 on Sunday. Parking in front of the restaurant can be a pain if the shopping center is crowded, so it’s best to park in the lot to the left of the strip of buildings.
Screw Flanders!
Caribbean Oriental Restaurant
10841 Lanham Severn Rd
Glenn Dale, MD 20769
(301) 352-8341
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