Back to Reviews

Caribbean and beyond

Exotic tastes from around the world tucked into an inconspicuous strip mall

GREEN COCONUT TREE: Teaca Jackson serves up a plate of Oxtail, rice and peas, stir-fried vegetables and plantains. Photography by J.M. Simpson

Email Article Print Article Share on Facebook Share on Reddit Share on StumbleUpon

Green Coconut Tree

Where: 8813 Edgewater Dr. S.W., Lakewood 253.473.4444,
Hours: 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday-Saturday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday
Cuisine: Big servings of Chinese, Vietnamese and Jamaican dishes - curries, wontons, pan fried noodles, seafood, pho bowls, egg rolls, oxtail, jerk chicken, tofu
Scene: Super casual, family friendly with an international diner feel
Drinkies: Jamaican juices and special blends, ginger beer, cream soda, lemonade, bubble tea, fountain drinks
Prices: $1.65-$12.95

ANNOUNCER: A brother duo with a knack for cooking island dishes has taken over Green Coconut Tree in Lakewood. To embrace the existing clientele, the business savvy brothers added Jamaican dishes - their specialty - to Green Coconut Tree's previously Chinese and Vietnamese dominant menu. Not known to pass up new or exotic tastes, Jake and Jason decided to explore the Jamaican items. Tucked next to Forza Coffee at the tricky intersection of Edgewater Drive, 88th Street and Steilacoom Boulevard, it can be difficult to get into the parking lot. Make the effort.

JAKE: Green Coconut Tree is a casual restaurant with simple furnishings and minimal décor. Two flat screen televisions on either wall had me mesmerized like staring into a fire. The place was clean, and we were given cloth napkins - a nice, unexpected touch. Jamaican menu items were completely foreign; the young girl who waited on us was patient. I blindly ordered a drink made from boiled sorrel leaves, ginger and sugar. It arrived on ice in a plastic cup with a lid, a vibrant beet purple color and tasted sweet, tart and tangy all at once. I'm in love.

JASON: You always did fall hard and fast. I would have liked a plate of plantains to start, but there weren't specific Jamaican appetizers offered. Explorer hats on, we decided randomly selecting a few dishes was the best way to tackle this island adventure. First up: salt fish and butterbeans. Instead of tomato, okra chunks mingled with butterbeans, green and white onion and pieces of flaky, tender cod. It was salty. We'd been warned. A side of lightly sautéed green cabbage, broccoli and julienned carrot nested next to a generous helping of white rice cooked in coconut milk. Red beans gave the rice a rusty pink hue, and the mild sweetness of the rice and beans diluted the sharp saltiness of the fish. I'm glad two plantain slices were the garnish; I would have hated to punch my brother. A bottle of grapefruit soda called Ting washed the cod down and actually made it better all around.

JAKE: Too salty for you? You ate more than your share. Pig. Second dish: vegetable stew. We were thrown by this one. Ladled on a plate instead of served in a bowl as expected, it closely resembled stir-fried veggies. Green bell peppers, broccoli, a paltry amount of baby bok choy, more cabbage, large strips of white onion, and flat pieces of carrot with snow peas and baby corn made up the veggie medley. Most retained that pleasing snap that indicates a freshly cooked product. More mildly seasoned, thin plantain slices again rode shotgun. Mmm, plantains.

JASON: We definitely got our fill of coconut rice and beans; it accompanied all dishes. Dish number three was another stew not served in a bowl and my favorite so far. Yellow curry goat was finger-licking good. Some find it too gamey, like duck or lamb or rabbit. I love good goat, but beware of the little bones hidden inside super moist meat. I used my fingers to feel out the bones and discard them. Jamaican food has haunted me ever since I went to East Brooklyn almost two decades ago. My sluggish heartbeat from an overly full stomach contradicted how happy I was to get this food from my youth somewhere local.

JAKE: Oh yes, the summer you went to find yourself after graduation. When you came back it seemed you'd lost the ability to shave. The majority of the Jamaican dishes were described as having fresh thyme in them; yet, so little was actually used I couldn't taste it at all. Kind of bummed by that.

JASON: The missing thyme bummed you out? Try a lack of dessert. I felt like a teenager at the end of what I thought was a sure thing date who got a peck on the cheek instead. We were told some sweets will be available soon. I'm hoping for gizzada (coconut tart in pie crust), shamsuku (boiled coconut, spices and sugar), rock cake (cookie with nutmeg, raisin or candied orange), and Jamaican rum fruit cake, which is nothing like the holiday joke most Anglo-Saxons associate it with. Heck, I'd even settle for mango, banana, and tamarind, or guava ice cream.

Read next close

Food Matters

FEEDBAG: Sunday works, cooking classes, beer news ...

Comments for "Caribbean and beyond"

Comments for this article are currently closed.