    
AlleyGater
Citizen
Username: Alleygater
Post Number: 47
Registered: 10-2004
| | Posted on Thursday, February 3, 2005 - 11:30 pm: |     |
My wife and I decided to branch out and check out the food scene in Montclair. One place that we were unfamiliar with was Mango's Reggae Cafe on Bloomfield Ave. We both love Jamaican food so we were all over this place.
Everything we tried was delicious. I got the Ital wrap (a steal at $5) (callaloo, and veggies with spices in a wrap) and the Plantain and shrimp skewer appetizer ($7). Everything was perfectly cooked, especially the spicy skewered shrimp. Unbelievably tasty. The only complaint I have is that the wrap came with sweet potato fries or plantain. I should have ordered the plantain cause even though I asked for the fries to be "cooked really well done, dark" and the waitress asked if I wanted them crispy, and I answered "OH YEAHHHH!!!", the came to me cooked normal maybe even a little undercooked and oily. Definitely NOT crispy for sure. But the plantain on the skewers were AMAZINGLY tasty and the waitress said they are the same ones that come with the wrap.
My wife ordered a cup of Chicken Noodle soup ($2.50) which came with pumpkin, carrots and chayote. My wife said she didn't notice any pumpkin, but she didn't mind cause she said it was wonderfully flavorful. Also it didn't have noodles, more like a few plumpy dumplings. She said the soup was GREAT, which coming from my wife (who is IMO a phenomenal soup preparer in her own right) is saying something. For her main course she got the Jamaican Curry Chicken ($12). She really enjoyed that dish as well, nicely seasoned and not too spicy. It came with a side of rice and beans and a side of veggies. She loved my plantains so much that she said she would ask them to subsitute them for the nothing-special veggies.
The service was adequate and pleasant. The atmosphere was clean, nicely lit and festive in a respectable sort of way. Nice looking bar too, although sadly The music wasn't too loud and was also unobtrusive. They started to play a bit of dancehall towards the end, but my wife and I like that sort of thing, and as I already stated it wasn't too loud.
Overall, we thoroughly enjoyed every dish in our meal. We definitely will go back. I can't wait to try the Shrimp entree ($16) in a coconut curry sauce. I am pleased to find a proper sit-down Jamaican restaurant in the area, it fills a very needed hole in the restaurant ecology.
ALSO OF NOTE: two doors down was the sweetest OLD TIME Soda Shop. I can't wait to try that place out. |
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