SPUR TREE!!!!

So for my mother's birthday last week, I had the bright idea to take her to dinner...because who doesn't like to stuff their face on their birthday? Decided to take her to a place I had been to before and am quite fond of called Spur Tree waaaaaaaay down at almost the bottom of Manhattan.

Spur Tree! Sounds fancy....what kind of place is this?
Spur Tree is a Jamaican and Asian fusion restaurant. Classic Jamaican meals and drinks with a little bit of that Asian persuasion.

How the hell does Jamaican and Asian food even make sense together?
First, you need to open your mind. Second, it's not like you have some left over pork fried rice and just so happened to buy some curry goat and you eat everything off the same plate. It's NOTHING like that! Think more along the lines of a steamed jerk pork bun. Or Red Stripe beer battered shrimp tempura. Or a Dark and Stormy beverage that's sake based. Think more along those lines. I'll agree that it may not sound like something that makes sense, but it works! TRUST ME!

That actually doesn't sound bad. So what did you and everyone in your party end up getting?
For starters we had the Jerk Chicken Wings and the Shumai with shrimp, which were both excellent. The entrees ordered were Jerk Chicken, Seafood Roti, and Grilled Salmon with Jerk sauce and a side of Mac n Cheese. Note that all entrees came with a side salad. And we washed everything down with a Dark n Stormy, Lemon/Lime Sakitini, and a Ting a Ling.

Sounds like it was a feast to me...how was everything?
Starting with the drinks, the Dark n Stormy was just as I remembered it. Mild to heavy ginger taste and a smooth kick from the sake. I just had a little sip of the other drinks, but they were good as well. The appetizers were really good! Out of the 2 I think the Jerk Wings may have been my favorite but the Shumai is definitely a solid choice that won't disappoint. And for the entrees...the Grilled Salmon and Jerk Chicken were amazing, but the award for meal of the evening HAS to go to the Seafood Roti. It was prepared in a way that I haven't seen before. 

So if you've had roti before you're use to the contents being inside the actual bread or wrap or whatever you wanna call it. Not this one. The roti bread was rolled up and cut in half (so it kinda looked like a wrap) and the seafood (curry salmon, scallops, and shrimp) came in a bowl where it was just soaking in juice. Separately each item was great, but when you manage to pry your face out of the bowl of seafood goodness, take the roti bread and dip it in the juice. OH! MY! LAWD! Had me ready to steal my mother's food! Didn't even make any sense how good that damn roti was!

Glad to hear that everything went well. Anything else I need to know...service? Atmosphere?
Service is usually pretty pleasant. As far as the atmosphere...I love it! It's very mellow and laid back. Dim lighting, decent music...good for a quick rendezvous or an intimate dinner date. One HUGE issue that I do have with this place though is the size. Its seems like every time I go to Spur Tree, their popularity is becoming greater and greater and attracting more and more people. With that being said, the size is extremely limited! If you can get there at a time that when there aren't a lot of people, you'll have a great experience. But if you get there during their peak hours, you and your party may be sitting shoulder to shoulder with the customers sitting next to you. Other then that, this place is golden!

Good to know!

 

Spur Tree

76 Orchard Street

New York, NY 10002

(212) 477 - 9977