The Islands

The upstairs room of this tiny restaurant brought "Being John Malkovich" to mind; after climbing a steep, cramped stairway, Jim and I found we couldn't stand upright. With Sue, Kathi, and Gil, we did manage to settle in around a table for five; complementary drinks managed to keep us comfortable during the hour our food took to arrive. (Perhaps delivery orders take precedence in this barren zone near the Brooklyn Museum.) Good curried goat platter (small; $8), including especially tender cabbage; the very sweet homemade lemonade ($2) had ginger overtones.

Elsewhere at the table, stew chicken, jerk chicken, and oxtail platters were good; "calypso shrimp" was a little too coconutty for me; mac and cheese, perhaps steamed, was insubstantial; roti was doughy.

The Islands
803 Washington Ave., Prospect Heights, Brooklyn
718-398-3575