Caribbean cuisine is very popular in NYC. So when my friend left the ball in my court to pick the place for our catch up dinner, I was delighted to try Pearl’s. Pearl’s is nestled comfortably in Williamsburg and is a very nice and quaint restaurant in this Brooklyn area. Upon entry, you automatically get that island vibe from its decor and Bob Marley tunes that flows throughout the place. I already knew what I planned to order before coming here. There’s a specialty dish called the Bake and Shark. I’d never heard of this but after through research came to discover its a popular Trini street or fast food dish that’s very flavorful, especially once you add the sauces. Sauces are key. I also saw popular reviews for the stuffed crab backs and wanted to try those as well. Sadly, they were out that night; I guess they’re a bit too popular :-).
So to start I tried the calypso guacamole and chips along with the Trini rum punch. You can’t go wrong with either guac or a nice drink on happy hour right? Just an FYI, happy hour is from 4-7pm during the weekdays. As mentioned above, I went with the bake and shark as the main entree and their sweet plantains. Let’s just say they’ve nailed their rendition of this classic Trini dish. I couldn’t get over how sweet and delicious the bread was! Simply amazing. The sandwich consists of fried shark with tamarind, chadon beni and garlic sauce, pickled slaw and mango chutney. The shark was fried perfectly and the mix of ingredients was the perfect combination to exude the intense flavors of this sandwich. Pearl’s offers a few more sauces you can add to your sandwich to your liking; my favorites were the garlic and hot pepper sauces.
For a split second, I was able to remove myself from the hustle and bustle of NYC and mentally took a trip to the islands for about 2 hours. Pearl’s is definitely a place to try and I highly recommend their bake and shark. Take a quick trip to the islands with me by going through the gallery below.
lifeofacitygal 