The best pizza I've ever had, the Buzo

The Buzo Pizza, Manchego Cheese, Wild Mushrooms and Spinach





Buzo Osteria Italiana is a restaurant located in Port-of-Spain Trinidad. It specializes in authentic Italian pizzas. Other things on the menu include pasta, calzones, antipasta and salads.

One huge point in Buzo's favor, even before you walk in the door is it's free parking, and the friendly Buzo employee who directs you to where that free parking is. And then there is the fact that Buzo on the outside seems to have been transported directly from Italy, standing out among the rest of the buildings nearby with its stone walls and rustic old world charm.

 

Walking into Buzo you're greeted by probably some of the best trained service staff in the country and one of the most beautifully decorated restaurants in Trinidad. There was definitely a more fine dining ambiance than say Kava at Kapok which comes off as a hybrid of a liming spot and special occasion. From the very earthy color scheme, the wall with bottles of wines and jewel colored jars of preserves and the excellent wait staff; Buzo has intimate and extraordinary written all over it.

After being seated, you are usually brought two selections of bread, topped with olives and onions. And you're encouraged to try them with either the Extra Virgin Olive oil or the Balsamic Vinegar on the table.  The two times I went to Buzo, I was extremely hungry, and that bread tasted so good to me, with the olive oil and vinegar and with the chilli oil. I love pepper and Buzo offers you a sort of Italian pepper sauce; pepper flakes in olive oil and pepper flakes. Both have a really nice kick to them.

 

By the time the pizza arrived, I was able to really appreciate the sight and smells of it. The first pizza I had at Buzo. Yes Buzo has a pizza named Buzo, which has manchego, a Spanish cheese (according to the waiter), wild mushrooms, pepper flakes, truffle oil and is usually topped with rocket. The day I went however they were out of rocket so they asked us if they could substitute spinach which we accepted. I don't know how the rocket would have tasted, but that pizza was the best pizza I have ever had. The creaminess of the cheese with the earthiness of the wild mushrooms and the hint of truffle oil; all that richness balanced by the fresh spinach and spiciness of the pepper flakes. It's all tied together by a crunchy thin crust; the perfect blank canvas.  

 

Campagnola was the second pizza I tried and another vegetarian option at Buzo of which there are six options. The others are the marinara, the margherita, the Buzo, the Quattrio Formaggi and the Ciclista. The Campagnola has eggplant, mushrooms, tomatoes, zucchini, goats cheese and mozzarella. This pizza was great with the grilled vegetables and the cheeses.

 

Buzo is unquestionably a special occasion affair, in looks as well as price. The pizzas to be fair are reasonable ranging from $45TT, the most basic with just salt and rosemary to $110, the Crudaiola with proscuitto, mozzarello and arugula and basil. The additions of bottles of sparkling or plain water at $30 a bottle and wine however do add to the final result, as well as the additional vat and service charges that aren't reflected in the menu prices.

 

In terms of all the pizzas I've ever had, The Buzo is the best, followed closely by The Sundried Tomato Pesto Pizza at Kava at Kapok Hotel.

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Sundried Tomato Pesto Pizza at Kava, Kapok Hotel

Greek Pizza at Kava

Kava is located on the ground floor of the Kapok Hotel in Maraval, just off the Queen's Park Oval. You can enter Kava from the Hotel's main entrance, and parking is available in the Hotel's carpark. My first impressions of Kava was of a chic, modern space, populated with a natural muted color palette accentuated by bold refreshing pops of green and orange. The overall impact is very pleasing. This is complemented by an efficient indoor and outdoor seating plan.

Kava's menu ranges from cutters such as wings and samosas , salads, sandwiches, main dishes of pasta, steak and even curried chicken, and burgers. However my reason for going to Kava was none of the above, it was their Brick Oven Pizzas.

Kava boosts 19 pizzas on its menu, 7 of which are vegetarian. One thing that my family knows about me is my love of pizza; I want to eat my way to Italy one day soon. But the next best thing is sampling the best pizzas I can get find in Trinidad.

I usually eat vegetarian pizza, being vegetarian for a long time and having a huge amount of vegetarian friends and family, so a place that gives so many yummy vegetarian options is definitely a hit with me.

I have tried two of Kava's pizzas so far, the Sun-dried Tomato Pesto and the Greek, the former being the real winner with me. The Greek pizza was great, don't get me wrong; a lovely thin crust with topping of tomatoes, feta cheese and olives. Thin crust and cheesy toppings with bites of the salty feta.

The Sun-dried tomato pizza, as the name suggests was topped with sun-dried tomatoes, pesto, walnuts, basil and then the normal tomato sauce and mozzarella cheese. This is far from your run of the mill pizza, its so unusual and unusually good. Who would have thought walnuts on a pizza would be so good and with the sweetness of the sundried tomatoes and the fresh taste of the pesto, its my definite favorite at Kava (so far).

