(This venue is closed.) On my earlier visits to these premises, conversations were conducted in English, Dutch, and Javanese.
The owners of the bygone Surinamese restaurant Warung Kario traced their ancestry to Indonesia; at this successor business, the lingua franca is Sranan Tongo, a creole language also called Taki Taki. (English or, if you prefer, Dutch will still stand you in good stead.)
Also newly introduced is a creole chicken casserole called pom (shown above on the steam table, and below in a platter, $12). Pom's namesake ingredient, pomtajer, pomtayer, or simply tayer, is a New World tropical plant that yields a starchy tuber. Under the name yautia, it figures in Puerto Rican alcapurrias, and as malanga, it's transformed into Haitian akra. Shown below: a closer look at a scoop of pom, which hints at the casserole's undercurrent of sour orange; a spicy condiment referred to as "pepper" but composed in large part of chicken liver and gizzard; and bojo ($2.50), my dessert, a cassava and coconut pone.
The restaurant, which opened in March, is still sorting out its hours and menu. Most items prepared for any given day should be available by midafternoon, but, to assure your party of the freshest and most varied fare, calling ahead might be wise.
Caribbean Suriname Restaurant
128-12 Liberty Ave. (128-129th Sts.), Richmond Hill, Queens
718-848-0058
www.CaribbeanSurinameRestaurant.com
