Golden Krust sure doesn’t sound like the name of a Caribbean eatery. Maybe a bread shop or a fictitious business on The Simpsons. Golden Krust also didn’t scream franchise to me as I approached the restaurant in Waterford Lakes, but it is.
However, the way it is run, I could have believed Golden Krust was a startup restaurant owned and operated by locals. I was greeted in a very uncorporate way: warmly, as though I was visiting a business owned by people whose livelihood depended on offering good food and hospitality.
I stood looking at the menu board and at the various stews and curries bubbling behind the glass at the counter for a long time. I capitulated and asked the woman waiting for me to decide, “What should I have?” She said, “We’re known for our oxtail, “but I’m going to let you taste everything.”
And she did, ladeling bits of jerked chicken, curried goat, spicy shrimp and their attendant gravies into little sample cups for me to taste. After the fifth sample, the oxtail, I started to feel guilty about sampling so many of the dishes. And I didn’t have the heart to tell her I wasn’t hungry anymore. So I went with what they’re known for, the oxtail stew.
For those who have never experienced oxtail, it’s quite boney. Remember that if you ever find yourself on the back end of an ox whose tail is still attached. Actually, remember when it’s served to you in a stew, too, or else you may be looking for a dentist.
I’ve always felt the best way to eat oxtail is to pick it up with the fingers and gnaw the meat off the bone. The ox meat pulled away easily, and some of it fell off on its own, allowing me to enjoy it with the moist and flavorful rice and gravy.
Best part of the experience was finding a new eatery specializing in Caribbean cuisine that I am choosing to believe is a locally owned and operated restaurant.