Review: Plan.taine (Victoria Island, Lagos)
The other day, I was felt like trying something different and stumbled on Plant Taine. Plant Taine is a new “casual upscale” Caribbean restaurant in Victoria Island. I visited without a reservation and they made room for me so, yeah, shout out to them for that.
The interior is absolutely lovely and the background music gives all the vibes of Jamaica. In their words, “… the concept is to create an exceptional space where the service, ambience, meal, and drink offering transports every visitor on an indulgent trip to the Caribbean.” They definitely nailed the vibe.
Anyway, let's get to the food shall we!
My starters took about 35 minutes to come out, which made me a bit irritable. I ordered the Plant Taine Corn Fritters with Ackee and Saltfish. Given they promise to transport you to the Caribbean, I came in with the mindset of being blown away by the flavors. So, my first bite into the corn fritters, I was like bleh. It wasn't great but was not bad either. The ackee and saltfish was good though, it was spicy yet mild and the bread was super fresh.
For my main, I ordered the Jerk Chicken because I want it to feel like in Jamaica in my mouth. Duh! Unfortunately, I was not impressed at all. I've had Jerk Chicken from other places and it's always a feast for my tastebuds. But it wasn't the same here. Their jerk chicken just tasted like regular roast chicken and jerk spice sprinkled over it. Imagine the disappointment on my face, but we move. The sweet potato fries that came with it on the side was pretty good so it’s not all bad.
I decided to give Plant Taine one more chance in this visit and ordered the Curry Goat with Rice & Peas. This is the only meal I had here that I was somewhat happy with. It was nice, tasty and the portion is perfect for one person. The goat was super tender and literally melts in your mouth. The curry was not overwhelming thankfully. It had such a good balance and I enjoyed it.
The Plant Taine bar wasn’t untouched. I ordered two drinks - a mocktail, Sunrise on the Beach, and a cocktail, Rum Punch. The mocktail was not spectacular and tasted super diluted, but the rum punch was okay. The rum was really punching LOL.
Where I lost it, though, was the dessert. Not all restaurants get it right with dessert but they usually try. At Plant Taine, this was not the case. I ordered an Apple Crumble and what I got was not an Apple Crumble. It tasted like wet granola with apples and some sauce.
It was terrible.
I did make sure to let them know and they really did not have anything to say or do so I got it up and called it a day.
Will I be visiting Plant Taine again? I doubt it.
POSTSCRIPT
3/10 for me.
VERDICT
DAMAGE
Corn Fritters – N3800
Curry Goat – N8500
Ackee & Saltfish – N5400
Rum Punch – N4400
Jerk Chicken – N4500
Apple Crumble – N3500
Sunrise on the Beach - N2600
PRICE RANGE
N4000 - N10000