A taste of Jamaica at Mango Caribbean
Being a grad student foodie means two things: 1. you’re always on a tight budget, 2. you have to make the most of every chance you get to eat out. Ultrahigh end restaurants are certainly off limit. Popular chains, no matter how tasty, are unbloggable and reserved for rare occasions when the cravings go mad. The more popular types of food, like pastas and sandwiches, would require a lot more skill and creativity to pen down, hence also preferably avoided. What’s left are the locally owned kitchens with ten or fifteen tables, one or two waiters, and something off the beaten path. It could be a strange item on the menu, or the lack of menu, an interesting name, a worn sign, a long line, an always-closed wooden door…
For me, it’s the type of cuisine. If I haven’t had it, I’d insist on getting it, predictably with numerous disappointing turnouts. The thrill of trying new stuff aside, it’s something to brag about, you know. “I’ve had Azerbaijan” somehow just sounds cool. Childish, I know, but every new bite feels like a little culture seeping into the brain, and I feel learned after each meal regardless of the result.
I’d prefer the romantic approach of driving down the road and pull into just whatever catches the eyes, but Google Map is lovely, too. That’s how we find Mango Caribbean. Mudpie likes mango. I haven’t had Jamaican food, or any idea of what authentic Jamaican food should be. It just sounds fun.
The lunch starts with fried plantain, length-wise sliced and burnt in vegetable oil, gummy at parts and porous at others. The natural sweetness goes hand in hand with the oil’s simplicity. The starfish arrangement matches a fishing net theme hanging low across the room.
You know it’s not Americanized when the door is opened, the restaurant is completely empty except for the sound of rustic knives hammering on chopping boards, and a heavily accented host asking you to come back in another half hour because the other host isn’t there for opening. There is that feel of the restaurateur’s confidence, justified or not, of serving good food on unpolished tables, with unpolished service, and in unpolished plastic plates.
The food arrives in free style just like the restaurant’s ambiance. We order a Breezy Caribbean wrap and a Mango Walk wrap. Little thin squares of roti (a misnomer?) come on one plate, meat, salad, and small cups of condiments neatly arranged on another, ready to be mixed. The sauteed shrimps land a bit too light, but its accompanying mango chutney has bits of jewel. It looks like topaz, and tastes like spring. At first sight, the mango chicken falls short of expectation, as it’s nothing more than roasted chicken with two scrawny mango sticks. But the chicken kicks a three letter word. Each tender strand is a malty flow slowly wetting the taste buds. It feels more braised than roasted, but braised with what I know not. My favorite, though, is the purplish pile of red beans and rice. The nutty coating makes the grains stand out one by one, so the rice is no longer a base, but a dish of complexity.
For a homey meal of this size and taste, $24 for two is a little steep, but it’s a sweet part of Palo Alto that I’d like to remember.
Address: Mango Caribbean
435 Hamilton Avenue
Palo Alto, CA 94301
(650) 324-9443
So how do you pick which restaurant to go to and blog about? Do you google? Citysearch? Yelp? Ask friends? Do you just go and see what sign looks good? What would make you pick one restaurant over others?
Other Palo Alto restaurants:
– Garden Fresh (Chinese, vegan)
– Shokolaat (the higher end)
– Crepes Cafe
– Blue Danube Cafe (chocolate and those tooth-aching stuff)
– Nola (Cajun)
– Phở Vỉ Hoa (Vietnamese)
– Cafe Renaissance (Persian)
I like what you guys are up too. Such smart work and reporting! Carry on the excellent works guys I have incorporated you guys to my blogroll. I think it will improve the value of my web site :).
1Exactly what I was searching for, appreciate it for putting up.
2Howdy! Do you know if they make any plugins to assist with SEO? I’m trying to get my blog to rank for some targeted keywords but I’m not seeing very good gains. If you know of any please share. Kudos!
3I think you have remarked some very interesting points, appreciate it for the post.
4Very wonderful visual appeal on this web site, I’d value it 10 10.
5Amazing blog! Is your theme custom made or did you download it from somewhere? A design like yours with a few simple tweeks would really make my blog stand out. Please let me know where you got your design. Thanks a lot
6Loving the information on this website , you have done great job on the articles.
7Whats up! I simply would like to give a huge thumbs up for the nice info you might have here on this post. I might be coming back to your weblog for extra soon.
8Great website! I am loving it!! Will be back later to read some more. I am bookmarking your feeds also.
9This is very interesting, You’re a very skilled blogger. I have joined your rss feed and look forward to seeking more of your great post. Also, I’ve shared your web site in my social networks!
10But a smiling visitant here to share the love (:, btw great pattern.
11Some times its a pain in the ass to read what people wrote but this internet site is very user friendly! .
12Glad to be one of the visitants on this amazing web site : D.
13This is very interesting, You are a very skilled blogger. I’ve joined your rss feed and look forward to seeking more of your great post. Also, I have shared your web site in my social networks!
