Located unassumingly on Belfast’s University Road, Windrush is a little bit of authentic Caribbean goodness that you could very easily miss. From the outside, you barely notice the small orange sign inviting you inside, but once you enter, there’s no doubt that this is an authentic (I’m going to be using this word a lot) Caribbean experience.
The decor is simple, the tables are massive wooden spools, the walls are painted a light yellow, with pictures of chef Wendy herself (who also runs cooking classes if you’d like to try your hand) and other Caribbean inspired art adorning the walls. Aside from this, that’s it, the vibe is very relaxed, very easy going and very much like an island cafe.
The menu is simple too, with three starters and five mains to choose from, all served with traditional rice and peas. Oh, and it’s bring your own, or you can choose from a series of soft drinks like pineapple, orange, mango, ginger beer and grape juice, which is a nice little touch.
To start, we tried the chicharon de pollo a classic Dominican dish of perfectly tender and succulent chicken in a ginger soy and smoked paprika marinade and the corn fritters which are superb – sweetcorn, pepper and herb battered and deep fried, served with hot sauce. The batter was crispy and flavourful, and the filling was delicious, I could have just eaten two portions of these and gone away completely satisfied!
For the main course, which took a very very very long time to arrive I tried the slow roast Port Royal jerk pork. The pork was tasty and well cooked, and served with rice and peas. The meat was nice, but a little plain, there was no sauce or seasoning on the rice a peas which was a little disappointing. I tried the jerk chicken too which was chicken on the bone with jerk seasoning – the chicken was cooked to perfection with some hot sauce on top. I love hot sauce, but not everyone may be as keen and would probably prefer this on the side.
Overall, my impression of Windrush was a little rough and ready, this is not fine dining by any stretch of the imagination, but it is simple, delicious Caribbean food served with an authentic and passionate flair. The overwhelming charm of this shack-like atmosphere is one that will see people coming back time and time again to eat some great food in an unpretentious atmosphere.
Nowhere else in Belfast or even Northern Ireland can you get this type of cuisine, and for this reason I’ll look past the fact that it took almost two hours to get two courses. With a little experience and a little time, this could easily be a gem in Northern Ireland’s restaurant scene.
You must be logged in to post a comment.