In April of this year, I traveled to Japan with other alumni of my college men’s choral group to perform a couple of concerts with counterparts from Kyoto University. It was a great trip, with the two locations being Kobe and Takamatsu. In Kobe, I made sure to eat plenty of Kobe beef, along with other great traditional Japanese fare like soba and curry. Early in the trip, as I would walk back and forth from our hotel to our rehearsal venue, I noticed a Jamaican restaurant, and I couldn’t help but wonder who in their right mind would want Jamaican food in the middle of Kobe! But later, as I was walking back to the hotel, I encountered the restaurant’s owner Noel just outside the front door, with a huge smile on his face, energetically encouraging passersby to stop in. I figured, what the hell, why not?
It turned out to be one of the highlights of my trip. The food was fantastic, and quite authentic (Noel was born in Jamaica and married a Japanese woman after moving to the country). I had the jerk chicken, which was tender and juicy, with excellent seasoning. It was so good, I told my fellow singers about it, and ended up coming back twice with them. The second time, I had the ackee and saltfish (ackee is a Jamaican fruit that is similar in taste and texture to avocado), which was amazing. The third time, I had the brown stew fish, which had a lighter flavor but still delicious. One of the friends I brought had goat curry, which he thought was some of the best he had ever had.
Besides the excellent food, Noel was a wonderful host. He is extremely friendly and jovial, with a fascinating history – for a while, he was in a '60s soul group from the UK, and toured around the globe (which is how he ultimately settled in Kobe). If you’re ever in Kobe, I highly recommend stopping by his restaurant – you won’t be disappointed!
