For years, I would complain about the lack of diversity in restaurants around Oshawa and throughout the Durham Region. When it comes to the best Caribbean restaurants, you would assume that a trip to Toronto would be required to find places that served Doubles, Pepper Shrimp, Pholourie and Jerk Chicken - but lucky for us - there are some great spots right here in Oshawa.
One of my personal favourites, Palm Court, is located in North Oshawa by Durham College and Ontario Tech University. I've had the pleasure of eating there a few times since they opened, and I am always pleasantly surprised by their flavours!
It's great to see so much variety and different restaurants opening up in the community. Over the past few years, North Oshawa has become a Durham Region hub that showcases a mosaic of diverse culinary options. There's nothing better than going into a restaurant that feels like you are getting a home-cooked meal at a family member's home. Great music is playing, the smell of amazing food is in the air, and great conversations are being had with staff and customers.
Looking at their incredible menu, there are so many options and flavours from the Caribbean! As a Jamaican Canadian, nothing is better than tasting the flavours of the Islands - especially during the Winter months.
To start, I ordered the Pholourie, which was served with tamarind sauce. They were large and cooked perfectly - tasted like heaven! Pholourie is a snack food of countries like Trinidad and consists of fried, spiced split peas and flour dough balls served with a sauce.
Next, I ordered the Pepper Shrimp Fried Rice! The portion was enormous, with just the right amount of spice, and the Shrimp was large and full of flavour! The rice was seasoned well, and the vegetables took on the flavour of the Pepper Shrimp. The spice level was perfect, and every bite was delicious. They were cooked perfectly!
Palm Court's Chilli Chicken was phenomenal! The plate of chicken that came out was spicy, and it was probably one of the best chilli chickens I've had in a while at a restaurant. Again, it was seasoned perfectly! It was so good!
I was full but had to try their Hot & Honey Wings. This was the first time I had ever ordered Hot & Honey wings at a restaurant. I am a dry rub wing man, but sometimes you have to try something new! The wings came out smelling so good. They were big and smothered in amazing Hot & Honey sauce! You know, I always get flack for eating wings with a knife and fork - That's a story for another time, but eating wings this way allows me to enjoy the fullness of flavour. I took a bite of a wing, and my goodness - they were delicious! The wings were nicely sauced, meaty, and had so much flavour!
If you have not been to Palm Court in Oshawa, you don't know what you're missing! The menu gives you so many different Caribbean-inspired options and flavours! It put a big smile on my face.
And I can attest that this place is great for dining in or taking out!