Lil Portie, the Caribbean kitchen that's been popping up across the city since June, is moving into a permanent space from September. Nick Reynolds, the guy behind Lil Portie, popped up in TwoFifty Square in Rathmines in July, and it went so well that he's moving in permanently in the evenings. With the city's current rental crisis we think this sounds like a very smart move for all concerned.
Nick was born in Ireland but is of Jamaican descent (his granny carried around litres of scotch bonnet hot sauce), and his food also has a Latin American twist after spending six years in South America. Dishes on the menu over the summer included shredded jack fruit tacos, jerk prawn and chorizo gumbo, and roast okra stuffed sweet plantain. They were also serving dessert of caramelised plantain with lime and coconut crumble, and vegans are always catered for.
Nick wants to serve foods that aren't commonly found in Dublin, like akcee, plantain, okra, chow chow and gungo peas, and plans to keep dishes that have proved popular since starting up, like Jamaican rice & peas, plantain nachos, and jerk basted pork ribs, as well dishes for the colder weather, like goat curry and oxtail stew. When asked about his plans for the new site he said, "I’ve been experimenting with the menu and how it all ties into the history of the Jamaicans and the Caribbeans, from the pre-Colombian indigenous tribes (arwarkas) who revered the deity Yúcahu (the god of cassava), right up to the end of the British empire." That's some heavy kitchen research.
Lil Portie at TwoFifty Square hopes to start soft-launching by the end of August, and open three nights a week from mid-September, increasing to four from October. You can sign up to their mailing list for updates, or stay right here and we'll give you all the deets.