The service the two times I have been to Kava was really good, and the pizza was cooked very quickly. You can actually see the brick oven that the pizza is being cooked in at one end of the restaurant and if you're lucky, you might see your pizza being shuffled into the oven. The ambience and décor is great for a lime, date or special occasion. Pizzas at Kava on average cost $100TT and feed two people.

Overall Kava was a fantastic pizza experience which I will definitely repeat.

Dhalpourie, roti stuffed with dhal

Dhalpourie

Dhalpourie is a roti that has been stuffed with a spicy dhal mixture. It's a recipe thats been passed down by my agee (grandmother). It definitely has indian origins.

Its one of my favorite rotis, and its delicious and almost a full meal eaten on its own since it has both flour and dhal. One of my favourite ways to eat this is with cheese melted inside it or with tamarind chutney or anchar. Its most often served with curried channa and alloo, curried chicken and some kind of vegetable talkarie (curried vegetable).

Its a tricky recipe and as with most rotis a skill that develops after repetition. There are tips that only seasoned veteran roti makers know. My mum says to cook the roti almost as soon as you fill the dough with dhal as it will get too soft if it sits. My agee would press the ends of the roti as it cooks so it would cook evenly. And also ensure that your dhal is ground very fine, as big chunks will makes holes in your dough.

 

If there ends up to be less dhal, no worries, just make some pepper roti. That my next absolutely favorite thing next to dhalpourie. Some people make pepper roti with alloo (potato) but to me the dhal version tastes so much better and also healthier as it has dhal.

Honestly I would not be too worried if your first attempt at this looks square with a few holes and fat edges. My first roti was square too!

Cuisine:        Trini-Indian

Type:             Bread

Time:             2 hours
Serves:         6   (Makes 6 dhalpourie)

Skill:              Difficult

Suitable:        Vegetarian, vegan

 

Ingredients:

Filling:

1c uncooked dhal, washed with stones removed

4 garlic cloves minced

½ tsp salt or more to taste

2tsp powdered geera (cumin)

Dough
:

3 tsp baking powder

2 ½ c white flour

½ c whole wheat

½ c or more oil, ghee, butter or a combination 
 

 

Procedure:

 

1. 

   

   Dhal before cooking

   Pick through dry dhal for stones. No one wants to bite down on a stone, so don't skip this step. Rinse dhal and boil until cooked but still firm. Drain and leave to cool.
2. When dhal is cool grind in a food mill, or a blender until fine. Add garlic and geera and salt to dhal and combine. This is your filling for the dhalpourie.
3. For the dough, combine the dry ingredients in a bowl and add water until you get a ball of dough. Knead on a floured surface until you get a smooth ball. Separate into six balls.
4. Fill each ball with around 3 to 4 tablespoons of filling. To do this place the filling in the middle and then close the ends of the dough around the filling.

How to stuff dough with dhal mixture

 

5. Heat the tawa while you roll out the dough. Your tawa or saucepan had to be bigger than the size of the roti.

6. Flour a chowkie or a clean falt surface to roll out dough. While flouring regularly to prevent sticking roll out dough to around 7-8 inches in diameter, or around 1/8^th inch in diameter.

7. Place the oil and butter in a bowl. Taking a napkin, dip it in the oil or butter and the paste the surface with the oil.

8. Place the roti on top the hot tawa. Repeat pasting the surface of the roti with oil.

9. Wait this there are bubbles on top of the roti, flip the roti, while buttering the tawa again.

10. If the roti begins to rise thats great. Press the ends of the roti so that it cooks.

11. Flip again, and fold in half so that the ends cook for a few minutes. Fold in quarters. Take off stove and repeat with rest of dough.

Bygan Chunkayed in Choka!

 
 

Bygan is the hindi word for eggplant and this is a really short relatively easy dish that is staple in an indian household in Trinidad. Other vegetables can be made into a "choka" such as tomatoes and potato (alloo).

 

What's a bit strange about this is that you actually cook the spices and garlic in oil till it gets really black in a process called "chunkaying". This identical process is used to flavor dhal. Somehow getting the garlic and geera to this blackened stage makes bygan taste really good.

 

When made right and eaten hot, this is really delicious eaten with some sada roti with butter and if you have on hand some kuchela or anchar.

