It was just a few days ago that Brownie noticed the bottled mango lassi at the Famous Halal Guys cart. And now, yesterday, I was getting lunch at the Trini Paki Boys cart and as I was reaching into the cooler to grab my bottle of water, I discovered some strange bottles among the Coke and Sprite cans. In addition to Mango Lassi (which Zach tried here a few years ago and lunch’er Formz recently mentioned), they also offer Sorrel juice and something called Mauby Bark – all for $3. I was most intrigued by the latter since I had never seen it before and the photo on the bottle looked like a bunch of sticks.

I did a little research on Wikipedia and it turns out that mauby is a very popular drink in the Caribbean made from a specific tree bark and the flavor is compared to root beer. Upon tasting it, I think that was a little misleading  - who can trust Wikipedia anymore? While it has a slight sweetness, it’s quite bitter. It took a while, but after the first few intense sips, the drink  began to grow on me. It has an anise flavor that I’m sure would turn many licorice haters off. But ultimately, it reminded me of very aromatic, watered down bitters. It was sweet and bitter practically simultaneously. I don’t think this will be a daily (or weekly) refreshment. But it’s nice to know I can get some authentic and unusual drinks to pair with my doubles.

About a year ago, the Trini Paki Boys cart were forced to move from the south side of 43rd Street to the north side due to construction in the courtyard of the Grace Plaza. They were stuck in between a parade of other carts, including some other halal and hot dog vendors and their lines often got confused with the lines for El Rey del Sabor. Ironically, this was Trini Paki’s original corner when they started 23 years ago, but the food cart scene was a lot less competitive then.

This past Monday, the blue construction plywoods came down and Trini Paki Boys have returned to their previous spot. And when I walked by yesterday, it seems all their regulars have already noticed the switch because the line stretched down the block.  Along with the recent addition of shark and bake, Fatima (the owner) tells me they may soon be offering desserts. I can’t think of another halal cart that does Middle Eastern desserts. That would be truly awesome – regardless of which side of the street they’re on.

You won’t see many carts or trucks in this city selling a bake. Sure, the Sweetery and Treats Truck make tons of baked goods. But a real “bake” is a Trinidadian street dish that is eaten at breakfast or after a late night of drinking, which might actually be one in the same for some. The most popular way of serving it is with a piece of breaded and fried shark – known as a Shark and Bake, which sounds like it could be a national fast food chain.

The bake itself refers to the bread pocket that holds the fish together. It can be fried, roasted, or um, baked! I’ve only had it once before at A & A Doubles in Bed Stuy and have never seen it in Midtown. So I’m certainly no expert, but I was beyond ecstatic when I learned that the Trini Paki Boys (on 43rd and 6th) have been running it as a special and will be adding it to the regular menu.

Last week, they offered the homemade fried bread with a dried and salted cod known simply as saltfish. But this week I discovered they finally have shark. The sandwich costs a mere $5 and is overstuffed with chunks of flaky fried fish, crisp lettuce, and fresh tomatoes. And then it’s doused with some Trini hot sauce, deeply flavored tamarind sauce, and a creamy yogurt based white sauce to cool the whole thing down.

This was like the best Filet-O-Fish in existence – only with fresh ingredients and complex Caribbean flavors. The rich bread was almost reminiscent of a flat, savory donut, but with less heartburn possibilities. There was a subtle sweetness to it that I related to cornbread and I loved the dark, crisp exterior and the soft buttery middle. I’d be happy eating anything inside the bake. Seriously. Give me a dirty old shoe, I’d be fine.

But the shark worked beautifully. It was chewy and salty with a strong (but not unpleasant) fish flavor. And aside from some surprising cartilage, it made for an easy to eat sandwich. This gives both Schintzel & Things and the fried fish sandwiches at Kim’s Aunt Kitchen a run for their menu. Neither of them are using bread this awesome. And fortunately, nobody is serving a dirty old shoe.

Trini Paki Boys also offers the shark as a spicy curry, if you’re cutting back on the carbs.

Trini Paki Boys Cart, 43rd St and 6th Ave.

Post by Brian Hoffman

When Lunch’er Steve informed us that the Trini Paki Boys Cart (43rd btw. 5+6th) was now serving jerk chicken, I quickly headed over to try it out. I was treated to a delicious mess of a plate, a huge piece of bone-in chicken, covered in gravy served on a bed of rice with a healthy serving of chickpeas and vegetables next to it. When I went back for more jerk chicken, they practically forced me to try some of their new chicken tikka as well (they didn’t have to force hard). Check out the ridiculous plate of food I got for $7 after the jump.

That is a thing of beauty. Admittedly, I’m the kind of person who really enjoys a bunch of food slopped on a plate together (I’m from the birthplace of the Garbage Plate after all), but it’s hard to imagine anyone finding fault with this heaping plate of awesome. The styrofoam could barely close around it all. It’s a little hard to describe what is going on flavor wise because everything is mixed together (and covered in sauce), but here’s a closer look at the two kinds of chicken.

