“I love me some great chalk board action“. Over on Radford Boulevard in the café that was once called ‘Lucilles’, and once the ‘Boulevard Sandwich Bar’ close to the junction with Hartley Road I saw this board at lunch offering some local foods. The fallen leaves were blowing around the base and it seemed just the right weather to pop in and get another meal to enliven the soul and keep me warm inside. Inside the music on the radio was playing and the lady chef behind the counter was dancing away. It seemed to be a good day in the café and I could tell that it was about to be a great lunchtime.
I said a couple of days ago that I was working my way through the area looking for Caribbean, Jamaican, and basically any other West Indian food that I could find, so today I was back. I had seen this place last time out and had stopped in to see what they had cooking. That day I was too early as the curries were still cooking and were not quite ready. That day it was about 11.30am, so this time I headed over a little later at lunch a little nearer to 1pm and I was in luck they were all ready.
Mutton Curry with ‘Rice and Peas’
I had a choice to make, do I choose the Jerk Chicken? (again) for comparison purposes (and also because I love it) or the Mutton Curry? (which I also love). It was a tough decision but I took a walk along the new path and ordered the Mutton Curry with a side of ‘Rice and Peas’. I was so glad that I did. On first sight it appeared that I was getting a lot of bone in my container but that was just an illusion. There were a few bits of bone in there, but mostly the tender mutton meat was falling off and into the curry gravy. Now at this point as I write I am still trying to decide if this was a curry made of ‘Mutton’ as in the or ‘Mutton’ in the Caribbean sense which is generally Goat meat. Either way it was delicious, a much milder spicing that I was expecting but that was good as it let the flavours of the meat come through. Soft, tender, and juicy with perhaps just a little of that lovely fat left in the curry gravy, basically everything that you might hope for.
Once again I have to report that there was way too much food in this portion for just one person, the Mutton Curry was more than plentiful, the ‘Rice and Peas’ a meal in themselves and way more than a mere side. I have no idea why I needed a side of salad as well. Having said that all, the thing is that I just couldn’t control myself, it was so good I just had to eat it all. I was shovelling it in like there was no tomorrow.
So where was I?
I should have asked since I was here last week someone has painted over the sign with the café name on it, so until I see the new sign this will be the Caribbean Café with no name.
The ‘Unknown café’ is at 166A Radford Boulevard Notts. I will be back for the Jerk Chicken, the name of the café and that recipe for the Mutton Curry. I will report back when I do.
Love these informative posts. We always end up at some kind of rip-off commercialised joint simply because we know where it is – a safe option in the city centre.
Growing up in Carrington during the early seventies, I was always told to avoid just wandering into places on Radford Road; you never quite knew what surprises you might find on the back streets in 1979. We usually did a beer run down Radford Road some years later, spending summers on the wall outside The Cricket Players, until moving on towards the city centre. However, things have changed and, from what I hear, it’s evolved quite nicely. It’s good to know about these little places that serve such delights.