Palm Tree Kitchen brings Island flavour to Quinpool Road

Demetrius “Meech” Ferguson is putting the finishing touches on a pair of fried fish sandwiches when a visitor arrives at his newest venture on Quinpool Road, the colourful—and intimately friendly—Palm Tree Kitchen. Soca music wafts over the stereo. The Toy Story VHS tape plays on a 15-inch tube TV behind the bar counter. Palm fronds adorn the restaurant’s walls, from the rum-stocked bar to the shaded patio out back. It feels like a scene transported from the Bahamas, or St. Lucia, or St. Kitts and Nevis—which, in some senses, is exactly what Ferguson is after.

“I’ve been here for almost 13 years now,” the Nassau, Bahamas-raised Ferguson says, speaking with The Coast. “I’ve gained a culture and education. Now it’s time for me to [share] my Caribbean culture [with] everybody else.

“When you’re from the islands, you grow up in the kitchen. I grew up with my grandmother, my great-grandmother, always watching them cook, watching my mom cook… I was always the kid around just learning, watching, observing, tasting.”

Those early culinary influences shine through on the Palm Tree Kitchen menu, from Bahamian baked macaroni and cheese to steamed mackerel prepared with jerk spice, sliced onions and sauteed peppers—“that’s one of our staples; we eat mackerel a lot,” he says.

Sandwiches are served with a side of chips at Palm Tree Kitchen. Credit: Martin Bauman / The Coast

Which isn’t to say the menu caters only to Ferguson’s home country: Dishes range from fried plantains, garnished with pineapple relish and feta cheese, to braised jackfruit sandwiches with guava aioli, to spicy curry shrimp served with mango pico de gallo. Then, there’s the rum—Palm Tree Kitchen offers rum flights, along with a host of rum cocktails.

“We wanted to do something different from everybody else,” Ferguson tells The Coast. “Nova Scotia doesn’t have a rum bar—and [yet] we’re so big on rum [in this province].”

The bet has paid off: In the month since Palm Tree Kitchen has been open on Quinpool, in the former location of The Other Bean Sandwich Shop—a favourite of Ferguson’s—business has been brisk.

“We’ve been slammed every day,” he says.

Palm Tree Kitchen’s rear patio is a Halifax hidden gem. Credit: Martin Bauman / The Coast

That’s made for busy afternoons and evenings in a kitchen with only one bartender and one chef working at a time. Not that Ferguson is one for idleness, anyway—the entrepreneur behind My Father’s Collection bow ties and the former Courtside Sneakers on Quinpool still works mornings as an instructor at Evolve Fitness. (Last year, The Coast’s readers voted him Best Fitness Instructor in the annual Best of Halifax awards.)

“One thing about me, if I’m working, then I’m definitely enjoying it,” Ferguson tells The Coast. “There’s nothing I do that I don’t enjoy. At the end of my days, if I don’t wake up tomorrow morning, everything I did is what I wanted to do.”

WHEN YOU GO

Try the jerk chicken sandwich or tacos—just don’t ask for any less spice.

“There’s only one spice, and it’s going to be hot,” Ferguson says. “Canadians have to build a palate a little bit… If someone comes in and asks for jerk, it’s going to be spicy… I’m not gonna apologize for how we make it.”

The sandwich comes served on a brioche bun with pickled pineapple slaw and mango aioli. The tacos can be bought as singles or in plates of three.