(Pickering, Ontario, Canada)

Located just east of Toronto, Pickering is essentially a suburban community. While I’ve spent a lot of time there for sports, I won’t pretend that it is a major tourist destination. But good food can be found in the unlikeliest of places.

In a strip mall close to the lake, we found a Caribbean restaurant called Mr. Delicious by the Beach. I’ve had some uneven Jamaican food in the past, but I was very happy with what was on offer here. I went for the jerk chicken, and was happy with the balanced flavour and spice level. Yes, it was rather hot, but not at the expense of taste.

The opening salad was a nice touch too. I’m not a huge mango fan, but the fruity salad worked for me anyway. And they had a nice selection of beverages too, ranging from mocktails to Red Stripe and (perfect for spicy food) Dragon Stout.

I can’t tell you about the desserts, because we had enough food already. But the Caribbean cuisine was the absolutely correct food choice after an afternoon of practice on a hot, sunny green. In fact, after the next day’s competition (also in the sun), we decided to go to Mr. Delicious by the Beach again!

The second time, I went for the jerk shrimp. Once again, I was very happy with it. Two nights in a row at the same restaurant is not something we do often, but it also is not unheard of. I still remember Xalali in Heraklion fondly!

The last day of competition was plagued by rain, and we weren’t really that hungry when the games ended. We wouldn’t be eating at the same place for a third straight night. But we now have another dining option in Pickering…a place we find ourselves in quite regularly!

On the drive home, the weather cleared and we saw a rare double rainbow between Brighton and Trenton. I managed to get pictures of both ends too (see photo at the very top of this post). Next up…something that I planned to write about quite a while ago!