Vegan Mondays Coming to Negril on J

Get ready for Vegan Mondays beginning May 27th, when Chef Kimba Kabaka will bring his I'tal cuisine to Negril on J.

The menu at Negril focuses on food from the Caribbean. Currently, the restaurant is closed on Sundays and Mondays, so turning over the kitchen to Chef Kimba on Mondays will not affect their regular operations. Chef Kimba, who is from St. Croix, specializes in I'tal cooking, popular in Rastafari culture, which features food that is pure, natural, and from the earth.

Several years ago, Chef Kimba used to park his all-vegan Roots-N-Kulchah food truck at 24th and K. It was a lot harder to find vegan-friendly restaurants back then, and it was a relief to know there was at least one place to go for a delicious lunch where I wouldn't have to interrogate the chef about the ingredients. Unfortunately, the city's restrictive food truck ordinance caused him to shut down.

Since that time, Chef Kimba has continued his vegan cooking by offering his services as a personal chef. He is also the Specialty Herb Manager at Feeding Crane Farms. Chef Kimba is hopeful that his Vegan Mondays will be a success so that he can collaborate with Negril on an every-day basis.

Here is the menu of vegan choices that Chef Kimba is planning to offer initially. There may also be specials from time to time.

Lunch

I’tal Plate

Stuffed smoked plantain balls w/quinoa & callaloo, drizzled w/ spicy coconut tomato sauce. $9

Curry Tofu Salad

Organic mix greens, red cabbage, onions, shredded carrots, sun dried tomato basil dressing, topped w/ curry tofu and garnished with Daiya Cheese (non dairy/non soy vegan cheese) $7.50

Veggie Patte’ Dish

Pan fried dough stuffed with organic curry lentils, potatoes, kale, and sprouted tofu. Served with spicy mustard greens salad $8.50

Dinner

Veggie stew fish

Vegan Non GMO soy protein wrapped in Nori (seaweed) stewed in a spicy coconut tomato sauce. Served with quinoa, fresh stir fried greens, and plantains. $11.50

Curry Tofu Salad

Organic mix greens, red cabbage, onions, shredded carrots, sun dried tomato basil dressing, topped w/ curry tofu and garnished with Daiya Cheese (non dairy/non soy vegan cheese) $7.50

Ackee/ Callaloo dish

Ackee and Callaloo served with coconut forbidden rice and kale. $10

Drinks

Tamarind Juice $3.50

Sorrel $3.5

For more information about Chef Kimba, visit his Roots-N-Kulchah webpage at http://www.myrootsnkulchah.net/.

I've already saved the date on my calendar for Chef Kimba's Negril debut on May 27th. Hope to see you there!