Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Another hot topic we
had in the City man.
You know and I feel like thisis we, you know, behind the
scenes we had greatconversations about just food.
And when we talk about SouthFlorida, the Tri-County, when we
think about Miami, fortLauderdale and the Palm Beaches,
we talk about food all our timeand all our experiences.
But Mr Shyam Time is a foodinfluencer who's big on social
(00:24):
media.
He has a great presence, I know, on Facebook.
He has over 600,000 followers.
So he quit his nine to five andhe goes on the road and tries
different restaurants, foods, hecritiques it, he please
supports, he critiques it andgives it an honest review and at
the end he always shots out therestaurant and say, hey, if you
in this area check them out, soshout out to him and I
(00:45):
appreciate what he does.
But he actually came to WestPalm Beach and asked for some
recommendations on the dopestspots to get food.
I know he's, I know he went tothis one spot and forgive me, in
Palm Beach, off the bone, it'sa rib joint, you know what I
mean.
And then he hit up two Haitianrestaurants that I know of.
(01:06):
Right, he went to TropicalIsland often born in Beach and
he went to Alberts, which isconsidered Lake Worth and
military.
So timeline was lit, though,because the reviews were as
mixed.
Some food he ate he gave it anhonest rating and some food he
didn't really like.
(01:26):
But what's interesting to me isI think it's dope to what he
puts out, the content.
He eats the food in his car.
It's funny, it's relatable hehas.
He throws jokes in there, hetalks about the food, he talks
about the culture, but for somereason I think Palm Beach was a
little offended as well by himgiving his honest review.
When you talk about our city,you talk about the places we
(01:47):
like to eat, and we all know inthis room that when you go to a
lot of places, consistency isthe biggest thing we're missing.
Right, when you go toespecially we talk about
Caribbean cuisine the food nevertastes the same on a daily.
Sunday don't taste likeWednesday, wednesday don't taste
like Monday.
So you try to figure out whichmommy probably cooking back
(02:08):
there.
Is it mommy Marie?
Is it?
You know what I'm saying?
Who's back there today?
Cause I know she gonna make myPliques, just right.
So, long story short, he gavehis reviews and I think the city
was lit, and I also want to saythis it's amazing how we would
take his content and it was.
I saw maybe 300 people sharehis reviews Each spot he went in
(02:31):
and all I'm saying is theserestaurants was never getting
this love or this representationand they already existed.
So I know within the county wecan do so much more when we just
put our heads together and weunify.
It shouldn't take someone fromthe outside coming in to show us
that, hey, support theselocations, cause off the bone
(02:52):
whoever runs their social media.
I like the way he took thefeedback and said hey, I agree
with him.
You know, we could have donebetter on the ribs.
We could have pulled thatchicken 30 minutes prior.
And at the end of the day hemade a post himself with the
video and said we appreciate thecritique, we will only get
(03:12):
better.
Here's our hours of operation.
Y'all pull up.
You know what I'm saying.
Speaker 3 (03:17):
I still like the fact
that he took it and he ran with
it.
And because he did that, I havenever been there, but that
makes me honest.
Truth would make me go andexperience it myself.
Cause you took it, accept it,dissect it.
Speaker 1 (03:33):
Oh, you said, some
inspect.
Say it again.
So what y'all felt, nysect it.
Speaker 2 (03:38):
I love it.
What did y'all feel about hisreview with Island Tropical?
Speaker 1 (03:44):
He gave his
experience.
Brother, I think we all havedifferent experiences Cause we
all ate there, we all have beenthere.
Consistency is the biggestproblem.
I see, like the food tastingthe same, like if I go by myself
and I have a dope experience,and then let's say I'm hanging
with my fellas, I'm like, and wetalk about we hungry, I want to
be able to pull up with y'alltoo, and that plate that I'm
(04:07):
amen, you get this ox tail.
I want the meat to still be theportion to be decent.
I don't want to have more Likejust my rice is 80% of the plate
and my meat is 10% on top ofthe lettuce.
You know what I mean thatportion control to be even as
possible, and I would love thetaste to be consistent.
