West End Caribbean
I couldn't help thinking of the old television show Fantasy Island as I was driving west to visit the café of the same name. And while I was not landing in a float plane and Ricardo Montalban was not waiting to greet me, my lunch companions and I still received a warm welcome from new owner, Sheela Chaudhary .
Although the former college professor turned restaurateur has only been in residence for a few weeks, she has polished the small café until it sparkles and is excited about her new career. Don't be surprised if she drops by your table for a chat, as she wants to be sure the food and the service, as well as the ambiance, are pleasing.
I wanted to check out the advertised $6 lunch specials , something that in our current economy seemed like it could only happen in a television show. However, I'm happy to report that the six offerings for a mere six bucks are probably one of the best deals in Richmond.
A jerk chicken or blackened tuna salad, a jerk chicken sandwich, the soup and salad combo and a coconut chicken sandwich are all on the value-priced menu. We tried the jerk chicken salad, the jerk sandwich and an item from the regular menu, a tuna pita that cost an extra 95 cents. "Fantasy Island is a little ray of sunshine in the West End." |
The salad was both gorgeous and generous, and the jerk chicken on both the salad and the sandwich were from perfectly seasoned, plump chicken breasts. My sandwich came with a heap of piping hot fries as well. The tuna salad pita was accompanied by chips rather than fries, and a Caribbean-style cole slaw. Simply put, the food was really good, and for less than you would pay at a fast food joint. Combine that with a relaxing tropical atmosphere and friendly service and you've got a winner hidden in a strip mall on Broad Street.
Fantasy Island also serves dinner, with the welcome addition of a fairly large tapas list with offerings like spicy garlic shrimp, calamari, cumin onion rings and jerk wings ($3.95 to $6.95). While jerk chicken and pork star on the entrée list, you can also choose from a large variety of seafood from blackened swordfish and grilled ahi tuna to mahi mahi and coconut shrimp, most in the $10.95 to $14.95 price bracket.
And what would a Caribbean restaurant be without rum?
You'll find a full menu of tropical concoctions, in addition to a small but interesting wine list that has a couple of standout selections, like a Cakebread chardonnay. While you may not want to imbibe at lunch, the happy hour specials from 5 to 7 p.m. sound like a good way to wind down from a long day at the office. Deals include a half-pound of steamed shrimp for $4.50 and half price blackened tuna bites or calamari.
With winter approaching and our wallets tightening, Fantasy Island is a little ray of sunshine in the West End.
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