There are words, such as fish, furniture, and moose, that are both the singular and plural form of the root noun. You observe a school of fish, move all the furniture, and run from a stampede of moose.
Why has this turned into a grammar blog all of a sudden? Because my next list item is another one of these interesting words, although not as well-known. In fact, it’s so easy to misspeak the singular version of doubles that Time Out even did it by saying I should taste a “double”.
The food here are doubles, whether you eat one or two. I’m glad I did my research before ordering one so as not to embarrass myself. Doubles are a very traditional Trinidadian street food that are often eaten for breakfast or as a late night snack. The sandwich consists of two (why do you think they’re called doubles?) fried flat breads spread with curried chick peas (called channa), hot chili sauce, and a sweet tamarind sauce. They’re wrapped in a sheet of paper (presumably to soak up all the grease) and handed to you for less than a subway ride.
A & A Bake and Doubles call themselves the Doubles King (which sounds like a card shark) and I imagine the title is fitting. The storefront sits on Nostrand Avenue in the heart of Bedford Stuyvesant and it’s smaller than you can even imagine. There are two folding chairs in the store and what looks like a set of stairs leading to another room. But the main attraction happens up front where you order your doubles through a plexiglass window. We came a little later than breakfast on a Friday and were lucky enough to encounter no line. I’ve heard the wait for these little snacks in the mornings can be interminable.
The doubles is (are?) not much to look at. It looked like a rolled up, messy wad of dough. But the presentation is beside the point. This little guy was delicious. There was a world of flavors from the richness of the chickpeas to the sweet tartness of the tamarind to the spicy chili sauce to the buttery softness of the flatbread. They worked so well together to create a fantastic afternoon snack.
It’s not something I would immediately think of as a breakfast food, but I could see why they are popular in the morning. You need something bold, yet not overwhelmingly spicy, to awaken your tastebuds and prepare you for the day to come. And the flatbread are reminiscent of pancakes. The more I tasted it, the more I understood and yearned to be a part of the culture that knows when ordering one, you still call it a doubles. Although why would you want to order only one?
Would A & A Bake and Doubles’ Doubles make my Top 100 of the Year? Looks aren’t everything and these unattractive Trinidadian veggie friendly snacks prove that by getting an 8 of 10. They taste a million times better than they look with warm, balanced flavors and a very modest price tag.