So some days you can go tothese and I could talk about the
(04:29):
Haitian restaurants, cause Ivisit them frequently you can
get the taste of it.
It's amazing.
You had a good vibe.
You know what I mean.
Even if you don't eat all thatday, you heat it up the next day
.
That's when you know it'sreally good, like you still can
enjoy it the next day.
And then there's some days yougo to a brush, like this ain't
it.
Speaker 3 (04:46):
You gotta understand.
Growing up eating this kind offood.
We know where it should behitting.
You know what I'm saying?
My only problem is two o'clockdon't taste like eight o'clock
at night.
You know what?
Speaker 1 (04:57):
I'm saying this one
tastes better.
Speaker 3 (05:00):
I had Haitian food
today and I never had Haitian
food this early Today.
Two o'clock tastes so great andit tells me.
I know a lot of times we don'tgo to a restaurant and you know
you're expected the food to begood when they're about to close
.
I'm sure everybody knows thatright, because they're about to
close and nobody gives a damn.
(05:20):
But my review on them, I'm withhim 100%.
The old spot they had, I lovedit.
Speaker 1 (05:28):
This is Tropical
Island, that's interesting that
a lot of people say the old spot, the old spot for some reason,
I don't know.
Speaker 3 (05:35):
Okay, let me rewind
real quick.
Let me rewind real quick.
When a Haitian restaurant opensup now, you have the owner back
there right Before they getemployees to work for them.
You got the real mommy, theowner or the poppy that owns the
restaurant.
They're back there breakingtheir back, getting this done.
(05:55):
It tastes great.
You come back.
You come back.
Months go down the line.
Of course, they can't keep doingit, but whoever comes into the
restaurant, the food's nothitting like it's supposed to.
You go back maybe two, threemore times.
This is my example.
Don't taste good.
Now I don't want to let it go.
I want my Haitian food.
Sometimes it's tough to justtake that drive, but when I'm a
(06:19):
foodie, when I know I want goodfood, I will take the miles to
go get good food.
Y'all agree with me with that,absolutely Okay.
So when it comes to, especiallywith Haitian food, I drive now
to go get some really good food.
And because I know this one.
I used to live around thecorner and this is before they
made the new restaurant.
They were my go-to.
They were my go-to and theyhave multiple restaurants around
(06:42):
them, not even too far down thestreet.
They were my go-to before Iwent anywhere else.
Now this new spot, I hate tosay it.
I agree with Chime when itcomes to me.
Speaker 2 (06:54):
He gave some good
stuff too.
Speaker 3 (06:56):
Yes, again, I agree
with his response.
Speaker 1 (06:58):
The sauce.
He complimented the sauce.
He said the sauce was reallygood.
Speaker 2 (07:04):
I would consider his
taste palate to be at a level of
professionalism because of howfar he traveled and how many
places he'd go to.
So he's going to criticizeharshly because his palate is
very experienced, so it'spicking up flavonoids that the
(07:29):
average person ain't going toreally know.
He's deep into the textures andas soon as it goes in his mouth
he's able to feel thedifference, not just off of the
Haitian cuisine but manydifferent comparisons.
So now the standards are kindof bleak and through because you
(07:53):
know so much.
So, given his level ofexpertise, I don't even think it
was really that bad.
The parts where he was like nah, this ain't it.
I'm like what?
The rice is a three but thesauce a eight.
That's fire to me Because thesauce the rice is traditional.
(08:14):
The sauce can make the rice, thesauce can make the rice, Bro
rice is like riding a bicycle.
Speaker 1 (08:22):
But, the sauce can
make the rice with Haitian
cuisine.
I'm not saying they ain't goingto.
It shouldn't have to enhance itthat much.
The rice should already hit.
You get that sauce on top ofthat, man, you just like yes.
But he put the sauce so high.
Speaker 2 (08:37):
Yeah, the sauce got a
good rate.
Now he great unfairly.
He got his own system ofgrading which I respect.
But in my head.
And I'm not even Haitian, but Igo to a lot of Haitian
restaurants, so I got a verge,man you Haitian.
I got the verge.
I got the verge and I don'thave I have a verge in palate.
(08:58):
It's not am I genetics as y'allhave grown up with it.
