A Trinidadian takeaway restaurant will open its doors to Dalston in early November.
The street food takeaway, Trini Vibez, which will serve a wide range of traditional Trinidadian dishes, will serve its first customers on 7 November on Kingsland High Street.
Genielle Hall, who co-owns the restaurant with her husband, said: “Trinidadian food is flamboyant, zingy, and sweet – a mixture of cultures – Indian, Spanish, African, Creole.”
Genielle uses her grandmother’s traditional recipes and leads a family team with her husband. She grew up in Trinidad with her mother and grandmother and learned her trade there.
“We came here and there was a very strong presence of our Caribbean diaspora, and I thought, this is the place.”
She expects that their most popular takeaway item will be “doubles” which she calls “the king of street food”. They are made of two fried flatbreads and curried chickpeas, served with a variety of toppings.
Genielle said: “We came here and there was a very strong presence of our Caribbean diaspora, and I thought, this is the place.”
Genielle is eager to emphasise a sense of Trinidadian community through her food.
“It’s more than the food – it’s more about the cultural memories… it’s an array of dishes brought in by our ancestors and slaves”, she said.
Trini Vibez will open at 12pm, closing at 10pm.
Is an MA newspaper journalism student, reporting on Dalston for the Hackney Post.