When deciding on restaurants to visit for “Global Gastronomy,” my main criteria is trying restaurants that I’ve never been to before, preferably from cuisines that are entirely new to me. That’s why when Editor-in-Chief David Rendon suggested Bridgetown Roti, I was willing to play ball.
Bridgetown Roti is a Caribbean American restaurant that found a home in East Hollywood. I’d had Caribbean food once years ago, and I was interested in reacquainting myself. The restaurant boasts flavors from the Caribbean, including the two island nations of Trinidad and Tobago as well as Barbados.
When arriving at the restaurant, you are greeted by a blast of color: Pink, blue, yellow, green and white are used extensively to create a unique and inviting atmosphere. When our food arrived, I noticed the plates and bowls followed the same color scheme, making your meal feel like an extension of the establishment.
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To start our meal, we ate some patties. The dish, popular throughout the Caribbean, is similar to the Latin American empanada, with both featuring similar dough shapes that are stuffed and fried. I ordered the jerk chicken patty, while David and a friend of the column, Camila Guzman, shared an oxtail and peppers patty.
Not only were the patties labelled on their paper bags, but the dough itself was embossed with the patty type. Each bite had a wonderful texture, as the golden yellow casings were crunchy yet soft. The jerk chicken oozed into my mouth with every bite; it was delicious, well-seasoned and a little spicy.
Like the jerk chicken, the oxtail and peppers patty was also well seasoned and carried a little spice. The shredded fatty pieces of oxtail reminded me of barbacoa, a Mexican childhood favorite of mine. Bridgetown Roti also has four housemade sauces, out of which we ordered the mango masala. The sweetness of the mango and the masala heat made for fantastic additions to the patties.
Although pie is usually meant for dessert, it felt wrong eating the savory macaroni and cheese pie at the very end of the meal. It did, however, make a wonderful side dish alongside the patties. The slice was an intricate glob of macaroni and cheese, with the mixture crisping up at the top to create a nice crust. The ingredients listed the pie as having been made with the house curry, which brought in a subtle and warm flavor, reminiscent of cumin.
For our main course, we all ordered “Mom’s Curry Chicken” roti. Being mentioned on the website as part of founder Rashida Holmes’ “culinary vision,” we couldn’t miss out. Roti, originally a flatbread from India, was brought to the Caribbean by Indian laborers who migrated to the region during the British colonial period. Rotis with fillings, like those sold at Bridgetown Roti, are popular throughout the Caribbean and act as a symbol of the region’s history.
The dish was literally dripping in flavor, with the juices from the curry chicken seeping into the roti. After a few bites using my hands, I eventually switched to a fork and knife out of fear that I’d eat my own hand trying to lick the juices off. The tantalizing curry chicken was joined by crispy potatoes, cabbage, cilantro and scallions, which all added small bursts of flavor.
The roti itself was warm and flaky, but strong enough to hold all the ingredients together. Bites of the roti by itself were addictive and only served to strengthen the treasure it stored inside. The combination of ingredients was simultaneously comforting and daring, like a hug from that one relative who always tickles you in a different spot.
To drink, I ordered the soursop punch, one of the house beverages. The punch was sweet with a soft, tart flavor, which helped me appreciate the boldness of the dishes. Both the soursop punch and the other house drink, the coco limeade, were also available spiked if you wanted to add an extra kick to the punch.
To finish off the meal, we all shared a slice of the key lime passionfruit pie, made by Chainsaw LA, which I eagerly awaited as a big fan of key lime pie. The flavor in the custard was perfectly tart, making it a top-tier key lime filling. However, the added passionfruit took it to a whole new level. Tangy and sweet, the passionfruit complemented the key lime perfectly, making for a custard I never knew I needed. The passionfruit seeds added a fun textural component.
On the whipped cream, the pie was topped with either turbinado sugar or light brown sugar. And with most of the pie being quite tart, there was more than enough room for some extra sweetness. The slight caramel notes and crunch of the sugar complemented the graham cracker crust in both flavor and texture.
Unfortunately for me, the pie was an icebox pie, meaning it came frozen. The custard was solid instead of gelatinous, and the whipped cream had a texture closer to ice cream. While others may find this consistency appealing, part of what makes key lime pie my favorite dessert is its soft, custardy texture. Despite the texture not being for me, the flavor combination more than made up for it.
Bridgetown Roti made for a great lunch. All the dishes were filling, flavorful and unique. While building off of Caribbean cuisine, there was a clear and delicious culinary vision at work. I cannot wait to eat my way through the rest of the menu, and I hope to eat another patty very soon.
Pablo Rodriguez is a senior writing about international cuisine in Los Angeles in his column, “Global Gastronomy,” which runs every other Wednesday.
Dining and Cooking