So when I hear the rice alittle stiff, but the sauce is
fire, I knew exactly what he wastalking about.
And I have been amazed when Iwent to Haitian restaurants.
Way to the rice wasn't at thetop level of another Haitian
(09:23):
restaurant's rice, but theysauce where you ask for the
extra two sauces because youfinish sauce that thing up and
it take it to a whole anotherlevel, to where the place that
they sauce is weak, the ricefluffy and it's good but it's
like your sauce ain't hitting.
I rather have the sauce be ableto make up for any of the
(09:44):
errors that have a dish where Idon't even have an emergency
backup.
Do you know the restaurants wayto the Haitian restaurants, way
to sauce, was the emergencybackup.
It made up for the whole.
Speaker 1 (09:58):
I gotta eat where I'm
happy all the way.
I'm not going for the sauceY'all spoiled.
I'm just telling you, thoughI'm not going to an Haitian
restaurant for the sauce.
Y'all spoiled the rice isautomatic.
You don't get credit for therice.
The rice is automatic.
Man, the protein, y'all toofade the rice.
Speaker 2 (10:13):
No.
Speaker 1 (10:14):
The Peekleys.
I'm more impressed with thePeekleys than the South.
He liked the Peekleys.
No, I'm just speaking ingeneral.
Speaker 3 (10:20):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (10:21):
He liked a lot of he
liked enough.
Key elements to where You'retelling us.
Speaker 3 (10:27):
Hold on.
Hold on hold on.
Speaker 2 (10:28):
I'm going out there
as a review.
Some stuff he wasn't rockingwith at all.
Some of my favorite Haitianrestaurants.
There's places my favorite ones.
They rice is nowhere near whatI like, but they make up for
they make up with everythingelse.
Speaker 1 (10:46):
Right right.
Speaker 2 (10:47):
So it throw your mind
off to where this is your
favorite spot, but you know thatain't your favorite rice.
And this is what is interestingabout the Haitian cuisine
market, because it is stillrelatively new in the commercial
market in America.
Like, it hit hard for usbecause we got a large Haitian
(11:09):
population in Florida and ourrestaurants are so close, so we
are very picky.
We pick it.
First we got a dish that thewhole world ain't commercialized
to, but then we have fullcompeting on the same corner and
then you have friends that yougrew up with they aunties
(11:30):
cooking and then you have anopinions and the influence and
it make it hard to kind of grade.
And then we do be tough on themummies that's cooking because
we not giving them executivechefs salaries.
Give them they six figures.
Speaker 3 (11:48):
Even though he didn't
hit other Haitian restaurants
he hit two only.
But this.
We need this for our Haitianrestaurants because they don't
get the exposure.
Speaker 1 (11:57):
Yeah, they got
exposure.
Speaker 3 (11:59):
And definitely got it
, but the other stores that of
course I know they've seen itdefinitely have to come up off,
you know, have to come up Likethat could have been us, and we
look wherever we feel like we'relacking.
I think we should change.
So.
Speaker 1 (12:13):
Albert's too.
He hit the food truck.
Speaker 3 (12:15):
Right and apparently
I've never been to the truck.
Speaker 1 (12:17):
Tell sandwich was was
a thing.
He had an ox tail sandwich.
Speaker 3 (12:21):
Right.
Speaker 1 (12:21):
Plantains on the
outside and ox tail in the
middle.
He that was up there.
He gave that like a nine orclose.
It was a high.
Speaker 2 (12:28):
It was high.
Speaker 1 (12:29):
I ain't never hear a
lot of people say they never
heard of that.
But, in the comments I saw a lotof people say yo, I'm gonna,
I'm gonna definitely hit up thefood truck, because even the
owner of Albert's was giving abig shout out and I think he got
an influx of business as well.
After the gentleman camethrough and he was like yeah, he
wanted from the food truck andI think he, like I said, I see
he, the only thing I think hedoesn't do all the time is give
(12:50):
out the prices, because a lot ofpeople be like well, how much
did that cost you?
Some reviews, I know he'll tellyou OK, well, this cost this
Right, such and such.
So I was curious on the pricingof it, but the portions did
look pretty damn good.
