On a rainy day in early November, I ate dinner with my family at Trini Vybez, a Trinidadian restaurant in Columbia Heights that former government employee Natalia Kalloo opened in October.
Trini Vybez began in 2019 when Kalloo started making and selling spices and seasonings at local farmers markets and health food stores. She eventually expanded her business into a food truck, and, with the help of a DC Great Streets grant, opened Trini Vybez and its sister restaurant, Soca Café and Wine Bar.
Trini Vybez is the perfect restaurant for rainy weather — Trinidadian food, influenced by Indian, West African and Native American cuisine, is warm, comforting, flavorful and sunny. The restaurant interior looks the part, with velvety red-painted walls and vibrant house-plants.
My family and I were greeted by bartender Nikki Nolan when we arrived. Before creating the drinks menu, Nolan studied Trinidadian culture for two months, buying fruits popular in Trinidad, like dragon fruit, and experimenting with different cocktail recipes at home.
My meal began with the pho lourie, fried dough balls similar to hush puppies served in a coconut with tamarind and cilantro sauce. The pho lourie were soft and pillowy, a pleasure to eat even without the well-seasoned sauces.
Another tasty appetizer was the macaroni and cheese pie, followed by the mango salad. The salad had an interesting combination of finely chopped onion, lettuce, herbs and mango that, surprisingly, balanced out nicely.
Next came the doubles, fried bread with chickpeas and sauce. Kalloo said that the doubles are her “personal favorite” of the dishes on the menu. She also enjoys the dhalpuri roti, a flaky roti bread served with split peas, one of the two roti options that come with the roti platter entrée.
For each roti platter, diners choose a protein dish consisting of bone-in goat, chicken, aloo, a curry with potato and chickpea. Every platter is accompanied with spinach, aloo, pumpkin, dhal and sauces. All non-pork meat is halal.
Our platter included chicken and goat. The meat was tender, falling off the bone and flavorful, saturated with spices that Kalloo described as “truly enhanc[ing] the flavor of our meals.” Though the meat was the standout, the aloo was also tender, warm and well-spiced. The pumpkin’s sweetness was soothing, the spinach was tasty and the dhal had a surprising zing.
The roti and salad portions were large, something that is rare at new restaurants in Washington. Overall, Trini Vybez is warm and welcoming, and, most importantly, its food is delicious. If you’re looking for a good meal, it will deliver.