Restaurants / Reviews
Nadine’s Caribbean Cafe – restaurant review
On a recent Friday lunchtime, it’s strange to see empty tables at Nadine’s Caribbean Cafe. The cafe, a recent addition to Stapleton Road following success in St Paul’s as a takeaway shop, is often full to bursting with hungry diners.
With the sun shining, a chef sears meat on the BBQ outside and smiles at those walking past and, pushing the door open, a warm welcome awaits inside as well: “Hi, how can I help?” the server asks from the back of the dining space.
Brightly lit and freshly painted, a Jamaican flag hangs on the wall. Despite the quiet atmosphere, the café is welcoming, with flowers on the tables and leafy plants on the window ledges.
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Flavoured rice, steamed veg and stewed fish
There are no menus on the tables (“We’ve sent them to the printers, but they haven’t arrived yet”), so the server points towards the menu for day on the counter: “What do you fancy? You vegan?”
It’s a welcoming space, and the perfect atmosphere to feel adventurous and try something new: “I don’t eat meat but eat fish,” I say, “what do you recommend?”
On the restaurant’s recommendation, brown fish stew with rice and steam vegetables (£7) are ordered, along with a can of Pepsi Max (£1). Everyone in the café, staff and diners alike, make easy conversation while the food is prepared in the kitchen, discussing the great smells of the cooking food and each other’s plans for the weekend.
Friday’s menu – the food changes each day
All meals come in takeaway containers, and paper bags and cutlery are provided for those choosing to eat their food in the spring sun. The takeaway containers aren’t environmentally-friendly, but they are made the most of and filled to burst.
Tucking into the fish, it’s warming and tastes truly homecooked. The skin is crispy and the white fillet is flaky and sits in a pool of sauce.
It’s quickly obvious, however, that the sides aren’t an afterthought but instead enhance the dish. Mixing a mouthful of the stewed fish with the some of the rice leads to an explosion of flavour. The rice is warming and spiced, adding a new layer of flavour to the fish. The steamed veg, cabbage, peas and onion are a fresh, simple palate cleanser and welcome addition to the filling meal,
Nadine’s Caribbean Cafe, 5 Stapleton Road, Easton, Bristol, BS5 0QR
0117 279 7697
Read more: Your Bristol favourites: Caribbean food
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