Thirty Dollars Feeds A Family At Island Touch

I have friends who probably wouldn’t eat at The Island Touch. The peeling paint above the door would scare them off, or they’d get nervous about the water-stained ceiling panels as soon as they walked inside. They’d probably whine about how scorching hot it is and about the noisy fans blowing the hot air out onto the sidewalk, where a stool props open the door. But hey, that’s their problem. It just means more Jamaican food for the rest of us.

Indeed, The Island Touch won’t win any beauty contests, or letters of commendation from the health department either. But who cares?  This tiny, take-out, closet-sized hole in the wall serves up bold, spicy Caribbean flavors with a charm and personality rarely found in more sanitized establishments. And it serves them up cheap. Thirty dollars will feed a family, in fact.

The peeling paint hardly bothered me on my visit. I was too busy luxuriating in the aroma of jerk this and curry that, which had reeled me in as I’d strolled along the sidewalk on sunny Broad Street. After ordering jerk pork and oxtails, I walked back up the street and enjoyed the beef patty that the cook, a guy named Ro, had given me to tide me over while I waited. Normally $2, it was on the house—always a smart move. Steam poured forth from the spicy ground beef inside as soon as I bit into the soft, Cheez-It-orange pastry shell. The Jamaican version of turnovers, patties are a meal in themselves.

My real meal, however, was a $6 “small” order of jerk pork, an extravaganza of spices and seasonings that awakened taste buds I hadn’t used in years. Allspice berries laced the gritty jerk rub, which encrusted the pork in such clove-flavored intensity as to make the side serving of dirty rice and beans with cabbage and carrots seem like a palate cleanser. Fried plantains, meanwhile, tasted practically as sweet as candy in contrast. For a moment or two, I felt like I was back in Montego Bay, Spring Break, 1996. If only I’d had a few Red Stripes.

Supper later consisted of oxtails and jumbo butter beans with white rice and cabbage. This was another $6 supposedly small order. Finishing a $12 full order would be an impressive feat for even the heartiest of eaters. Fatty knuckles of beef and bone wore an earthy, gravy-rich coating that left me sucking my teeth. Not nearly as explosive as the jerk pork, this dish made for easy eating, and the bits of meat melted off the bones. The Island Touch considers the oxtails one of its best dishes. It’s definitely worth a look.

Other Jamaican specialties at the Island Touch include curry goat, red snapper, jerk chicken kebab, and coco bread. They serve Jamaican drinks too, such as peanut soda. At the prices they charge, it’d be easy to tour the entire menu. My meal for two with a side of fried plantains and the beef patty—if they had charged me for it—cost only about $16.

Island Touch
78 Broad Street, New London, CT  06320
(860) 437-0782