T’Chaka Taste of Haiti
901 Washington St.
Oakland
At a sweet corner in Old Oakland surrounded by plant life and happy patrons, feet from passersby, seven-month-old T’Chaka has brought Caribbean flavors and feelings to this piece of Swan’s Market, a wide-ranging food hall that feels homey and real, with serious food presented in an approachable manner. On a chilly but sunny Saturday afternoon, my friend Esan and I met up to fuel ourselves for hours (he lasted two, I nearly five) of music festival-ing down the street, and we chose well.
The lunch menu is petite, with just one vegetarian choice and eight overall. Esan chose the jerk chicken plate and I the vegan legume.
Our drink orders had a couple false starts, as they were sadly out of the Ting, a Jamaican grapefruit-flavored soda, ginger beer, and the Island Mango (juice?). They did have both passionfruit and sorrel ginger available, so we happily pivoted, and were delighted at the brilliantly colored juices. Both sweeter than I’d choose, but each with a lovely tropicality, brightness and acidity, and lush mouthfeel. The passion fruit brought more flavor towards the end of a sip. The sorrel could have used more ginger, but they made great eye candy as well as a lovely backdrop to the meal, surging in with a complete clearing of the taste buds. The sugar content did keep us to small sips. Their hefty jars left us with enough at the end of the meal to take away in a cup, but good enough that we wanted to do just that.
My legume dish, “a traditional Haitian stew made from fresh vegetables, chayote, spinach, carrots, cabbage, spices, and lima beans,” was a heaping serving, piled next to a scoop of red beans and rice, pikliz (a spicy slaw), and plantains.
The jerk chicken was served with the same sides, each of us with one piece of perfectly caramelized gooey sweet plantain and one lovely, salty tostone.
The exterior of the tostones were still a fresh yellow, with little to no browning, which I would have loved, but this tender cooking left the interior soft and stretchy, which was a lovely surprise. Accustomed to a crispier, crunchier version, I missed the depth of flavor that extra time brings but loved the texture of this.
The stew was surprisingly fluffy, almost light in body, the density reminiscent of a good fresh Indian saag. Mostly puréed into that nearly whipped consistency, there were also plenty of pieces of identifiable ingredients, providing a contrast to the smoothness of the surroundings. The carrots brought in sweetness, the squash an earthiness, and I didn’t even notice the lima beans, which is fine with me. Spices washed in and out of focus, with nutmeg rounding up the rear.
The chicken was well seasoned, with blackened bits but fork-tender flesh flaking from the bone and plenty of color left to the meat — no bland white meat here. So good, in fact, that several minutes in it received a “really good” mid bite. The rice and beans were on the dry and less seasoned side, which is not to say they were dry or unseasoned, simply that they took a backseat to their respective mains. I liked the more dried out texture of the grains why my mush, but could see why something stickier might be nice with a drier protein.
he pikliz, a cabbage, carrot, and in this case bell pepper, tomato, and scotch bonnet laced slaw, was a necessary condiment to both of our plates. The freshness and spice perfectly offset the rich mains. I wished for more acidity and crunch, but loved the mild sesame flavor and overall taste. And that harmless, even cute, little orange pepper, packed its punch, bringing the adventure we didn’t know we needed when I pointed a piece out and Esan popped it without thinking. A couple minutes of VERY HOT mouth ensued, which we were later informed by the waiter is a “rite of passage,” so I guess I’ll have to hope for more fire power on my plate next time.
I cleaned every (non-fibrous) morsel from my plate. The seemingly large serving was deceptively light, and so despite consuming every bit I did not feel in any way overfilled. Can’t say the same for Esan, but his was heartier fare. I would love to return to try other options, but until the vegetarian selections are fleshed out further the vegan legume is the only choice at all meal times. There are also akra, or taro fritters, available at dinner, as well as sides of additional sweet or savory plantains, which I would and will happily chow down upon another time, and when I’m in the mood for really good mush I’ll return with another omnivorous friend.
T’Chaka is open Wednesday-Sunday for lunch and dinner.