The jerk chicken itself was drier on the outside this time than my first, but the flesh inside was moist both times. I kind of like it with this dry skin more, especially since the whole plate of food is covered in copious amounts of sauce by the time they’re done. The flavor will be familiar to anyone who has had jerk anything before, and their preparation provided plenty of heat. Their sign claims they have boneless jerk chicken as well. I’m someone who places a great value on convenience, but there was only a small thighbone to contend with in this large chunk of meat, so I see no reason to stray from the real deal.

The chicken tikka was small chunks of boneless chicken stewing in a dark sauce. It’s basically the Trini Paki Boys version of tikka masala, though it doesn’t taste like what you will get in Indian restaurants. It’s not creamy and there’s no tomato flavor. It’s less spicy than the jerk chicken although everything had some spice due to the hot sauce that got heaped on everything.

Tucked under the jerk chicken were some potatoes and there was a healthy serving of vegetables and salad included. It was a formidable amount of food and there’s really no reason to eat the entire thing in one sitting except that it’s extremely hard to stop. The food was piping hot even after I lugged it back to my office and the temperature and spice make it a great cold weather dish.

The Trini Paki Boys can be a bit erratic with their specials, but the jerk chicken has been written up on their chalkboard menu all of the times I’ve been recently on various days of the week. I imagine the chicken tikka is there most days as well. Separate, they are certainly worth giving a try. Together they make a unique lunch totally worth going out of your way (and braving the cold) for. For $7 you really can’t go wrong.

Trini Paki Boys Cart, 43rd btw. 5+6th

Perhaps to some purists this jerk might suffer slightly in comparison to the Duchy and Jerk Pan versions. This one is slightly less crispy because it has been luxuriating in sweet spicy sauce since coming off the grill. As with all Trini Paki productions, the spice is right up front, but the smoke and allspice come through too. I asked for extra hot sauce and the dish really clobbered me, making my head swim for the first couple bites. The complexity and brutality of the dish makes this a holistic gustatory treat.

They’ll offer salad, but it’s always best here to ask for extra veggies instead – these include nicely spiced chick peas and cabbage. The $4 small size I got (because they were running out) was too small. I would suggest the $5 size instead of the coma-inducing $6 plate. This goes directly into my rotation.

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

So what if you’re walking by the Trini Paki Cart one day (on 43rd and 6th), not knowing what to do for lunch… and you pick up a small chicken biryani. Then you happen to walk by Cafe Zaiya (on 41st btw. 5+Mad) and see some pastries… and then what if you decided, “Hey, let me put it together.” I know soba sandwiches exist in some Japanese bakeries, but what about Biryani sandwiches? After that thought popped up in my head, it was impossible to keep the beast in the cage. I had to find out if the marriage of Japanese bread + Street food with Trinidadian and Pakistani influence would be delicious.

I settled on a Cod roe roll for two bucks and change. I picked this one because bread smeared with fish eggs is something you probably wouldn’t find in a western-style bakery. That’s just something that would probably scare off decent folks in a red state. The point is, I wanted something very Japanese or at least very special to Japanese bakeries.

As you can see, the inside of the bread is kind of colored like a pale tomato. I got a small chicken biryani from the Trini Paki Cart, and it was $4, so this entire meal was less than $7. Since it’s full of carbs, it’s kind of a great deal. To construct the sandwich, simply pry open the cod roe roll, scoop in some rice, maybe a chunk of potato or chickpeas, and just fill it up until it’s packed like a bastardized Chicago style hot dog.

Once finished with the construction, you take a bite. Mmmm… a little bit fishy from the roe and a little bit spicy from the biryani. After the third bite I thought it would be appropriate to get my head checked. When that ML medical plan ever comes through in 2035, I’ll be sure to do that. Actually I think the flavors play off of each other in a very pleasant way. It was more than satisfactory, and the bites with the potato were downright delicious. This meal is not for the faint of heart, or for anyone sane. But should you decide to give it a try, you’ll either love it or hate me for giving you the idea.

Trini Paki Cart, NW Corner of 43rd and 6th

Cafe Zaiya, 18 E. 41st St. (btw. Mad+5th), 212-779-0600

Just an FYI… the new Friday fish and dumplings special that we loved so much from the Trini Paki Boys Cart (on 43rd and 6th Ave) is now a Thursday special instead of Friday.  And they’ve decided to add coo coo to the mix, a Trinidadian dish involving okra and cornmeal.  For $7 you get it all… the coo coo, the fish and the dumplings.  Do it.  Do it.

Related:
Trini Paki Boys’ Friday Fish & Dumplings is Great