Caribbean Feast Restaurant, A Temple Hospital Oasis

Caribbean Feast Restaurant is up by the Temple Hospital area, mostly a culinary dead zone. It was the wafting smell of jerk meat from the outdoor BBQ that drew us in. We found out they specialize in Jamaican food and do not use any pork products. Inside, take out and sit down are available in an odd triangle shaped space that they dressed up with fish tanks, random sideways palm trees, and banquet hall-esque tablescapes. Those jerk smells and  island tunes pumping through the speakers set the mood for some Caribbean feasting.

First, cinnamon corn bread was brought out to the table. I suppose I am less accustomed to a sweet bread plate to start the meal, but it was so buttery and comforting that I couldn’t complain even a little.

Hearty jerk BBQ wings  gave us a lot to bite in to, with, as promised, equal parts BBQ and jerk flavors.

In the soup part of the menu, there is a mission statement of sorts, “the rich complexity of slowly cooked ingredients in Jamaican soups is intensely delicious.”  We had to test the veracity of this claim. As it turns out, the chicken soup we tried was, in fact, intensely delicious. I truly did taste the complexity of a variety of slow cooked vegetables and chicken.

For the sampling of sides we tried, I didn’t love the collard greens or okra, the rice was fine.

A curry goat roti was messy and fragrant; they really know how to extract flavor out of vegetables here. I was pleased that the goat did not taste very gamey.

Caribbean Feast Restaurant has a lot going on; entertainment for the ears, eyes, and mouth. Though its out of the way for me, I would love to be here in the summer, taking advantage of the outdoor seating next to those enticing grills.

THE + (What somebody who likes this place would say)

  • Interesting Caribbean menu
  • Intensely delicious soup

THE – (What somebody who doesn’t like this place would say)

  • Most plates are over $10
  • Service was patchy, friendly and attentive but slow when we wanted the bill

Caribbean Feast Restaurant, 1388 Rising Sun Ave, 215 223-2665

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