Speaker 3 (13:01):
Right, it was a lot.
Yeah, it was a lot.
But that's the thing, though.
When you know there's good food, the price behind is I'm not
even thinking about the price.
Yeah, I'm not thinking aboutthe price.
Like, I want good food and Iknow I can when I'm watching
food, I know I can go back andget good food and get that same
quality of food.
Speaker 2 (13:20):
That is as hard with
Haitian food.
It is a real ingredients likethey.
They at the mercy of theseasons, I think.
Speaker 1 (13:30):
but with the Haitian
food, I really just think you
was just talking about actuallypaying the mummies they bred.
You know what I'm saying Paythem, they bred.
What would be enough?
Like what do you think?
Do you have?
I know you said six feet.
Speaker 2 (13:42):
A hundred grand.
They need executive chef levelcompensation.
Speaker 1 (13:47):
I don't think the
people back there are like not
saying their skill set ain'tthat, but you know it's.
I would say most of theseemployees who gonna be doing
that kind of labor, they youalready know, they just come in
five to three.
Speaker 2 (14:01):
This is the thing
we're talking about.
I know it's been around fory'all forever, but it's still
relatively a new cuisine.
There is no commercial standardhow Jamaican Chinese
restaurants, indian cuisines.
There's no universal standardof expectations to where the
(14:25):
nation's taste buds are kind ofalready pre-geared for what
they're about to get.
So when you dealing with acuisine like Haitian food the
women that's coming therecooking these are recipes handed
(14:45):
down through oral tradition andall of them put their hip in it
.
They put something different.
So the ones that's doingsomething unique and they ain't
sharing was making this sauce anine and making this sauce a
three.
They not sharing that becauseeverybody then everybody would
be doing that.
It's so diverse.
(15:07):
So when you got something thatunique and you find the one
that's fire that everybody'ssaying, and you find that
Haitian mommy man, it's probablysome gold mines out here that
ain't never even been in therestaurant.
They just been cooking it fory'all and your cousins and
Tikason all these years and it'sthe best thing ever, you post a
(15:31):
fine hubby like, hey, we finnagive you this, we finna give you
this, but this is a secret,don't give this to nobody else.
We will give you everything youneed because I can guarantee it
could be a reality show.
You go behind seeing theyprobably mad at y'all giving me
spinach and I really want lalobut y'all making me make them
(15:53):
think this lalo and it'sactually spinach.
Then y'all cutting me short onmy epis, some of the ingredients
.
Y'all want me to use seasonings, but y'all know I like to puree
my vegetables instead of theseasonings.
They got these seasonal beefstoo, to where they may be
(16:14):
limited in what they are tryingto do.
So I've just been saying wegotta be a little bit lenient on
the mommies, we gotta believe alittle bit.
Speaker 1 (16:24):
No, I honestly
believe they put in their work.
I believe in people gettingpaid for their work.
I mean, that's somethingamongst the Haitian community
they'll just have to establishto make sure those people are
well taken care of.
And I also wanted to ask youguys too, as we're talking about
Haitian cuisine, but what isyour favorite dish?
What's your number one, the oneyou're gonna go to?
Speaker 2 (16:43):
the one that's gonna
hit right.
Go ahead.
I like the spinach with therice and beans.
I don't know the differencefrom lalo and spinach yet, but
I'm starting to learn it.
But yeah, I like the spinach.
Speaker 1 (16:56):
Rice and beans, like
the red beans and rice.
Yeah, what's the rice you like?
Speaker 2 (16:59):
Yeah, I do the red
beans and rice.
The mushroom and rice on point,but I don't know that spinach,
even when they put the beef in.
Speaker 1 (17:08):
No, that D&J on here,
tilly Jo Jo.
But my thing is, some placesdon't do it every day, like
that's one of.
I think that should be a law.
Speaker 2 (17:14):
Black rice should be
available every day, not on just
Sundays.
It might be difficult Becausethat it might be expensive.
Speaker 1 (17:22):
Slab what other food
do you like?
It's a mushroom that turns intoa different color.
Speaker 3 (17:27):
Yeah, that makes it
dark.
