Hibiscus Cafe
3½ palms
Where: 253 E. Merritt Island Causeway (SR 520), Merritt Island
Hours: 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Thursday; 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday; 10:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday
Call: 321-454-9507
More: Chef Huie Martin also offers catering. Check out the Web site at hibiscusservice.com.
Big island flavors come in a small space, the Hibiscus Cafe on Merritt Island. Reasonable prices and authentic dishes make dining in Chef Huie Martin’s tiny cafe (or grabbing takeout, as many do) an enticing experience.
We started with a couple of appetizers — Jamaican cocktail patties ($3.30), pastries stuffed with beef and subtly hot. The heat gets more intense once you dip these morsels into the “reggae sauce,” which is creamy with a kick and has lots of flavor. We also tried the delicious, fresh garlic mushroom and toast ($5.25). Oh, yes. Lots of garlic permeated these plump mushrooms. And the juices on the plate were perfect for mopping up with the thick bread.
My husband opted for the large version of the curried goat special ($9.95), while I got the small version — still plenty big for me — of the oxtail ($6.95). The goat was really good, and the oxtail had a deep, salty, satisfying flavor. It was so tender, it fell off the bits of bone. The entrees were accompanied by nice cabbage and veggies on the side.
As always, we had to make room for dessert, and asked for the Jamaican cornmeal pudding. The chef split a serving for us, and each still was plenty big. But forget the portion. The flavor was fantastic, with nutmeg, cinnamon and raisins in a creamy yet dense dessert that made me think of pumpkin pie without the pumpkin.
The menu at Hibiscus Cafe is diverse, with salads (including a taco salad), wraps, lobster ravioli, even a meatball sub and a “Cool Runnings” pizza with jerk chicken, pepperoni, onion, pineapple, jalapenos and cheese. And, of course, you can dine the island way on jerked or curried chicken or shrimp, Jamaican jerked pork and escovitch fish.
At Hibiscus Cafe, there’s a little something for everyone, and everyone should try a little something. It’s not open late, so get dinner early, or try lunch.
Contact Kridler at 321-242-3633 or ckridler@floridatoday.com.
Please log in to comment