The Trini-Paki Boys cart (on the SE corner of 43rd and 6th) is well known to Midtown Lunch’ers.  It’s mostly famous for their Pakistani version of chicken over rice, topped with Trinidadian pepper sauce- but Zach was pretty excited to discover that they also served biriyani, dahi bala, polourie, samosas, and most importantly doubles.

I discovered doubles in my college days through a Trinidadian ex-girlfriend. It’s been years since we’ve been on speaking terms, but doubles are still a fond memory. So a week or so ago I finally got a chance to check out the Trini Paki Boys cart for myself- and for once skipped the street meat in favor of a double.

After the jump, some doubles porn and a little background on the whole “Trini-Paki” thing.

In previous posts there was a bit of confusion about how Trinis and Pakistanis converged. The short version of West Indian history is that the British brought many Indian workers and servants to the Caribbean, particularly to Trinidad and Guyana, where they are the majority of the population. And that is how you end up with food like doubles coming from Trinidad. It’s a scoop of curried chickpeas (also called channa) sandwiched between two small, thick roti shells with a spicy pepper sauce and a sweet tamarind sauce.

When ordering, you should know that the singular of doubles is still doubles, so it’s one doubles or two doubles. It’s weird, but true. The doubles I had before are small pouches that you could easily eat two or three of for a sweet, spicy and savory breakfast. The Trini Paki Boys versions are different, bigger and served flat. Also different is the roti bread, which isn’t as soft.

It’s a bit hard to eat with your hand hands (the fork is definitely necessary), but the filling- with the chickpeas and the sauces- is wonderful. The spice left my lips tingling all the way back to work, while the sweetness of the tamarind had me going back for more even as the heat built up.

My only issue is with the bread, which is mostly just different than what I’ve had before, but not bad in any way. Regardless, at $2 a piece, they’re remarkably filling and very good. I’ll be back for more (and you should too!), but next time, I might order one and have it accompany a taco from El Rey del Sabor across 43rd Street.

Related:
The Hidden Delicious Mysteries of the Trini-Paki Boys Cart

For years the chicken and rice cart on 43rd just East of 6th Avenue has towed the line of relative annoynymity and street meat fame. Often referred to as the “Trini Pak Boys” the cart has always served up a popular Indian/Pakistani tasting version of chicken over rice, but their sign has always been pretty crap-tastic. Hand scrawled, with no real indication of what they wanted to be called, the original sign has finally been replaced. The cart is now officially known as the Trini Paki Boys Halal Food, and the full menu is layed out in an easy to read format.

In our Street Meat Palooza post, the cart scored surprisingly low- but we were criticized for getting the yellow rice instead of the white basmati rice. I’ll make sure they get their fair shake in Street Meat Palooza 2!

There are many halal carts, serving many things in Midtown.  And if you are one of the adventurous lunch eaters willing to eat at the Midtown carts, you know that they are not all created equal.  Not only do they all serve their own “type” of halal food, the quality can vary immensely depending on what cart you decide to get your street meat from.  The undisputed “Chicken & Rice” king, seems to be the cart on 53rd and 6th (it was a Vendy Award runner up for best cart last year).  But unfortunately, that cart doesn’t open up until 7pm.  So for lunch, the cart that comes up the most is the Chicken & Rice cart on the SE corner of 43rd & 6th.

Pictures and the +/- after the jump…

The menu is hilariously long, but there’s only one thing you go to this cart for… the chicken over rice.  As tempting as the “Spaghetti & Meatballs” “Chicken Lo Mein” or “Chow Mein” sounds, my thinking is you always want to order what a place sells the most of.  And based on the gigantic mound of chicken that sits atop the griddle of this cart, I think you’ll probably want to stick with the Chx & Rice.

Lunch comes in three sizes at this cart… and no matter which one you choose- it’s gonna be cheap.  The small ($3), and medium ($4) come in plastic containers (the medium is pictured below on the right), the large ($5) comes in a larger styrofoam container.  You start with the rice (your choice of basmati, yellow or brown).  Then they offer you “vegetables” which consists of a little bit of sauteed something (maybe onions and peppers… I couldn’t be exactly sure) and a small scoop of cooked chick peas in a sauce.  Then comes the chicken… flavored with yellow curry and maybe five spice?  I couldn’t really pinpoint the flavor, but it’s got a sort of hint of a nutmeg or cinnamon thing going on.  Really, really delicious.  On top of that, they offer a “salad” of mostly lettuce and onions- and top the whole thing off with your choice of a spicy brown sauce or the white sauce (I got both!).

You end up with an amazing mess of deliciousness that blends together the flavor of curry with five spice, a dulled heat from the the brown sauce, the crispness of the lettuce and the cool white sauce to bring it all together.  If you are not into the street carts, this one will probably not change your mind (especially if your concern is not spending the afternoon in the bathroom… the food may taste good, but I make no claims as to the after-effects.)… but if you are looking for “the best” Chicken & Rice in Midtown, this cart will certainly make most people’s lists.

SIDE NOTE:  I’ve heard is cart referred to as the “Trini Pak Boys” (referring to a mix of Trinidad and Pakistani food), but I couldn’t confirm that the cart that is on 43rd & 6th now is the same Trini Pak cart that has been around for over 5 years… so I decided to refer to it as the “Chicken & Rice Cart” which is what most people who have recommended it to me have called it.

THE +

• Cheap (no matter what size you get).
• Quick
• The spices on the chicken are really delicious
• Choice of two sauces (white & brown)

THE -

• It’s street meat.  If you’re not into the street meat, this place isn’t going to change your mind.  It’s better then most… but it’s still a cart.
• Like most street meat, you need a strong stomach.  I thought mine was like steel- but this meal put me to the test (I’ll still go back though…)

Chicken & Rice Cart (SE Corner of 43 & 6th)