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Well, it has been almost exactly one month now that Pat & I have been back from our annual visit to St. Thomas and even though I keep sitting down to write my trip report, I haven’t been able to make much progress. So, I decided to detail one aspect of our trip to get things started……my search for the ultimate roti.
I don’t remember when I had my first roti in the islands, but it was quite a few years ago. No trip to the VI would be complete without having roti at least once. Right before we headed down this year, someone on one of the VI travel boards wrote me raving about her great experience with trying a roti at the Havensite Café. I had eaten there before but never had the roti. So I made up my mind then and there to try the roti at several different places and see how they measured up to my regular fix at Gladys’.
One of the first days we were on island, we found ourselves shopping at where else….Havensite. Since we were already there and in need of nourishment, we ate at Havensite Café. I have to admit, the roti was excellent. Spicy without being too hot, flavorful and full of chicken. The curry was great. I knew right then that the other places I would try would have a tough act to follow. Pat had a club sandwich that she said was also very, very good.
A few days later we decided to have lunch at Funghi’s at Point Pleasant. I thought, what better place to try another version of roti than a place that specializes in west Indian food. Funghi’s is a great place to kick back and enjoy a meal. You are right on the water with a great view of the now almost deserted Renaissance (Grand Beach) property right across the water.
Well, I was a bit disappointed. The roti was on the dry side and the curry was there but pretty nondescript. It would probably be a good place for someone to try roti who doesn’t really like curry. It had plenty of chicken, potatoes and chickpeas but not a lot of flavor. But the beer was good as well as the side dishes, so the meal was salvaged. Pat tried to get a Philly steak sandwich only to be told that all of the steak was frozen into one big slab and so she had to substitute chicken instead. You might be seeing a pattern here….I tend to try the spicier, west Indian dishes while Pat prefers the more “traditional” items on the menu.
Here is my first somewhat diversion from the roti search, but not really. We decided this year to take a day trip over to the BVI. We picked New Horizons II so we could hit the Baths, Marina Cay, Guana Island and Jost. It turned out to be a great choice. We showed up at 7:00 in the morning and met the boat’s captain. It turned out to be Big Dave who previously had bartended at Alexanders and who we knew from his bartending at Secret Harbour a couple of years earlier. Anyhow, we ate lunch at Pussers on Marina Cay. Lo and behold, what did they have on their menu, but roti! So I had to try the BVI version to see how it compared.
Not a good choice. The portion was small, dry and pretty tasteless. I was really disappointed. It looked OK, had all the right ingredients, but just didn’t make the cut. If you get over there to eat, skip the roti. Enough said. Pat had ordered a turkey club sandwich but was told that it wasn’t available when we got to the restaurant. She wound up with a grilled chicken sandwich.
Interesting also, it turned out that one of the other 12 people on the boat turned out to be Richard Kurpiers from the Vinow board. I had read his postings for some time on the board but never made his acquaintance. It was quite a coincidence that we wound up spending the day with he and his friend Nancy on our BVI jaunt.
So now, here’s my second diversion from my roti search. The next day, our multi-VI-board dinner was scheduled. We had planned to eat at the new Mims over at Bluebeards but [email protected] learned once she was on island that the restaurant was going to be closed while we were there. So [email protected] managed to talk to Mim and arrange for us to eat at the original Mims at the Watergate. Besides Pat and I others who were there from the AOL board were Gelopee (Gerie , John and John’s son & daughter), RonUSVI (Ronnie), WERLIMIN (Karin), DandT812 (Tammy & Duwayne), MSPohlman (Marie) and Pmckuen ( Pam & Arnie). We were also joined by Anthony from the USVI-on-line board. Joining us from the Vinow board were Anson, Jeff, Richard Kurpiers and his friend Nancy. I think this was the first time there were so many attendees from all the main VI boards. Needless to say we had a great time and as always, the time passed much too quickly. We also remembered the others from the AOL board who were unable to join us again this year…PANTUSCO (Terrie), Poohwear (Debbie), gamesetmatch503 (Karen), LadyJane8 (Jane), Bmorrone (Bob & Barb), PiccoloC (Pat & Chris) and Ruth from St. John Spice. Marty and IslandPaul from the Vinow board had also planned to be there, but were unable to make it. We are already looking forward to seeing everyone again next year.
A few days before we had to head home we spend a day downtown doing some shopping. It was a perfect reason to stop at Gladys’ for my annual roti … Antiguan style. I have to admit, for me Gladys makes the absolute best roti. The thing is huge, bursting with chicken that has been cooking in the curry sauce for a long time. It’s big enough for two people to share, but Pat opted for the club sandwich.
My vote for the best roti goes to Gladys’ with Havensite Café a close second. Guess I’ll have to try a few more places next year and see how they compare. It’s a tough job, but somebody has to do it!
Schultz
Glady's had my vote even before I started reading your post. I haven't had a bad meal at Glady's ever. We eat there at least once while on island sometimes many more times.
Schultz: When looking for the Ultimate Roti, you must ask if the chef is a Trini!! My favorite was at carnival one year...I bit into a chicken roti and found BONE. Discovered you must ask for boneless chicken!!
Schultz - Glad you got that out of your system and have, again, validated your choice in Gladys. Did you tell Gladys about your Roti adventures?
And, so sorry Pat seems to have struck out so often. Glad Gladys was finally able to serve her what she wanted! Sounds like Gladys was an all around hit.
Wow, those names form the AOL board bring back fond memories of my days on that board (no more AOL subscription here) years back. Glad everyone is still around and still chatting about the VI.
Thanks for the Roti report!
Hello Shultz,
Great report.
There is a Trini family that ran a booth in the Food Court at Tutu Park Mall called Mami's House of Roti. They don't have that location anymore but still have their original location downtown. Its a tiny shop, with the same name, located right across from the Catholic School's Courtyard/Basketball Court area. They make good Roti's, along with other great dishes like pelau chicken. Also good pates. The location is off the beaten path, but its up their with Glady's Rotis in my book.
Have you ever visited during Carnival and attended the Food Fair... if not you might consider it. Lots of good Caribbean foods, deserts and drinks to sample 😉
--Islander
I freakin LOVE Curry! What is Roti? What's in it and how is it prepared? Also what is Tostones? Ok so far I need to try Pates, Vie's Chicken and Tarts, Roti, Tostones and.......Thank you!
VI Roti looks like a big burrito - like a tortilla with a filling inside. Instead of it being filled with refried beans, it's filled with yellow split peas that form a paste with a curry flavor, potatos, onions, tumeric, garlic, and various meats such as chicken (most popular), beef, goat, etc. There are various ways of making roti and each style has it's own name.
Roti is a West Indian variation of East Indian cooking. In Trinidad (where Roti was born and where authentic Roti is found), you'll often find Roti made without the "tortilla" (known as "Skins" in West Indian cooking). The skins are on the side and are torn and used to scoop up the curry mixture because untensils are not supposed to be used for Roti. The mixture is often resting on banana leaves. But, that's Trinidad version. The VI version usually calls for the mixture to be wrapped in the skins and served with utensils to eat it - much easier and still tastes YUMMY!
Many people, including me, put hot sauce on it. When I make it at home I just use a hot curry powder. It's REALLY easy to make, so if you love it just try it at home and you can have Roti all year long.
