Radica’s Hot and Spicy – 3105 Winston Churchill Blvd, Mississauga, ON L5L 1P5
Country: Republic of Trinidad & Tobago
Must-try dish: Doubles
Dinner guests: Young Matt
The high: The discovery of doubles – Trinidad and Tobago’s “drunk food”. 
The low: That this type of food only now came on Mandrea Bike’s radar. 

It was pretty clear after this dinner that Mandrea Bike is booking a trip to Trinidad and Tobago for culinary adventures. A night (or two) out would have to be on the agenda in order to justify indulging in copious amounts of doubles, and hopefully triples too. 

Mandrea Bike has been living in the dark and has finally seen the light with this incredibly tasty cuisine that unites South Asian flavours with those classic ones from the Caribbean. Although there was some help with the order, Doubles seem to be the country’s signature dish. The name doesn’t quite give away what exactly you’re about to eat, but it’s a guarantee that you will fall in love with your first bite of these miniature dough balls filled with chickpeas (you can also opt for meat). It’s hard to not feel an immediate urge to get drunk in Port of Spain (Capital of Trinidad & Tobago) just so you can justify eating all the Doubles. 

Despite Doubles taking the top spot in the hearts of our palates, all the items on the order possessed mouth-watering qualities: 

Jerk Chicken, Peas and Rice: You can’t really go wrong with Jerk Chicken, but when you find one that is superior to all the rest, it really stays with you. Radica’s Jerk Chicken plate is exactly that with its fragrant spices drowning the barbecued meat that effortlessly fell off the bone. It must also be noted that the ratio of protein to rice and beans was actually reasonable, unlike some places that overload the starch. 

Boneless Lamb Roti: The Roti’s are heavy, as they are bursting at the seams with meat and sauce. They aren’t always the ideal thing to share, but Mandrea Bike managed to split this massive wrap into three equal bits. The lamb was tender and this roti went quickly. In normal service circumstances, there is also a goat option, which is definitely on the order next time! 

Boneless Chicken Curry Roti: Also a large wrap stuffed with saucy chicken pieces in a rich curry gravy. The employee on the phone recommended this one to complete our order since we were lacking in the curry department, and that doesn’t fly.

Macaroni: A late addition to the order was the macaroni that was highly recommended as something that we needed to complete our order. We were thrilled that this got added as the macaroni was flavourful, cooked beautifully and the cheese on top was crispy. A great last minute addition to the order.

It won’t be long before another meal from Trinidad and Tobago goes into the calendar since the entire menu is a tempting order. But until then, Mandrea Bike dreams about Doubles and everything else about these two islands. 

With restaurants slowly opening their doors across Ontario, there continues to be an awesome take-away game, so whether you want to eat out or stay in, don’t miss out on supporting the city’s dining establishments. 

Eat with you soon, 

Mandrea Bike
(Mat & Andrea)