Harry Singh’s Caribbean Restaurant – Minneapolis, MN

A few months back, D.Rough and I had lunch at Marla’s Caribbean Cuisine. We found it to be quite good. After doing some research, we found out that Marla was related to another Caribbean restaurant owner, Harry Singh – brother and sister, in fact (has not been verified, but is completely plausible). We were in the mood for something crazy spicy due to the frigid temperatures, so we thought we’d check out Harry Singh’s.

The inside of the place is nice and colorful and there are photos and awards all over the walls claiming Harry Singh’s as the best Caribbean in the Twin Cities. There’s also photos and autographs from The Mighty Sparrow – a HUGE name in Calypso music – whom I’ve seen Marla hugging on in a photo. It wasn’t very busy when we got there, but it picked up after a short while. Harry came out to greet us and see what we needed to drink. His wait person wasn’t there yet, so he pretty much does everything. He’s super friendly and made us feel welcome.

The menu is pretty significant and it also includes a lot of descriptions of thing so you kind of know what to expect. There’s a LOT of writing on signage around the restaurant and also all kinds of warning about the spice level of Caribbean food. They have mild, regular/average, hot, extra hot, and hot hot (also known as Oh God, It’s Hot)(I’m not joking in the slightest – it is written on things like that).
Having had Caribbean food before, I know it’s extremely hot, and that was average, so we thought we’d stick with that. Remember, I LOVE spicy food. However, as odd and misshapen as it is, I like my face even more and don’t want it to melt off.

We started with an order of Doubles – we still don’t know if it’s “a doubles” or doubles is actually two. And it didn’t help when Harry asked “For Each?” We said yes, hoping he’d expound and say something like you will both have a double then. It didn’t happen. We’ll have to do more research.

We also ordered Pelau – a very traditional Caribbean dish of rice and pigeon peas cooked down with coconut milk and spices, sort of like a rice stew. We had gotten Jerk Chicken at Marla’s and loved it there – that was kind of what we were in the mood for – so we got an order of Jerk Chicken with Roti. And of course, we got Soursap drinks – I LOVE me some soursap.

The doubles arrived and were a little bit larger than Marla’s (sorry to keep comparing to Marla’s, but it’s an easy point of reference – you should try both restaurants and make your own decisions). These were delicious. The spice in then grows quickly, so we were about 4 or 5 bites into them before we realized they were spicy. But in a good way. The doubles are basically chickpeas and curry spices between two fried pieces of bread/dough. They are quite delicious. We aren’t sure if you’re supposed to use your hands and eat them like a sandwich, but we ended up using forks. Really good!

The Pelau came out next and looked really dark and ominous. It’s kind of like red beans and rice, but with less moisture. There were some onions and cabbage (I think) mixed in to give it some texture, which made the whole thing really good. This was my favorite part of the meal, actually. Spicy, but bearable.

The Jerk Chicken was another matter. This dish actually wasn’t as hot as Marla’s – I repeat, Marla’s Jerk Chicken will peel the skin off your face – but it also has a different appearance. It came wrapped in the Roti we ordered, so it looked like a beautiful sleeping bag filled with meat. You almost have to eat the roti to keep your taste buds in your face and give you something more plain to eat from time to time. The roti is kind of a wrap, but lighter and flakier than a tortilla (but very similar uses).

The jerk chicken had all kinds of spices and seasonings and I personally felt there was a bit more cardamom than what I remember at Marla’s – just a bit less would have been perfect for me. It only takes about 2 bites of this dish to realize your world just burst into flame.

Here's a closeup:

I developed a system of eating that involved eating one scoop of the jerk chicken and then shoveling two bites of Pelau into my mouth to give my taste buds some rescuing. It worked out really well for me and I didn’t overheat or anything. That’s how I’d recommend it. Although, D.Rough liked the Jerk Chicken more than the Pelau, so keep that in mind if you're not a serious rice lover like I am. I seriously can’t see myself ordering anything “Hot” or “Extra Hot” in this place. Ever. The homemade hot sauce that Harry sells sounded appealing, but I don’t think I can do it. I think too much heat would ruin this super delicious food.

Harry came out and made sure our food was alright. The guy is quiet, but he makes sure his customers are well taken care of – especially if you like his food.

Top 5 things about Harry Sing’s Caribbean Restaurant
1. Pelau
2. Saursap
3. Jerk Chicken
4. Harry is good at what he does AND is a people person
5. Great descriptions on the menu

Bottom 5 things
1. When super white people come in and order everything mild and without spices of any sort
2. It’s a little busy (visually) inside the place – a LOT of words to read
3. IF you don’t like spicy food, you probably shouldn’t go here. See Bottom thing #1
4. Seemed heavy on Cardamom, but what do I know? I’ve never been to the West Indies – maybe it’s perfect!
5. There’s a super creepy photo of Fancy Ray – the best lookin man in comedy – that you CAN’T look away from hanging on the wall by our table. (Editor’s note: he isn’t the best looking man in comedy)

www.harrysinghs.com