Island Soul - A Caribbean Jem in Ajax

I have been to the Island Soul restaurant/take-out joint a couple of times. And today the sight of a coal-fired traditional barbecue outside the entrance enticed me, once again.

They had had barbecue chicken and the jerk chicken, so ordered both.

Island Soul restaurant in Ajax. Note the barbeque on the right.

The barbecue chicken was succulent, with a sauce more on the sweet-sour range.

The best, though, was the jerk chicken. Almost crispy skin but not too blackened, and the meat was appropriately dry.



The rice-with-peas was also excellent as always.

In short, this is one place in Ajax that delivers consistency.

Debbie's Cafe in Ajax

Recently visited Debbie’s Café in Ajax.


I had a cappuccino and a chocolate cheese cake to go with. I am not a big fan of desserts, but the cake was marvellous.

Innis And Gunn Oak Aged Beer

It was a special beer, packed in a cute box, almost like a whiskey box.

The box said it was auburn, but I felt it was more a burgundy coloured beer.

Ethiopiques -- A Hidden Ethiopian Gem

One could almost miss the Ethiopiques Restaurant. It is on Church Street, behind the famous Ali Baba’s on Church and Dundas Streets. I found it accidentally one day, about three months ago, but the owner says this has been existing for more than eight months. It shows the point that it is so easy to miss the place.

Okra (Yellow) Curry

Okra is a vegetable with the scientific name of abelmoschus esculentus, and it belongs to the mallow family.
It is also called, for some strange reason, lady’s fingers or gumbo, and is grown in tropical, sub-tropical and warm regions of the world.

okra

The ideal okras for cooking are the prime ones, which are not too mature. You can find out by testing the bottom edge of the okra: if it breaks, it is good.

Okra is unique for its mucilaginous qualities. Inside, it is slimy and not to everyone’s taste. But it can be used in a number of dishes, either with other vegetables or meats, or just on its own.