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AA’s Caribbean review: Street food made from scratch. Catch it before this food yard is shut down

Eamon de Freitas makes the dough for his patties and wraps, his own sauces and his own spice mixes

Tasty: the jerk chicken rice box from Eamon de Freitas's AA's Caribbean food truck. Photograph: Nick Bradshaw
Tasty: the jerk chicken rice box from Eamon de Freitas's AA's Caribbean food truck. Photograph: Nick Bradshaw
AA's Caribbean
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Address: 64A Clanbrassil Street Lower, Dublin 8, D08 EV21
Telephone: 085-1456496
Cuisine: Caribbean
Website: https://www.instagram.com/aacaribbeandublin/?hl=enOpens in new window
Cost: €€

What’s on offer?

Chestnut Bazaar is a temporary food and wellness space in a former vacant lot off Clanbrassil Street in Dublin. Food trucks, a sauna, and a communal seating area all contribute to the wonderful community vibe here. Trinidad native Eamon de Freitas, who started selling Caribbean food from his apartment during lockdown, then from a food truck in Harold’s Cross, joined the other food trucks in the yard in September. He makes everything from scratch: the dough for his patties and wraps, his own sauces and spice mixes. His Caribbean street food ranges from jerk chicken to roti wraps and spicy vegetarian options.

What did we order?

A beef patty, aloo pie chana and vegetarian roti.

How was the service?

You order and pay at the stall, and are called when your order is ready. The food is suitably packed for takeaway, but there are plenty of pallet tables for eating there.

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Was the food nice?

Layers of spices and a wonderful way with vegetables make this food memorably good. Two of our options happen to be vegan. The crispy aloo pie, made from sweet yeasted dough which has been filled with curried mashed potato and deep-fried, is sliced open before serving and topped with chana (stewed chickpeas) and home-made sauces, bringing wonderful flavours of tamarind, parsley, garlic, ginger, coriander and lime. The vegetarian roti wrap is cooked on the flat top, and filled with potato, pumpkin, chana, sweet tamarind and nice kick of hot sauce. The beef patty, the original Jamaican fast food, is a delicious mix of minced beef, hot peppers, garlic, ginger, onions and spices in a folded pocket of crisp curry pastry.

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AA's Caribbean owner Eamon de Freitas makes everything from scratch: the dough for his patties and wraps, his own sauces and spice mixes.  Photograph: Nick Bradshaw
AA's Caribbean owner Eamon de Freitas makes everything from scratch: the dough for his patties and wraps, his own sauces and spice mixes. Photograph: Nick Bradshaw

What did it cost?

€24.50 for lunch for two people – beef patty €6; aloo pie chana €8; and vegetarian roti €10.50.

Where does it deliver?

Order on Deliveroo for AA’s boxes with chicken, halloumi or chickpeas with rice, pickled cabbage and pineapple salsa. The pepper sauce, frozen patties and jerk rub are available on AA’s new online store.

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Would I order it again?

Most definitely. Get here fast as there are moves to shut down the food yard. You can sign a petition to keep it open until development work begins. Open Thursday and Friday 4pm-8pm, Saturday 1pm-8pm, and Sunday noon-5pm (or until the food sells out if earlier).

Corinna Hardgrave

Corinna Hardgrave

Corinna Hardgrave, a contributor to The Irish Times, writes a weekly restaurant column