L Corridor

As the name should have strongly suggested to me, I recently discovered that L Corridor really is just a corridor. I was expecting, upon getting to the end of it, that there was a restaurant of some sort. Instead, it is a window, with merely three tables along the corridor should you wish to sit and enjoy your meal. The place is rather curious and easily passed over, as a simple menu by the door and a small sandwich board stood on the ground is the only indication that food is even present down that hall, but it’s worth making the trek to discover it.

The food served is very Caribbean and nothing but, featuring homemade patties, fried plantains, curries and jerk. I had desired the oxtail, which they were out of. My next option was jerk chicken, which was also absent. A small scratch kitchen with a single visible refrigerator does not maintain a heavy surplus of menu items, I suppose. My third choice was jerk pork, which came with rice and peas (red beans), fried plantains and a creamy carrot slaw. I ordered a mango milkshake to accompany it, expecting enough heat to easily scorch my tongue.

We sipped water from colorful plastic cups, the kind you might find given to kids at a barbecue, while waiting for our food. The hall was silent, with the exception of footsteps on occasion from people that mysteriously appeared from a bit further down the hall and exited through our entrance. We discussed the mural on the wall (colorful butterflies and flowers) and how awkward our parents might feel waiting alone for food in a hallway with our cook nowhere in sight.

We received our milkshakes before our food, but took few sips in order to save them to save us later. To be perfectly honest, it was the worst four dollar milkshake I’ve ever had. Shannon had ordered a pineapple version, which lacked pineapple flavor but packed big pineapple pulp. My mango one, though flavored with mango, was disappointingly liquidy, akin to melted ice cream and milk. Both were served in an identical plastic cup to our water glasses, which was definitely no larger than 12 ounces.

Our dishes arrived, heaped plentifully with an incredibly generous portion of braised pork and aforementioned side dishes. I had been previously warned about the heat level of L Corridor and was expecting to be blasted, but it modestly tingled my taste buds. Shannon’s mouth was on fire, however, after several bites, so I can see how the reputation for heat might be achieved. The flavor of the pork itself was nice, though a little heavy on the thyme, especially in woody textured bites, and a tad dry in parts.

The carrot slaw included raisins and something resembling sweet vanilla yogurt. As a way of cooling your mouth, it was sufficient, but as something to eat, I did not find it particularly palatable, even though I am a fan of carrot slaw with yogurt. The fried plantains were actually quite sweet, instead of starchy. The rice and beans was dry and relatively flavorless, but were great in combination with the pork and was uplifted instantly when I asked for hot sauce. I received a strange, hesitant look when I asked for this - the kind of look one might give a child if they ask for matches - and the sauce certainty packed enough heat to scare off some people.

I inquired as to whether the sauce was made on the premises (it was) and to what its contents were. Apparently a closely guarded secret, the only ingredient she revealed was that it contained scotch bonnet peppers - among the hottest peppers in the world. My guess, judging from its flavor and color, is that it also contains vinegar, mango and sugar, but I suppose I’ll never know for sure. At any rate, for a heat lover like myself, the sauce definitely turned the meal for me quite favorably.

The jerk pork plates were a respectable $10.95 each, and were very filling. At that price, I’m sure I’ll see myself heading back to try the curry and oxtail some time in the future, as long as the house hot sauce is available. L Corridor is a suitable place to grab a bite in the afternoon, but it is definitely more suited for grab and go patties than to sit down and eat a plate.