AlwaysInvestigating: Trini-Gul’s Bake ‘n Shark

Arthur Bovino — February 08, 2010

Trini-Gul makes Bake ‘n Shark that has inspired references to renditions in Trinidad (left, Richard’s).

Just before the end of the year, Trini-Gul, the new Trinidadian eatery on Nostrand Ave, got some love for its bake and shark, roti, and doubles. Any place that inspires references to Maracas Beach had to be checked out. So we visited Crown Heights to taste the bake ‘n shark, and to see where Trini-Gul’s doubles might place among the City’s best.

More Bake 'n Shark, Doubles, and Roti! >>

AlwaysHungryNY: “Doubles With Slight” Remix

April 07, 2009

As the self-proclaimed stateside authority on doubles, we were so pleased to find this incredible piece of video genius. In the last couple of weeks, we’ve written about the history and given our own recipe in All About Doubles, and we even went on a Doubles Quest visiting more then 20 restaurants in search of the best in New York. For us, this doubles-themed remix, set to T.I.‘s “Whatever You Like.”, seems like the perfect culmination of all of our hard work.

A note that will help you understand the video: In Philadelphia, you order your Cheesesteak “wit onions”. In Trinidad, doubles are best ordered “with slight”—a reference to the added pepper most doubles addicts prefer.

An instant classic, the chorus for this awesome doubles anthem goes as follows:

“Channa on barra
Tastes so nice
You can eat doubles all night
Girl, I said you can eat the doubles with slight…peppa

Forget about chicken
Forget about rice
Get it in your hand, one time, girl, you can have the doubles with slight
I said you can have the doubles with slight…peppa…”

AlwaysInvestigating: In Search of NY’s Best Doubles

Arthur Bovino — March 26, 2009

If you know what Doubles are, stay tuned, we’re about to name New York City’s best. If you’re asking, “What’s a Doubles?” then read, All About Doubles, which explains the name and origin of this addictive, vegetarian street food from Trinidad, complete with recipe.

I fell in love with Doubles in Port-of-Spain, Trinidad, where I was served what one native Trinidadian I met on our Doubles Quest theorized must have been “a left-handed Doubles,” one on which a spell had been cast. Spellbound or just inspired by an intense hankering I set out with my Trinidadian Doubles-partner from AlwaysHungryNY, Terrence Grannum, on a mission across three boroughs to find the city’s best—a quest that required eating more than 20 doubles from 18 vendors. Our trip exposed rivalries, revealed inter-borough nuances, tested hype and ultimately resulted in a champion: New York’s true King of Doubles. Hold on tight, folks—this ain’t no roti crawl.

Click here to discover the true Doubles King… >>

AlwaysHungryNY: All About Doubles

Arthur Bovino — March 25, 2009

Picture a Caribbean setting. It’s dawn. Hungry Trinidadians en route to work, stop money in hand to surround a street-side food vendor. He furiously spoons curried channa into two pieces of bara, dresses them with sauces and condiments, wraps, flips and exchanges it for cash then begins the hypnotic rhythm again. Customers are so eager to eat, they’re practically still on line, untwisting wax paper ends and eating something so hot, steam rises into the warm air.

The clamored-for snacks above are called ‘Doubles,’ a vegetarian street food from Trinidad. A Doubles consists of two pieces of fried, usually golden, flat, palm-sized pieces of quick bread, served with chickpea curry, called channa. The bara, as the bread is called, resembles a fried version of Indian naan or roti. The presentation of Doubles varies slightly. Depending on the vendor, they could resemble a soft-taco, a sandwich, or a mini-burrito. While it’s possible to find Doubles throughout the day, they’re predominantly enjoyed either for breakfast or as a late-night snack after or during ‘liming,’ a Trinidadian term for hanging out.

Click for the History of Doubles Complete With a Recipe >>