I would have liked to title this post "So I found the best Roti in Barbados......." but that would be an impossible task to accomplish during a 7 day stay on the Island. So many restaurants offer this Caribbean delicacy in Barbados, you would almost need to live there for a year and eat Roti daily to really be able to make such a statement.
If you are wondering what Roti is well here goes. Roti actually refers to a type of flat bread originating from India. This bread is unleavened meaning gas is not added to the dough to make it lighter which results in the Roti bread's dense consistency similar to pita bread. Traditionally Roti is torn apart and dipped into a curry to sop up the juices and scoop up the meat. In Trinidad during the 1940's the Roti wrap was born (which I will be talking about). The curry that the Roti bread would be dipped in was used as a filling inside a Roti wrap which transformed the Roti into a hand held street food which popularity soon spread throughout the Caribbean. The Roti wrap is simply called Roti. I will give you my opinion on three different establishments where I got to experience the Bajan take on Roti.
If you are wondering what Roti is well here goes. Roti actually refers to a type of flat bread originating from India. This bread is unleavened meaning gas is not added to the dough to make it lighter which results in the Roti bread's dense consistency similar to pita bread. Traditionally Roti is torn apart and dipped into a curry to sop up the juices and scoop up the meat. In Trinidad during the 1940's the Roti wrap was born (which I will be talking about). The curry that the Roti bread would be dipped in was used as a filling inside a Roti wrap which transformed the Roti into a hand held street food which popularity soon spread throughout the Caribbean. The Roti wrap is simply called Roti. I will give you my opinion on three different establishments where I got to experience the Bajan take on Roti.
The award for the fastest Roti goes to Chefette Restaurants. Chefette is to Barbados as McDonalds is to America. Chefette has 15 locations across Barbados and is the one chain in that gives KFC a run for the money. They sell pizza, chicken, burgers and ice cream but they were founded on Roti.
I decided to go with the chicken and potato Roti, it cost $8.70 BBD or $4.35 USD. I placed my order and paid and bang, Roti done. I don't think the whole process took more than 1 minute.
The Chefette Roti was decent and of good value for the price. I will say you can taste some of the efficiencies in the final product but if you are looking for Roti in a hurry they win hands down and you can enjoy Chefette Island wide.
My second round of Roti hunting lead me to Chutney's Roti & Curry Cuisine. Chutney's is like an upscale version of Chefette. They have 4 locations in Barbados. You place your order and they hand you a buzzer (pictured at the beginning of this post) and when its ready the device lets you know to pick it up. I went with the goat and potato Roti with a side of coleslaw.
The Roti cost $16.45 BBD or $8.22 USD and came to around $11 USD with the coleslaw. You could taste the difference between Chefette's take on the Roti and Chutney's versions. The Roti bread had a different texture (I think the Chefette Roti spends some time in a warmer or microwave), the curry was more pronounced and the potatoes were a little less starchy. The goat was very tender and was boneless which made devouring this Roti a simple task. I am a fan of creamy coleslaw over the vinegar type, Chutney's coleslaw was very creamy and fresh. All and all a good meal for a very reasonable price.
I was super lucky to stumble upon Kumarie's Roti Shop. We took the bus into Bridgetown and were walking from the bus terminal towards downtown and happened to stop into the Bridge Street Mall (on the corner of St Michael Row & Marhill St.) to take a look around. A yummy smell filled the corridors of the mall and our noses lead us to the small food court. Kamarie's shared a small store with a Chinese restaurant. The young lady working the front counter was very friendly and polite, by far the best staff member we encountered during our Roti hunt. The place was busy with locals which is always a promising sign that you are about to be in for a treat.
I decided to go with the goat Roti for $13 BBD or $6.50 USD. I watched them make the Roti in front of me. This was by far the best Roti I had in Barbados. The meat was so tender and flavourful. The only thing you had to be careful of was the bones mixed in with the Roti filling. I didn't mind as they were probably the contributing factor to all the flavour.
Have you ever been to Barbados and had a great Roti? Please let everyone know where in the comments below. Happy Roti hunting.
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