Bold Haitian & Caribbean dishes the way your mama made them
When it comes to bold, tasty Haitian, local, Spanish and Caribbean cuisine to satisfy just about any appetite, “Caribbean Feisty Flavors,” is the place to be.
The restaurant, which recently opened at Bush Road #24, near The Daily Herald, offers a wide selection of Caribbean delicacies prepared by the talented hands of owner Sherlyn Montclair and her head chef.
Montclair, a passionate cook, whose love for the kitchen is evident in the love she pours into her meals, runs the cosy eatery with her life-partner Enasio van Heyningen.
Caribbean Feisty Flavours offers a wide selection of dishes ranging from chicken and pork chop (curried, stewed, Spanish styled, fried or creamy); beef (curried, creamed or stewed); flank steak (fried or grilled); goat and oxtail (curried or stewed); shrimp pasta, salt fish, Mahi Mahi (pan seared, grilled or creamy); conch (creamy or creole) and whole snapper (fried, steamed or stewed). Sides include your choice of white rice, rice and peas, seasoned rice, mashed potatoes, lasagne or macaroni pie, along with scalloped potatoes, fried plantain, garden salad and coleslaw. Yum!
French St. Martin-born Montclair actually began selling food from her home in 2015. She would prepare lunches on Fridays, which she called “Friday Lunch-Outs,” because it was strictly a take away and delivery service as there was no place for persons to sit and dine-in. On Saturdays, she had “Fritaye Nights,” which was a big hit amongst her clients. Opening her own restaurant was always a dream, and after juggling work and cooking on the side, she finally decided to pursue this dream fully and opened her restaurant on January 15 of this year.
Caribbean Feisty Flavors can seat up to 20 diners in its interior and about 24 in the breezy outdoor, so no matter how big your group, they can accommodate you. “We offer Caribbean cuisine, there is no other way to describe it. You can find a bit of most islands in our kitchen,” Montclair said. “We cater to food lovers, if you love food, this is the place for you,” she added.
Caribbean Feisty Flavours’ homemade Ponche Kremas, which many on the island known as “Ponche Kuba,” is an absolute must try, when visiting the eatery. The restaurant takes great pride in preparing this delicious treat in-house from scratch. Their beverage options are wide and includes a range of soft drinks, beers, wines, champagnes and of course their tasty Kremas, which, by the way, can only be found at Caribbean Feisty Flavors.
Enjoy your Kremas with their special “Fritaye.” This is a dish that is well known on the French side of the island. “We noticed that it’s not on the Dutch side of the island. Fritaye is a Haitian/Dominican Republic dish that consists of what we call “Banane Peze” or what most people know to be “Tostonnes.” They are basically flattened plantains (sweet or green) that are deep fried and are accompanied by chicken, fish or pork with green salad and Pikliz (a traditional spicy cabbage and carrot slaw).”
“Being that I was raised in a Haitian home, by a Haitian mother, I would say our food has special touch. Haitian food is known for being well seasoned and spiced to fill your appetite and satisfy your taste buds. In St. Maarten/St. Martin, we are generally used to Chinese, Italian, Tex-Mex and American ways of cooking, but Haitian food is not a taste that you can find anywhere – and we are happy to be able to offer the best of Haitian tasty cuisine and other Caribbean delights,” the mother of five children, aged 22, 21, 16, 12 and 7, said.
With St. Maarten known for its culinary excellence, Montclair takes pride knowing that her restaurant stands out in the crowd. “I would say that Caribbean Feisty Flavors stands out because St. Maarten/St. Martin has a lot of restaurants, and if the food happens to be local, the setup is usually the typical Lolos style. There isn’t a large variety of places where we can have a cosy, classy environment and enjoy Caribbean food and this is where we stand out,” she said.
The restaurant is staffed by five friendly workers - Montclair, two bartenders/waitresses, the head chef, and a kitchen helper. “It is said that you need to be a part of your business for it be a success. So, I am the main chef at the Caribbean Feisty Flavors. I was blessed to find someone of the same ethnicity as me, to be my main chef who accompanies me in the kitchen. As this is my first big leap, I have no experience in a high-speed kitchen setting, but my main chef is experienced and has worked for hotels and many high-end restaurants so she is a true asset.”
A down to earth person, who is loving, caring, enjoys travelling, seeing nice things and learning about different cultures, Montclair urges everyone looking for good tasting meals to visit the restaurant “to experience something different. Let’s just say that when you dine at Caribbean Feisty Flavors, you feel like you’re eating at your mom’s kitchen table, but in an elegant surrounding.”
Montclair has always had a love for the kitchen. She believes that it is a special gift that she was blessed with from God and she enjoys feeding others.” There is a special joy in seeing others enjoying what you’ve created - your recipes, your touch.”
The restaurant currently opens for lunch and dinner only, but will soon be adding breakfast to its menu so no matter when your appetite calls, you will be able to get it satisfied at Caribbean Feisty Flavors.
Make your reservations today by calling Caribbean Feisty Flavors at tel. +1721 5547676 | +1721 587 0707 | +590 690 18 09 03 or send a direct message via their Facebook page: Caribbean Feisty Flavors.
