Hailing Haiti

Follow that cab to Au Bec Fin JRR for Creole cooking

by SARAH MUSGRAVE

Walking by this Parc Avenue hole in the wall, you have to wonder what's up. An outdated sign in the window claims that it's a bakery specializing in nut cake and espresso. But if you peer through the glass you'll see it's filled with happy customers enjoying inexpensive homecooked Haitian meals. Turns out Au Bec Fin JRR is a favourite refuelling spot for local taxi drivers.

Inside, the atmosphere can be a little daunting as the cabbies mostly talk shop at the top of their lungs. Conversations like, "So the fare comes to $7 and the guy gives me four dollars and change, and I say..." or "She tells me the Nouvel Hotel, so I start driving..." compete with the TV at the back. But the regulars will help you decipher the menu and will ring the bell on the counter insistently so that you get some attention from the kitchen.

The daily specials are hastily written on a board and include a couple of fresh fish plates, pintade (guinea hen, much like chicken), and vegetable stews featuring eggplant, spinach or mirliton ($9). This last was the most exotic so I decided to try it, while my friend opted for the "poisson rouge," the priciest item at $13. There was also "poisson blanc" for $9, but they'd run out during the busy lunch hour when the resto is often packed to the gills. To drink, there's fresh papaya juice, lemonade and Malta Corona, not malt liquor but a fizzy, slightly sweet beverage that tastes like Ovaltine soda.

We took our seats and a little while later one of the two matrons who staff the place came over with a tray laden with the main courses. One was a whole red snapper--bones and head intact--steamed to flakiness and adorned with sliced onions and red peppers atop a thin, tasty sauce.

The other consisted of a bowl of dense, aromatic stew, filled with diced carrot, onion, cabbage and parsley stems, all simmered with spices that made even the lima beans taste good. The mirliton turned out to be the Louisiana name for chayote, a light-green ridged fruit you may have seen in ethnic grocery stores. It added a pleasant texture and mild squash-like flavour to the dish. This meal is not a vegetarian choice, though, as there was a big piece of stewed beef in there too.

Both plates came with two pieces of plantain, flattened into discs and fried to a semi-crunchy texture. The Haitian-style "bananes pesées" weren't as moist and succulent as the Salvadorian version I'm used to, but still made a nice accompaniment. You also get a choice of plain white rice or red beans and rice known as riz collé, a delicious Creole food staple. Made with long-grain rice, kidney beans and flecked with red chillies, it was as close to New Orleans food as I've had since my last trip there.

No one mentioned that soup or salad was included, but one of each cheerfully showed up at the table halfway through the meal. The salad was pretty basic: lettuce, a slice of tomato and no dressing that either of us could detect. But it was thoughtfully garnished with fresh watercress, which is extra good for you. The soup was a heavy, creamy pea concoction that was a little hard to dig in to after the sizeable amounts of food we'd already consumed and the increasing noise level around us. It's worth noting that you can get meals to take out too, and you can be sure to easily find a cab to get it home while it's still hot. :

Au Bec Fin JRR

Address: 5607 Parc

Phone: 278-6134

Hours: Mon-Sat noon-7pm; closed Sun

Best features: homemade Creole cooking, tropical tastes

Vegetarian friendly: no

Credit cards: no

Wheelchair access: yes

Alcohol: no

Price: $10/person before tax, drinks or tip

Rating: HH1/2 out of HHHH