Trincity Mall Goodness

Good food, even the fast food type, can satisfy more than a need for sustenance: it can deliver pleasure. Spoonful after spoonful, bite after bite getting a taste of the good stuff is never a bad thing and who knew that a Shopping Mall Food Court could help fill you with joy.

Trincity Mall South Side Food Court

Trinidad & Tobago’s diverse and rapidly expanding food culture is apparent, no more so than in the food courts of the Trincity Mall located in the North East of Trinidad. This large and bustling shopping complex has two food courts (north and south sides) and in keeping with my duties of telling you what’s the best to eat where, I’ll take you with me to the south side.

The south side food court has six separate outlets of interesting food for the Mall patron:

• Jawhara - Arabic Cuisine
• Tandoori Hut - Authentic Indian Cuisine
• Stew's - Trini Caribbean Fare
• Rituals Coffee/Pizza Boys - Coffee, Pizza and Donuts
• Thai Express - Popular Thai Fare
• Popeye's - Louisiana Style Fast Food (US Chain)

Scene at the Food Court

Most concessionaires deliver good quality, true to their theme meals for a reasonable price, but two in my opinion are worth visiting the Mall for, Jawhara and Tandoori Hut.


Jawhara
Jawhara’s fidelity to the rich and heady aromatic spices of Arabic Cooking along with their choice of simple quintessential menu items ensure consistent quality of product. They have a small bag of tricks and they prepare them well. Any given time of day, you can expect to see a long line of customers queueing for the lip smacking Shrimp or Chicken Kebabs, Gyros, grilled Fish or Lamb and honest to goodness Middle Eastern sides like Baba Ganoush, Arabic Rice or Potatoes and Falafel.

Jawhara's Arabic Potatoes (right) with Falafel and Kebbi (left)

Every two weeks or so I crave their Chicken Kebabs, covered in Za’atar (Arabic spice mix) sprinkled with oil and flame licked. Perfectly grilled cubes of white meat on a stick, the right amount of charring and smoky flavor. 

Jawhara's Chicken Kebab with Garlic Sauce

What the flame does to the cumin and turmeric in the spice mix is tantamount to a narcotic, it gets in your head and at times, without realizing it, you close your eyes and inhale deeply when chewing. The condiment to compliment this - a thick and creamy garlic sauce, uncomplicated; mayonnaise, garlic and a few simple herbs; it is a great accomplice.

Everything on their menu is good and worth the money to try at least once to see which you like best.

Jawhara's Trincity Mall Menu

Tandoori Hut
My other guilty Trincity Mall south side pleasure is the Tandoori Hut. Authentic Indian Cuisine and like their next door neighbor Jawhara, their limited daily offering affords the significant repetition needed for the perfection of skills to create such authentic dishes. 

The Tandoori Hut Outlet at Trincity Mall

With items like Parata Wraps with fillings of Peneer Butter Masala, Curried Chicken, Fish or Lamb coupled with Fresh Salad, its easy for them to stand out - the fabulous wraps may prompt a nap afterwards though. Nann prepared on demand in their on site Tandoori Oven, heavily spice infused Seafood and Pumpkin Soups, a selection of Curries, Tandoori Chicken (of course), Sweet and Savory Lassis along with Watermelon or Cucumber Juices are on the menu.

When I get the hankering I have anything from a full meal of Rice, Curried Mushrooms and Fish Tikka to a Garlic Nann with Pimentos or my running favorite; their Potato Fries.

Amazing Tandoori Hut Fries

These aren't ordinary fries, they are spiced, deep fried and while hot, dusted in a sugar laced seasoning. Yum! These, still warm, dipped in the supplied garlic sauce - Tandoori Hut's is thin and slightly sweet, yellow in colour and charged with roasted cumin (we call Geerah) are divine. Truth be told, this has replaced a meal for me many days when on the go (not that I need an excuse).

Tandoori Bites

A fairly new item to their repertoire is Tandoori Bites, Chicken Wings marinated in Tandoori Spices and fried to crispy, spicy perfection. Fabulous as a snack when drinking ('Cutters' as we call it) these still juicy morsels have a kick with an earthy heat and their deep red colour is a feast for the eyes as well as the palate.

Well seasoned and bursting with colour - Tandoori Bites

For a taste of the bonafide when needing a change from ordinary fast food, these two choices can lend a little exotic and deliver on the goodness.

With seven casual dining restaurants, two cafe style sandwich shops and thirteen more vendors at the north side food court and environs, Trincity Mall indeed has much more to offer and I'll continue to give you the scoop on what's good.

Trincity Mall is located on the Churchill Roosevelt Highway, East Trinidad.