Island Vibes: Authentic Caribbean Food!

It's been too long since I blogged about my favorite restaurants in Nashville, so here goes...

I discovered Island Vibes mid-to-late summer. I stopped in alone one day for lunch to check it out for my Meetup group and indulged in the Curry Chicken. It was heavenly and "fell off the bone". If you can make chicken fall off the bone, then I am hooked...

Curry Chicken

This place is small and can easily be missed if you close your eyes. It's located on Antioch Pike behind Sam's Club, in a small house next door to the 1310 Plaza which houses equally exceptional Korean and Ethiopian restaurants. I love that Antioch is such a melting pot of ethnic cuisine.

I quickly became friends with Loverna Semple-Burnett and her husband Mark Burnett who are owners (along with Mark's brothers). This is truly a family owned restaurant. My friend Aubrey Dasilva is the chef. They are from the same village in Georgetown, Guyana. You really don't get much more Caribbean than that...

First visit: I opted for the curry chicken (see above). I took home leftovers (which I always do) and actually ate them later that night - which I rarely do. I eat out so often that most of my leftovers go to waste. These leftovers did not go to waste.

Oxtails

Second visit: I brought my Meetup group. They scheduled live music for us on a Saturday night - steelpan music. I opted for oxtails which I love. It's definitely a "finger food" but worth the effort. I actually got reprimanded by a Jamaican woman for trying to eat it with a knife & fork about two years ago. Lesson learned! Think of the most deeply braised beef you could ever imagine. I'm not much of a beef eater, but if you offer me oxtail, I'm in!

Third visit: Jerk chicken, only because the jerk pork wasn't ready. It was delicious, but I am still holding out for the pork. A member said it was the best jerk chicken she ever had. Another member, with family in Jamaica, had the goat curry and devoured her plate. She said she rarely eats red meat unless it's goat - and she gave the thumbs up. Several members said it was above and beyond JamaicaWay - the only other Caribbean in Nashville until now.

Jerk Pork

Don't miss the weekend specials on the board - including saltfish & bake and bullfoot soup. "Bake" is a type of bread. I am still trying to convince Loverna to make me "shark & bake" once I can get my hands on shark meat in Nashville. Otherwise, I will have to schedule a trip to Trinidad for my most expensive "fish sandwich" ever!

Island VibesAddress: 1316 Antioch Pike, Nashville, TN 37211
Phone:(615) 454-6085
Prices: $

On FaceBook:
https://www.facebook.com/islandvibesrestaurantnashville

Ethiopian Cuisine

Ethiopian Cuisine was probably the catalyst that encouraged me start my Meetup group "What the Pho!" six years ago. I couldn't find anyone who would go out with me to eat it – not friends nor coworkers... unless I bribed them by offering to pay for their meal. So I ate alone holding a book. Do you have any idea how hard it is to eat Ethiopian food while reading a book? Six years later, “What the Pho!” has over a thousand Meetup members. I never knew there were so many people eager to try new cuisines and who loved getting their hands "dirty" while they eat.

“Mesob Veggie & Meat Combo”

Chef’s selection of vegetables and meat 

samplers $14.99

 Since the first time I tried Ethiopian food at the age of 17 (20++ years ago, shhh - a lady never tells her age) in Washington DC, I fell in LOVE. I can only try to explain it by saying, it's a happy marriage of my mother's Southern/"soul food" cooking mixed with Indian spices. Little did I know then that it would be almost another 17 years before I would eat it again. 

African nations are still emerging and pulling themselves out of poverty. But their cuisines should never be overlooked. Their foods reflect a combination of native cuisines mixed with the cuisines of countries who have occupied them over time (France, Italy, Spain and Portugal to name a few), creating something new, unusual and amazing.

On my most recent visit to Mesob Ethiopian Restaurant, I took a plunge from my usual meat or veggie combo (which I would highly recommend to anyone new to the cuisine). I ordered the Ethiopian spaghetti and it was delicious... I finished every last bite. And anyone who knows me knows, I always take home leftovers or leave a dish unfinished (if it's not suited to leftovers). I'm addicted now... and yes, they served it with toasted Italian bread and gave me a fork to eat it with.

"Vegetarian Entree Sampler"Chef’s selection of 
freshly prepared vegetable dishes
4 Types $8.99 || 7 types for one $10.99 || 
7 types for two $18.99

Yes, there is "Ethiopian spaghetti". Although Ethiopia has never been ruled by a foreign power, it was briefly occupied by the Italians in 1936. During the brief occupation, Ethiopians adopted spaghetti and made it their own with the berbere commonly used in Ethiopian and Eritrean cooking. Then there's the "Ethiopian fajitas" (as I like to call them) but more appropriately on the menu known as "Mesob tibs". I have yet to try them but have seen them come out sizzling on the skillet. We finally asked what they were on our last trip.