 

Cuisine:        Trini-Indian

Type:             Vegetable

Time:             30 mins
Serves:         4 

Skill:              Easy

Suitable:        Vegetarian, vegan

 

 

Ingredients:

 
 4                eggplants whole
½                onion sliced
1tb              garlic minced/chopped

¾ tsp          whole geera (cumin)

¾ tsp          salt

¼ tsp          pepper minced (optional)

2-3tb           oil

 

 

Procedure:

1. Roast eggplant whole on an open flame on your stove until the outside is a bit charred and the inside is soft.
2. Peel off skin of eggplant and scoop out flesh and put into a bowl.
3. Add sliced onions and half of garlic and mix.
4. Get a sufficiently large pot spoon that can hold all the oil. Have the geera and the garlic ready. Put the pot spoon with the oil over an open flame on your stove top and wait till oil is hot.
5. Add the reserved garlic and geera. Cook until at least most of it gets black.
6. Pour this hot mixture over the eggplant in bowl being careful since this is hot oil.
7. Add salt, pepper and mix.

 

 
 
 
 
 

Best places to get Tofu in Trinidad

Tofu in Black Bean Sauce from Chinese Dragon, Debe, South Trinidad

 

Being vegetarian is more prevalent these days and the options in Trinidad have much improved over the past two decades. I used to be vegetarian for over 10 years and I can vouch for this fact. One of the best vegetarian ingredients that I love is tofu. I love it in Chinese sauces and I also love it barbequed. I have a recipe for barbeque tofu on this blog.

 

There are many great places that I have had tofu that I would like to share with you. I can't really chose an absolute best from these, each is unique.

 

 

1.    Chinese Dragon, Debe (South Trinidad)

 

 

Pepper Tofu Special from Chinese Dragon, Debe

 

Contact: 647-8139

Directions: Starting in south Trinidad, Chinese Dragon is located along the S.S Erin Road, about 10 mins after Debe if you're coming from San Fernando.

 

What I love about them: is the taste and the price which is an average of $35-40 per person. You can get a "Tofu special" which is rice or noodles, tofu in a sauce of your choice and vegetables for $35 TT ($6US) and it tastes really good and will serve around two people. If you want portions you can get a 1/4 portion of tofu for the same $35. I recommend their tofu and broccoli in black  bean sauce, it was sooo good and their sweet and sour and pepper tofu are great also. If you're not vegetarian, their chicken and broccoli is my favorite and I think that retails around the same. Their pepper shrimp is a must try if you like seafood. I had a lime with four friends and the bill came up to $200TT which really was a bargain as some of that bill was take out.

 

I usually only do take out at Chinese Dragon, I have only eaten in three times. The interior is clean and spacious, suitable for a lime with friends but not say for a very special occasion. The service is decent and the food when I ate in the restaurant was delivered quickly.

 

2.      Valpark Chinese Restaurant, Valpark

Vegetarian Platter, Tofu in Black Bean Sauce, Rice, Vegetables

 

Contact: 662-4540

Directions: Valpark Chinese Restaurant is located at Valpark Shopping Plaza in Valsayn along the Churchhill-Roosevelt Highway.

 

What I love about them: is the taste, the ambience and the price is not bad, although not as cheap is say Chinese Dragon. The vegetarian platter (around $70 TT) consists of tofu, rice or noodles and vegetables. These are some of the biggest cubes of fried tofu that I have ever been served. The pepper tofu was my favorite, but the black bean is one of my friend's favorite. They are good for a special occasion or a date. The service was very good

 

3.0    Jenny's Wok & Steak House, San Fernando

Contact: 652-1807

Directions: Is situated on Cipero Road in San Fernando. At the light at Cross Crossing in San Fernando turn right. Keep driving for 10 mins, Jenny's is on your right. There is parking available on your left.

 

What I love about them: Their food tastes amazing, their vegetarian and the meat items as well. The price is around the same price range as Valpark. I ate there with my family and had a few limes as well and the food was always fantastic. I like their vegetarian platter which has tofu as well as their tofu portions. They are good for a date, a special occasion, take out or a lime with friends.

 

4.0    Sincere's Chinese Grocery, San Fernando 

Contact: 652-0688

Directions: Drive up Cipero Street, Sincere's is on your left.

 

What I love about them:

Yes, you didn't read wrong, I said Sincere's Chinese Grocery. Its a little known gem in a south vegetarian's culinary universe. Don't be fooled by the Grocery exterior, they sell a variety of vegetarian food, all totally vegetarian and with decent prices. There is a dizzying array of tofu and soya choices and also vegetables in Chinese sauces. Three dishes make a small box for $25 and four make a $35 box. What I love is their variety, to me more than a regular Chinese restaurant and they only sell vegetarian food. There are only a few table available inside the grocery and not much parking outside so this is really better for takeout. And you can get your Chinese soy sauces and prunes on your way out!

 

5.0   WOK 'N ROLL, Grand Bazaar

Contact:  674-2697

Directions: Grand Bazaar Mall, inside Pizza Boys

 

What I love about them:

They have a vegetarian special with either tofu or gluten for $35TT that tastes really good. They also have a vegetarian thai option for around $50.