Jardin Du Cari

4.5/5 for Jardin du Cari. Otherwise known as Caribbean Curry Garden in English, this little Mile End hole-in-the-wall (right around the corner from my house) is a big Caribbean favourite in Montreal. Voted #1 Best Caribbean 2013 and #1 Best Caribbean 2014 in Cult MTL's annual poll, as well as being named in Cult MTL's Student Survival Guide 2014-2015, calling it one of the best Caribbean spots in town, this place is known as a pretty solid go-to. It should also be noted that this restaurant actually specializes in Guyanese cuisine, to be more specific, which is a mainland country located on the Caribbean coast of South America.

We arrived on a sunny Saturday evening and the restaurant was pretty quiet, save for a few other occupied tables. We were able to sit wherever we wanted. The décor isn't anything much, but that's almost what I liked about it. There are photographs on the walls of Guyana and one of those velvet map wall hangings as well. I liked the vibe though, it felt like what these types of restaurants are supposed to feel like. I got the impression that the man seating us (the owner?) was the same person who was going to be cooking our food and also serving us.
I was immediately intrigued by the Peanut Punch to drink, and I wanted that! Unfortunately the server/chef/owner said that he only makes it in large batches and not just by the glass. It would be nice if the menu specified something to this effect. Instead I just stuck with water, which made me a little bit said, especially with something as epic-sounding as peanut punch being only slightly out of my reach!

There are only a few types of dishes that can be ordered with plenty of selection of meats for each one. We attempted to order one dish from each of the three main categories to have the most well-rounded experience. First to arrive was our Curried Goat (Served with rice, potatoes, salad and plantain - $9.25) from the Curried Dishes section. We were asked if we wanted our dish served with pumpkin, and of course said yes. Why say no? The choices available for the curries are; shrimp, goat, boneless chicken, or chickpeas and potatoes. We chose the goat because it sounded like most delicious (and also the most similar to lamb, which is a curry favourite of mine). I may LOVE goats... But I am not against eating them. The plate doesn't even look like much, but don't let that fool you because the flavours were incredible. The tender and juicy chunks of goat weren't fatty in any way and I loved the bold flavour which is similar to lamb but stronger. The bed of fluffy rice underneath accompanied the curry (which also contained potatoes) perfectly, as did the mashed up pumpkin and deliciously fried plantain. Even the fresh green salad was nice with a citrusy dressing on top. The goat was the highlight of the meal for me, expertly demonstrating how amazing a not-so-typical meat can be.

There is a section of the menu called Guyanese Style and in it you'll find chow mein and fried rice. This was fascinating to me because obviously there is an Asian influence at play here. How could this be? It turns out that Guyanese style chow mein is a dish that is cooked regularly in many homes there. We ordered the Vegetable Chow Mein ($7.75), which is also available with chicken, shrimp or goat should you prefer them. This dish was a bit funny to me because it tasted a bit like soup. But not in a bad way, more in the same way that one might fall in love with a pad thai that is made with hot sauce and ketchup... You don't love it because it's authentic, you love it because it's delicious crap. Or maybe that's just me. These noodles were oily and scrumptious, and yes, they tasted like soup, but they were yummy.

Lastly, we ordered from the Dahl Puri / Roti section and picked the Boneless Chicken Dahl Puri Roti (A pastry delight filled with yellow split peas - $7.75). Again, the roti was able to be filled with shrimp, goat, boneless chicken, or chickpeas and potatoes. We were also asked again if we wanted the pumpkin filling inside and again said yes. Roti is a flatbread that is similar to naan bread, but more flat like a tortilla. Stuffed inside is the dahl puri (you may have heard of dahl soup before, this is similar), which included the peas, pumpkin and chicken. This was very delicious. The warm and chewy roti enveloped the contents like a soft, warm blanket and the mash of stuff inside was flavourful and the chicken was juicy. I should also mention that we were given a bottle of spicy and delicious citrus hot sauce to use at will, and it worked especially well with this dish.

Going forward, knowing what I know, I think I might order the dahl puri roti with goat inside and combine the two best things. And get some plantains on the side. And someone please arrange for me to enjoy a peanut punch, for goodness sake!
The prices are super low, the portions are huge, the authentic quality is excellent, and the flavours are BIG. What more could you possibly want?

So's, I love me some goat, y'know? It's kinda like lamb but with more guts, heft, and twang (woo!). Annnnnd, it's not the sort of the thing you're going to find at the local sandwich shop or one of the myriad sushi express places that pepper most neighbourhoods. Thankfully, for the goat lovers there are options in the Mile End. Well, I know of one place now. Jardin du Cari. The air when you enter is thick with spices. The walls are deep brick red and even in the depths of winter it almost feels like a short whirring fan in the corner to combat the "heat" would make the atmosphere complete. Jardin does Caribbean food in a simple and straightforward way and if you were curious about the exotic details of the cuisine this might not be the place to learn much, but it's pretty tasty stuff for a fast lunch and it's real food. Cloudy got one of the famous rotis - curried chicken wrapped in a soft flatbread (7.30$), and I had to (obviously) get the goat curry (8.75$)