I am an avid listener of Fernando Estime and he constantly advertises for this restaurant, so I wanted to show my support since I live 30 minutes away. Today I decided to check it out. Surpise!!! It is a food truck, not a restaurant and we dressed up for it because I heard the owner saying he has the nicest storefront. Okay no biggie, but tell people it is a food truck ok. I wanted to try the akasan (cornmeal porridge) because apparently Mr. Vert's is the real deal and every one else is using a powdered short-cut. I should tell you that I am second-generation Haitian, so truthfully I wouldn't know if all my previous encounters with akasan was powdered vs real. I do know that I should expect something smooth, well spiced and sweet.
To make a long story short, the food truck was clean. We were greeted professionally. We were told that our order would take 10 to 15 minutes and it didn't exceed the timeframe given. We ordered akasan and one spaghetti. Umm, I so wanted to like the akasan, but I do not. I make corn meal porridge at home using corn meal (labouyi mayi), but akasan is a more drinkable version I guess. There should never be lumps in a porridge, especially from a store. Ours was terribly lumpy. There is some of sort of leafy spice that forces you spit it out with every spoonful. The akasan doesn't come with sugar and milk. You have mix those on your own. I understand the sentiment, but the problem with that is typical Haitians will require way more sugar than the little packets allow and something about adding cold evaporated milk to a dessert goes against the grain. I hated having to recook my food. The taste was a little sour and off-putting likely because I am not used to the leafy spice. Friends, it could be a regional thing because different departments in Haiti cook a little differently, but I hated it. The lumps, the sour taste, the 15 to 20 leaves that I had to keep spitting out made for a complete disaster of a meal. I understand that it may be a regional seasoning, but use a bouquet garni in the future. No one wants to spend more time picking out what to spit out rather than focus on eating. Imagine having to pick out a clove on literally every spoonful!! A piece of star anise or cinnamon stick is a typical garnish, but over 15 small brown leaves is an overkill that destroys the dining experience. Don't expect that strong cinnamon, anisette, nutmeg and vanilla or almond extract flavor either. We were so disappointed! I believe the akasan was $7 each and they serve you a big bowl. Everywhere else, you get a big Styrofoam cup, so I loved their presentation. It was served in a takeaway bowl.
We ordered spaghetti. It took me by surprise because it's not the typical spicy spaghetti with sausage/or hotdog. It was the most delicious delicately balanced spaghetti with colorful bell peppers and onions, parmesan cheese and exquisite pieces of jambon (ham), served with a side of salad (iceberg lettuce & tomatoes) and one boiled egg cut in half. I wish I had ordered just spaghetti. It was yummy. With so much on the serving plate, you don't get a lot of spaghetti, but it was yummy for my tummy. The spaghetti might have been $10. I didn't really focus on the pricing because I was there to test it out. You should definitely try it!
We were offered samples of the passion fruit and lemonade to induce a sale. Both were fresh and yummy. We ordered the passion fruit and not the lemonade because the lemonade was a tad too sweet for me. Even though it was a tad sweet, it was not your typical overly sweet diabetes-induced drink most other Haitian establishments serve. I don't want to give the impression that it was bad. I liked both, but could only choose one.
I hear they make a good lalo and if the smell of preparation is any indication of the taste, I am sure it is divine. We were there for breakfast, but we got a whiff of the crab in the lalo. It smelled great.
Packaging was Uber/DoorDash approved. Very neat and professional. Would I go back? Sure, but I would Uber the lalo next time. I would like to get feedback on that leafy spice and if it is the cause for the sour taste, no bueno!!! read more