Speaker 2 (17:28):
Yeah but a mushroom,
A mushroom and it gives it the
flavor.
If they got a kitchen and theyhave to do two other rice.
They got so many stoves.
Speaker 1 (17:36):
Do you know black
rice?
And I know this gotta be a fact.
It's more popular than all theother rice Facts.
No, I got Americans.
I got it spinning Every otherculture.
They'll look at the rice.
It's not black rice what youbrought.
Speaker 2 (17:51):
There's a reason for
that Because that's a problem
that would be a concern with allthe Haitian restaurants.
All the Haitian restaurantsain't doing black rice like that
.
Speaker 1 (18:00):
Wait, when we get one
of y'all on exposure, we're
gonna let y'all speak thesefacts for us, because we got
questions.
We got a whole lot of questionsand I'm sure the public will
love to hear from some of y'alltoo.
We're gonna definitely reachout and try to get some of these
restaurant owners, or even somepeople that works in these
facilities, to speak out, andwe'll love to hear their
explanation, experiences andwhat we, what we can do to take
(18:22):
to enhance the Caribbeanexperience.
Right, what about you, dregal?
What should go?
Speaker 3 (18:27):
to minds is D Georgia
.
I like, I like a Tossel.
Tossel is my number one, okay,okay, it's always my main to go
if I don't want Tossel and Iwant something quick and I want
to get in and out, I would get apoultry with sauce, chicken and
maybe with some, and that'spretty up there.
(18:48):
Yes, yes, I thought so intocheap now?
Speaker 1 (18:50):
No, it's not okay,
okay expensive to that fishes.
That takes it all right fishes.
Mp when you see fish price upthere.
Is gonna say MP.
Right market price, that thingcould be this this week, $30
something miles next week.
Speaker 2 (19:06):
What are you?
Speaker 1 (19:07):
You're and that fish
got to stick out the plate.
If it'll stick out the platewith the head here to tell them
it ain't here the eyeballblinking at you, you know what
I'm saying.
I'm believing or not.
So I do love black rice, but myto-go dish like never fails.
Mama know it.
My Auntie knew it.
Rest in peace.
Um, anybody who's real close tome and dear knows it's gonna be
the white rice, it's gonna becall I'll.
(19:29):
I know not a lot of people fanof carlala, but I love my okra
and tomatoes.
Man, give me some carlalu.
You feel me.
I need my black beans and rice.
You know what I'm saying.
And and if you want me to go tosleep, you know I'm saying like
coma, give me a avocado to topit off, okay, okay.
Call.
I lose by number one.
Speaker 2 (19:49):
Dish though Haitian
food you in the Haitian
restaurant on Boy in Beach andmilitary and that Duncan
doughnuts pleasure.
Speaker 3 (19:59):
I know what you're
talking about.
I.
Speaker 2 (20:02):
Seen that over there
but I never.
I don't know the name.
I never heard nobody in Beachand military yeah yeah, it's by
the Chuck at Jesus.
No no that's not gonna makeDonald's across from the
McDonald's.
Speaker 1 (20:19):
Across from the
McDonald's in the beach and
military in the Dunkin DonutsPlaza, dunkin Donuts with a
T-Mobile.
Speaker 2 (20:27):
It's a Dunkin Donuts
there.
It's a bank, it's a yeah, byChase.
Speaker 1 (20:31):
You don't know, chase
?
Yeah, oh, there's a Haitianrestaurant.
I've never been there either,cuz I think it says Italian and
Haitian cuisine on the window.
Speaker 2 (20:38):
I ain't never hit
nobody talk about me, neither
brother yeah me either.
Speaker 1 (20:42):
I've never been in
there.
I've never heard no one talkabout it.
I didn't realize they even hadHaitian till I.
One day I was getting Duncanand I sat in the parking lot
long enough to be like.
Speaker 3 (20:51):
That's.
Speaker 1 (20:52):
Haitian dishes on the
window Mmm, that's crazy, but
I've never been there.
Speaker 3 (20:58):
Um so you like Pete.
You know what Pete's in me isyou like Pete's?
In me.
Speaker 1 (21:06):
Those are the dishes
that I go to.
