While I was in Orlando for a friend’s wedding, I knew I had to get some delicious Trinidadian food! I’ve traveled the Caribbean extensively, and I can confidently say that many of my favorite Caribbean dishes come from Trinidad and Tobago. Come with me as I have some authentic Trini doubles in Orlando, Florida!
I’d be heading to Desi Vibes, a Trini pop-up spot in a garage in town just for the weekend. I first fell in love with doubles—a Trinidadian street food staple—when I visited the Little Guyana neighborhood of New York City back in September of 2021.
I loved doubles so much that I booked a trip to Trinidad and Tobago to further explore the flavors of the islands in early 2022. I tried everything from classic doubles to gourmet doubles while I was there and now I’m officially addicted! DesiVibes offers doubles, along with other incredible Caribbean dishes that are packed with signature island flavors.
Once I arrived, I met Kerrie, who was putting together a shrimp pie, and Stacy, who has a catering company. She also showed me some of their pepper sauce, tamarind sauce, chadon beni sauce, and more. I tried some of their pepper sauce, which is made from super hot scorpion peppers!
They also had cucumbers, aloo, and habaneros. They roast the habaneros and blend them to make a sauce. Desi Vibes is based in Houston, TX, out of Kerrie’s home.
She added the roasted habaneros, some lime juice, garlic cloves, and culantro in a blender and blended it up. It smelled incredibly spicy! Then, she fried up some pholourie, which are savory fritters. They’re like Trini beignets!
Then, I watched them put some doubles together by taking two baras and top them with chana, tamarind sauce, chadon beni, cucumber, and chili sauce. They also made an aloo pie.
My mouth watered as Kerrie made my aloo pie and plated my doubles and pholourie. I’d been craving some good Caribbean dishes for a while, so I was excited to dive into it!
I sat at a table with a man named Bill and showed him how to eat doubles. He said it was spicy! It definitely had a kick and was so savory and flavorful! The pepper in it was perfect!
Next was the jerk pork and jerk chicken, which melted in my mouth. The pork was nice and fatty, and the chicken melted in my mouth. It had so much flavor in it!
Then, I jumped on the pholourie, which they had doused in the different sauces. They were soft and airy, and slightly crispy.
Next, I jumped on the shrimp pie. I could taste the potatoes a little bit. The shrimp curry inside was fantastic. It’s super filling and full of flavor!
I washed it down with a Stag beer, which is a nice lager. Then, I met Stacy’s cousin, Sharon, who had just ordered some doubles. They have her stamp of approval—they’re tasty and authentic! People from the islands are often the hardest on Caribbean dishes, so if they like something, you know it’s good!
Then, Sharon kindly fed me some of her doubles. It was extremely good and quite spicy! The bara was amazing, but I was so full from eating so much earlier.
If you ever find yourself in Orlando, please check out DesiVibes! The women there are all so friendly and kind, and the food is out of this world. They only serve food until they run out, so be sure to get there early!
But do they serve the best Caribbean dishes in America? It’s hard to say, but it’s easily some of the best Trini food I’ve had in the States!
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