ON THE AVENUE
Stop at Nostrand for Trinidadian food, eclectic sandwiches and entrees, and Parisian crepes
The stretch of Nostrand Ave. near the A line subway station is one of Brooklyn’s better snacking streets. As the avenue runs between Bed-Stuy and Crown Heights, you’ll find bars, cafes, bake shops, cheap restaurants and these three local favorites.
THE KING AND QUEEN OF ROTI
The decor isn’t flashy at Royal Bak
ery, a Trinidadian spot, but it doesn’t need to be. “When your food is good, people come back,” explains Mattie Nankhar, who has run the spot with husband Ramesh since 1991. Indeed customers come from as far away as Virginia, she says, most ordering dozens of Royal’s extra-large $2 roti — the soft, griddle-cooked flatbreads made with a layer of spiced chickpeas — in advance and taking them home to freeze for later.
That’s just the beginning of the extensive menu, which includes crispycrusted wedges of West Indian sweet currant rolls, cherry-topped coconut drops and loaves of soft white “hard dough” bread perfect for slicing.
On the savory side, you can get a roti filled with vegetables or meaty curries ($4 to $8), Trinidadian lo mein or stewed chicken. And for breakfast, try a soft wedge of fried baking-powder bread known as fry bake, split and layered with salt cod and tomato or nearly any curry on the menu for $2.15.
Royal Bakery: 618 Nostrand Ave., near Pacific St., Brooklyn; (718) 604-0200
SANDWICH CONNECTION
The idea for the 10-month-old sandwich joint called Chop Chop Grub
Shop came about a few years ago, says its Toronto-born owner Malcolm Sanz, when kidney failure gave him a reason to evaluate his life. He’d been a corporate chef working for hotel chains for a decade, and realized he “wanted to satisfy people’s taste buds,” he says, “on a different level.”
That meant making not just making food from scratch from fresh and often local ingredients, but serving it to his Crown Heights neighbors rather than strangers. Now Sanz happily knows his regulars, who order from an eclectic, seasonally changing roster of items like a short rib and pork belly blend spiced with ginger and teriyaki ($9), or a Hudson Valley duck torta layered with spinach and a fried egg ($9).
There are also hot entrees (a ribeye with roasted garlic, $24), and salads topped with charred peaches, apples and walnuts ($6). In the mornings, try Sanz’ housemade $2.50 apple tarts — the fruits are peeled with an old-fashioned spiral peeler and topped with dulce de leche and almonds.
Chop Chop Grub Shop: 638 Nostrand Ave. near Dean St., Brooklyn; (718) 493-1700
PARIS IN A PANCAKE
Not every coffee shop keeps oversized tubs of Nutella on display next to African art and a painting of the Eiffel Tower, but at Le Paris Dakar it makes perfect sense. Owner Mouna Thiam is a Senegalese native who grew up in France, and the two-year-old cafe is a blend of both her heritage and her cravings. Before she opened the Bed-Stuy cafe in a beautiful landmarked building with her husband Thiero Anne two years ago, they would make crepes at home every weekend in Bed-Stuy.
In addition to a full roster of coffees and pastries, she now also makes French breakfasts like baguettes with butter and ham or Brie ($5.95) and
Amore than 30 kinds of crepes, filled with anything from smoked salmon, spinach and cream cheese ($8.75, topped with dried basil) or Nutella, strawberries and bananas ($7.50).
Don’t miss one of Thiam’s Senegalese style juices, which are bright in both color and flavor: the bissap is a purple-pink blend of hibiscus flower and fresh mint, while the “ginger” is a spicy ginger-pineapple blend. Both are $2.95 for a small.
Le Paris Dakar: 518 Nostrand Ave. at Macon St., Brooklyn; (347) 9554100