I rather my moulin Okay.
Speaker 3 (21:09):
Yeah, yeah, okay,
I'll do my moulin.
And then those other PT Me'sblizz.
No, that stuff.
I Hate them with the passionlike this.
There's this food that I hate,that I know I had a kid and we
never can't go back to could.
How do you as a kid?
But there's a couple of them,so your kid.
Speaker 1 (21:25):
like you know, we all
got kids, but do you think it's
interesting?
When they don't like certainthings, how they have that
option of not eating it.
We grew up it was kind of likedamn you got me because,
although I didn't like certainthings, it was in my preference.
I had to eat it because I knowthis is what I gotta eat.
Speaker 2 (21:40):
I gotta eat today,
yeah.
Speaker 1 (21:41):
So even if it's not
my go-to, don't think I'm not
too big on.
Is a fish Me too I like youknow, fried fish.
I pick around it, but I don'tlike stew.
I'm not crazy on fish becausethe bones crabs like anything
when you got to work to eat it.
Yeah, unless it's like boneless.
I don't like working man.
Speaker 3 (21:56):
I call it playing
with your food.
I don't like playing with myfood to get to it.
Speaker 1 (22:00):
How about you?
You, you like you do some crap.
You know you mess up some crap,yeah.
Speaker 2 (22:05):
I mess up some crap,
I've had it.
I've had it in my Lollipopo.
Speaker 1 (22:10):
Okay, but you don't
talk about the root.
Like you know, the crab placeswere like where you can go and
they give you like a big theygive you gloves.
You.
Speaker 2 (22:20):
If they're big enough
, and I got the, the things that
crack it and it just come out,but the small ones where you
know you got them little skinnylegs and then you got it To the
meat and you like man, this thisis, this is work is frustrating
(22:43):
and the doodle get on the crabBusting open the.
Speaker 1 (22:50):
Another reason why I
guess I ain't too tripping about
no crab.
I shot everybody we crabs.
It just stopped my go-to man.
I don't like working too hardto eat.
I want to be able to eat andkeep it pushing your.
Speaker 2 (23:00):
Doodle is full of
nutrients too.
Speaker 1 (23:02):
You got it.
Yeah, you got from the seam inthe grow hair to that.
I'm gonna let you hold thatthere, but we waiting for Eric.
If you see Eric with a fro orEric bus out way.
You already know what to do.
You know what I'm saying.
We gonna be on it pop andthey're gonna be like Eric said
it first hey, yeah.
Speaker 2 (23:21):
I might.
Speaker 1 (23:22):
I might have to
charge you for the ingredients
you know, now, that's crazy, butI would definitely love to have
one of y'all.
Yeah, we definitely gonna reachout to the community and try to
get some people to give youtheir perspectives on mr Shyam
times experiencing and and palmbeach, of course, but no, shout
out to him and shout out to allthe businesses that he visited.
I'll hope y'all get an influxof business.
(23:43):
And, uh, you know, keep yourhead up and you know, like,
listen to the reviews and youcan only get better.
So shout out to off the bone.
I thought their spin on thereview was Interesting and I
also think he brought a lot ofawareness to these locations.
Although good or bad, you knowhow some people say what is it?
Any publicity is good,publicity, correct, is that the
same?
Something like that.
So I think, in this situation,it did bring a lot of awareness
(24:07):
to these locations.
So y'all just got to continueto do your thing.
I know it's not easy.
I know the restaurant industryis it.
You know you got a lot ofpeople to please and you won't
be able to make everybody happy,but I think to fix these
Haitian restaurants to what Ericsaid Definitely pay the people
their money.
That's important and it justsounds like we all our
experiences.
Are we looking for thatConsistency, though?
(24:28):
If somebody got the rightrecipe for that peak lease, less
master that, let's make sureeverybody's making it the same
way.
If it's for the sauce, let'smaster master that, let's make
it the same way.
If it's for the rice, let'smaster that.
Pay him what you need to payhim, and let everybody do it the
same way, and I think it's awin for everybody at the end of
the day facts, facts.
Speaker 3 (24:52):
It's more than just a
podcast.
It's exposure.