“Lega-Tibs”

Your choice of lamb or beef cubes 

sautéed in 

herbed butter with onions, green pepper, 

tomato, and rosemary

Beef $10.00 | Lamb $11.00

(photo courtesy of Pamela Hundley)

There are a few amazing Ethiopian restaurants in Nashville, including Gojo Ethiopian Café and Goha Ethiopian Restaurant. I am well acquainted with the owners and love that they treat me like family. The above are my favorites.

Rules for eating Ethiopian food:

1. Wash your hands.

2. Injera is the staple bread and is used as your utensil. It is a flat, spongy, slightly sour bread (think giant crepe, made from teff flour and gluten free). Use small pieces to scoop up your food and enjoy. NOTE: Injera is also common to Somalia, Djibouti, Sudan and Yemen. My neighbors are Yemeni and call it “lahoh”.

3. You can ask for a fork, but it’s not as much fun.

4. You can order individual dishes or multiple people can join together and share sampler platters (my suggestion), that's the concept of Ethiopian food "sharing" - thus, wash your hands. Share your food and enjoy!

5. Wash your hands again (see a pattern here). They will smell like wonderful spices for days.

“Those who eat from the same plate will never betray each other.”
- Ethiopian Proverb

Hai Woon Dai Korean Restaurant

This is the food I grew up eating as a kid, from the age of 6 YO until college. The "perks" when your childhood best friend is Korean. I spent 3-4 nights a week in the kitchen of my surrogate mom, Ok Cha Kim. When she would hand me food and I asked what it was she would say “just eat” and I did. I never questioned Momma Kim because I knew I could be kicked out of her kitchen at any given time. She was the Korean “Gordon Ramsey”.

Thanks to Momma Kim, I knew what sushi was by the time I was 8 years old, chewed on dried octopus, ate raw stingray and became a kimchi aficionado. Her cucumber kimchi was so amazing that I attempted it for years without success. She taught me how to eat with chopsticks and even gave me my first official pair of chopsticks (not the wooden pull apart kind) and I practiced on cheap ramen noodles.

I have been eating at Hai Woon Dai (pronounced “Hay Woon Day”) for about 7-8 years, before I even conceived of my Meetup group, What the Pho!

The food is above reproach, the service fast and exceptional. THE BEST KOREAN in Nashville! I will stake my reputation on that. Assuming “Jean” is working when you visit, mention my name. You won’t get any freebies but I’m sure she will give you extra TLC.

Banchan: First there’s the banchan, small plates of condiments which include kimchi, cucumber kimchi, fish cake, seaweed salad, etc, etc. These are free and are replenished when you run out.

Banchan (photo courtesy of Sun Tzu
Photos, James Quach)

Appetizers: I would highly recommend the “gyoza” which is vegetarian. I had never ordered until recently because I expected them to be like Japanese gyoza which I can take or leave. A Persian friend ordered them a few weeks ago and shared, I fell in love. Had the menu said “Yaki Mandu” I would have known what I was ordering. It’s like a little “empanda”. This is a staple on my visits now. 

Dolsot Bibimbap (photo courtesy of Sun Tzu
Photos, James Quach)

The “Seafood Pancake”, I’m not a fan of squid (for dietary reasons) but this one is outrageously popular. It is HUGE and should be shared with about 8 people, unless you plan to make it your primary meal.

Entrées: The (BBQ) chicken bulgogi is some of the most tender chicken I've ever tasted. I also love the beef bulgogi which is thinly sliced and tender. I haven’t tried the pork version which my friend Pam swears by.

And bibimbap, this is a staple, it includes rice, beef, veggies and a fried egg. Order the dolsot bibimbap for the hot stone pot experience. Think of it as fried rice to the n'th degree.This brings back memories.

I am also a fan of the Japchae (sweet potato noodles stir fried in sesame oil with vegetables and beef), ask them to cut the noodles or you might be in for the fight of your life.

Japchae (photo courtesy of Sun Tzu
Photos, James Quach)

One of my go to favorites is their “jjigae” which are their soups delivered at a rolling boil in a hot pot. They have several variations with seafood, meat and tofu. They are presented with a raw egg. As soon as the soup arrives, crack the egg and stir. Jjigae is one of my comfort foods when I’m sad or happy. Momma Kim never made me jjigae. But I ate a lot of bulgogi growing up and it was amazing.


Desserts: None offered. But you will be stuffed before you can finish all of the above. I don’t remember ever having desserts in Kim’s house.

Hai Woon Dai

Address: 2051 Antioch Pike, Nashville, TN 37013

Phone:(615) 333-9186

Hours: 11:00 am – 11:00 pm (closed Monday)

Moke ga 먹자 (Let’s eat!)