Empress Island Vibes Cuisine

I was in the area running errands on a busy Saturday and I went on Yelp to find something in the area for lunch. Island Sensation Cuisine was close by with good reviews and Caribbean food so why not try it out.

Callaloo dinner with rice & peas, plantains, callaloo, and added a side of macaroni and cheese. The rice tasted stale, the callaloo was filled with stems hard to eat without picking out every minute, the macaroni and cheese was ok.

I wanted to like this place the staff were very friendly and accommodating unfortunately I won't be back.

— Kam

Oh boy! Here we go! I had a craving for Caribbean/Jamaican food! This place was highly rated and I liked what I read. We arrived approximately an hour after they opened on a Saturday. There was one customer waiting for his to-go meal at one of the high tops. We were the only couple for dine-in at the time. I scanned the bar code at the hostess station for the menu. After reviewing the menu, my wife decided on Jerk Wings. I opted for the Brown Stewed Chicken meal with rice n peas and braised cabbage, and a side of Oxtails. The jerk wings came out first. Then the other two dishes followed almost immediately. The wings had just a hint of spiciness, but it lacked the usual Jerk chicken spices (Scotch Bonnet peppers, all spice, thyme) I'm use to. I don't think any salt was used either. It was just bland. The Brown Stewed Chicken was cold at first bite. Before arriving here, I mentioned to my wife nearly every Jamaican/Caribbean restaurant I dined at, I experienced reheated food. I suspect this establishment was no different. The dish wasn't reheated to a safe temp. Unfortunately this dish was also bland. No seasoning detected. The rice n peas were good. The cabbage were OK too. The Oxtails were tender, almost too tender to the point of overcooked. How old was this dish? How long did it stew the day before? The dish was not hot, but warm. I can't believe this dish was also flavorless. I suspect these were also reheated. All three dishes were one dimensional. Maybe paprika was used as the main ingredient? The only problem I have with reheated food is sometimes they lose their flavor; especially after a few days. The other problem as a diner is I don't know how old the reheated food is.
This is where my concerns as a diner become valid. Two hours after I dined there, as I'm watching TV, my stomach started gurgling. Three and a half hours after I dined there, my stomach started cramping. Four hours afterwards, I had a blowout! It was my only meal of the day; so naturally all signs pointed towards what I recently ate. I think back to the temperature of my dishes. I wish I had a better experience because I was really looking forward to this place. I was generous with the three stars because the staff were really nice. Side note: I am also a cook, a pretty good one I admit. I also been to the Caribbean a few times and dined at excellent Jamaican/Caribbean restaurants in California. Note 2: My wife had a few bites of my two dishes and she had a little diarrhea the following morning. So yeah, it was the food!

— Victor

Everyone's incredibly nice here & the food was tasty, flavorful & filing. I got the oxtail, callaloo & cabbage. Their gravy is gluten free so thankfully I could enjoy everything here & I look forward to coming back some time. Mildly spiced but very flavorful. Definitely recommend! Best oxtail I've ever had, by leaps & bounds. If I could give a higher rating I would. Yum! Ate too much haha but I'm happy about it.

By a happy happenstance the restaurant a couple doors down, one of my favs, was closed so we were excited to discover this place. Also tried their ginger beer, which was basically a great ginger version of a strong lemonade. More sugar than I can usually have but my blood sugar was low so it was an extra win today in particular. Really great find!

— Aspen

This is one of my favorite Jamaican spots to eat. The Mac n cheese is my favorite and ackee and salt fish.

— Laysha