14Please let me know if you’re looking for a author for your weblog. You have some really great articles and I believe I would be a good asset. If you ever want to take some of the load off, I’d absolutely love to write some material for your blog in exchange for a link back to mine. Please shoot me an e-mail if interested. Kudos!
15This really answered my problem, thank you!
16I have not checked in here for some time because I thought it was getting boring, but the last several posts are great quality so I guess I will add you back to my daily bloglist. You deserve it my friend 🙂
17Awesome blog! Is your theme custom made or did you download it from somewhere? A design like yours with a few simple tweeks would really make my blog stand out. Please let me know where you got your theme. Many thanks
18Very instructive and superb body structure of articles, now that’s user pleasant (:.
19Hi, just required you to know I he added your site to my Google bookmarks due to your layout. But seriously, I believe your internet site has 1 in the freshest theme I??ve came across. It extremely helps make reading your blog significantly easier.
20This is the fitting weblog for anybody who wants to seek out out about this topic. You understand a lot its almost laborious to argue with you (not that I truly would want…HaHa). You definitely put a brand new spin on a subject thats been written about for years. Great stuff, just great!
21It’s really a great and helpful piece of information. I am satisfied that you shared this helpful information with us. Please keep us up to date like this. Thanks for sharing.
22I believe this website holds some rattling fantastic info for everyone :D. “The test of every religious, political, or educational system is the man that it forms.” by Henri Frdric Amiel.
23Saved as a favorite, I really like your blog!
24Hi! I could have sworn I’ve been to this site before but after browsing through some of the post I realized it’s new to me. Anyways, I’m definitely delighted I found it and I’ll be bookmarking and checking back often!
25Hey very nice blog!! Man .. Beautiful .. Amazing .. I’ll bookmark your site and take the feeds also…I’m happy to find so many useful information here in the post, we need work out more techniques in this regard, thanks for sharing. . . . . .
26I am continuously invstigating online for ideas that can assist me. Thank you!
27Great post. I am facing a couple of these problems.
28I think other web-site proprietors should take this website as an model, very clean and great user genial style and design, as well as the content. You’re an expert in this topic!
29Very interesting topic, thank you for putting up.
30Wonderful work! This is the type of information that should be shared around the net. Shame on the search engines for not positioning this post higher! Come on over and visit my site . Thanks =)
31An fascinating dialogue is price comment. I think that it is best to write more on this matter, it may not be a taboo topic however usually individuals are not enough to speak on such topics. To the next. Cheers
32Hello. remarkable job. I did not imagine this. This is a splendid story. Thanks!
33It’s really a great and useful piece of info. I’m glad that you shared this useful info with us. Please keep us up to date like this. Thanks for sharing.
34You really make it seem really easy with your presentation but I in finding this topic to be actually something that I think I’d by no means understand. It kind of feels too complex and very huge for me. I am looking forward to your next submit, I will attempt to get the hang of it!
35This is a very good tips especially to those new to blogosphere, brief and accurate information… Thanks for sharing this one. A must read article.
36I discovered your weblog site on google and test a few of your early posts. Continue to maintain up the excellent operate. I simply additional up your RSS feed to my MSN News Reader. Searching for forward to studying extra from you in a while!…
37Thanks , I have recently been looking for information about this subject for ages and yours is the best I’ve discovered till now. But, what about the bottom line? Are you sure about the source?
38hello there and thank you in your info – I have certainly picked up something new from right here. I did then again expertise some technical issues the use of this website, since I experienced to reload the website a lot of times previous to I may just get it to load correctly. I have been puzzling over if your hosting is OK? Now not that I’m complaining, but slow loading instances instances will often impact your placement in google and can damage your quality score if ads and ***********|advertising|advertising|advertising and *********** with Adwords. Well I am including this RSS to my e-mail and could look out for a lot extra of your respective fascinating content. Ensure that you replace this once more soon..
39I truly appreciate this post. I’ve been looking everywhere for this! Thank goodness I found it on Bing. You’ve made my day! Thank you again!
40I went over this site and I think you have a lot of good info, saved to bookmarks (:.
41I like the efforts you have put in this, thanks for all the great articles.
42I have been surfing online more than three hours today, yet I never found any interesting article like yours. It’s pretty worth enough for me. Personally, if all webmasters and bloggers made good content as you did, the internet will be a lot more useful than ever before.
43Having read this I thought it was very informative. I appreciate you taking the time and effort to put this article together. I once again find myself spending way to much time both reading and commenting. But so what, it was still worth it!
44Simply wanna input on few general things, The website style is perfect, the articles is really excellent : D.
45You completed several fine points there. I did a search on the matter and found the majority of people will consent with your blog.
46I really lucky to find this website on bing, just what I was looking for : D as well saved to fav.
47I relish, result in I found exactly what I used to be taking a look for. You’ve ended my 4 day lengthy hunt! God Bless you man. Have a nice day. Bye
48I conceive you have mentioned some very interesting details, thankyou for the post.
49Hello, you used to write great, but the last several posts have been kinda boringK I miss your great writings. Past several posts are just a little bit out of track! come on!
50