Curry & roti in Little Guyana

plus a whirlwind travel week

I am physically sitting at my dining table writing this newsletter (edit: I am actually at the Newark airport now) (edit 2: I am actually in the Phoenix airport now) but mentally I am in some undefined corner of the space/time continuum without any understanding of how I just got back from Chicago what feels like hours ago, haven’t even unpacked my suitcase, yet am packing again today for a Bachelorette trip in Scottsdale. Like, what is time? 

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Yesterday was my only full “free” day between trips but it wasn’t *really* free because I had a doctor appointment at 9am (I’m the most paranoid person you’ll ever meet and regularly convince myself I need to see a doctor/specialist of sorts) after which I participated in a SUPER EXCITING shoot for a SUPER AMAZING show that won’t air for another year so unfortunately, that’s all I can say about that. Then, after the shoot, I met up with Sarah (aka @pastaheiress, aka my Petite Pasta Joint business partner) for oysters and drinks at Sel Rrose where, unfortunately, we missed the oyster happy hour by about 10 minutes and then refused to pay $3.50/oyster out of principle. We did have some pate and steak tartare but, as it turns out, this did not make for a sufficient dinner so upon my return home, I ordered a truly egregious amount of Chinese food from whatever joint was still open at the time. I hope you have enjoyed this thrilling retelling of yesterday’s events. 

Anyway, the point of today’s newsletter is not to give you a play-by-play of my life but rather to discuss the many delicious roti (rotis??) I tried in Little Guyana last week.

goat curry and roti buss up shut from Tropical Jade 3 Roti Express. Read on to learn about buss up shut!

Let’s back it up. Little Guyana is located in Richmond Hill, Queens. Surprising factoid: Guyanese immigrants are the second largest immigrant group in Queens behind Chinese immigrants. I find this to be a wild bit of information because in all my time traipsing across the five boroughs to seek out immigrant communities and restaurants, not only had I never been to Little Guyana - I hadn’t even HEARD of it (bows head in embarrassment).

I’ve always thought of Guyana as vaguely Caribbean but it’s actually a country on the Northeast coast of South America. My inclinations weren’t wrong, though: Guyana is considered culturally Caribbean by many. For more info on Guyana’s Caribbean ties you can read this article but basically: unlike any other South American country, Guyana was colonized by the British (like the Caribbean). It’s also the only South American country whose official language is English, and, with its large African/Indian communities, the population has a more similar cultural composition to Trinidad & Tobago than other South American countries.

The food in Little Guyana reflects this: it’s Indian, it’s African, it’s Caribbean. The sheer amount there is to try is overwhelming so I decided to zone in on one specific combo: curry & roti. Roti comes from Indian paratha. It’s a type of flatbread and can be eaten alongside curries/stews OR you can get the curry wrapped inside a roti. I tried both versions. Let’s get into it.

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THE STOPS

D’Savannah Roti Shop

119-15 Liberty Ave, South Richmond Hill, NY 11419

Stop 1! I ordered the chicken curry wrapped in roti which I’m pretty sure was actually a dhal puri (a roti stuffed with ground up yellow split peas). This is when I decided it would actually make more sense to order my curry on the side (rather than inside the roti) because I didn’t plan on eating the dish burrito-style so I unwrapped it anyways and while I appreciated the way the roti soaked up the curry flavors, I like to have more control over ratios/dip-ability. Plus, the curry comes with bones anyways so eating the dish burrito-style is not super convenient. A learning lesson for me!

Either way, it was delicious. The curry was flavorful and well-spiced and the chicken was super tender (I’d like to resist using the cliche “fall-off-the-bone” remark but like…it was). The roti was stretchy and earthy (as a result of the split peas) and soaked in yummy curry. All in all, highly recommend.

Tropical Jade Roti Express

118-3 Liberty Ave, South Richmond Hill, NY 11419

This ended up being my favorite stop of the day. After learning about my roti/curry ordering preferences at D’Savannah, I decided to order the goat curry with a roti on the side. Important to note: goat meat comes with *a lot* of bones but in the case of the goat curry at Tropical Jade Roti Express it is *well worth* the work. The curry was fantastic and deeply savory but the reason this spot was my favorite was the roti itself: it was chewy and rich and pillowy. I could have easily eaten it plain. By the way, this roti was served “buss up shut.” I’ve heard the phrase a million times but never knew what it meant: basically, the cooked roti is beaten with a wood spoon or rolling pin until it develops a torn/shredded texture, kind of like a BUSTED UP SHIRT. Mind = blown. Tell me I’m not the only one who didn’t know.

Trinciti Roti Shop

111-03 Lefferts Blvd, Queens, NY 11420

This is arguably the most famous of Little Guyana’s roti shops. It was also the only shop I visited without any seating (at least at this time) which posed a little bit of an issue for me since I don’t live in the area. After an aimless ten-minute walk, I decided to park it on a random stoop where loitering was definitely discouraged (whoops). I hovered over my food and attempted to film some viable video footage of curry/roti consumption while the wind blew my hair into my food. While I cannot recommend my makeshift eating experience, I *can* recommend the oxtail curry. It was after this roti experience, however, that I came to the conclusion that I prefer plain roti as opposed to dhal puri (the kind filled with yellow split peas). The split peas have a crumbly/dry texture and I prefer to let the smooth and stretchy roti stand on its own. Worth trying both, though! The oxtail curry was on the sweeter side and super rich. I love the texture of oxtail meat. But honestly - my favorite part of this meal was the shrimp curry doubles I ordered. Doubles are a Trini staple: 2 pieces of fried flatbread stuffed with curried chickpeas and a bunch of other delicious things. Is a doubles tour next??