Flambo Caribbean Restaurant is moving from its location at 820 N. Broad Street where its been in business for 5 1/2 years to 205 S. 13th Street. Owner Anthony Logan told What Now Philadelphia via phone that he believes in “location, location, location” and that he wanted to be in Center City.
The cuisine and concept of Flambo are based on Anthony Logan’s Trinidadian culture and his belief in true hospitality for his customers. The interior of the new space, which was formerly the Indian restaurant IndeBlue, will be redesigned. Logan told What Now Philadelphia that he just thought he should speak with the owner of 205 S. 13th Street, so he did. The owner immediately agreed that Logan should take over the now empty space.
Logan has decided that the restaurant should be the story of a person who came to America with nothing but ended up with something. He would like to turn the second floor into a beach bar with lounge chairs to allow customers to relax and give people a nice experience.
He continued to explain to What Now Philadelphia that Trinidad and Tobago, with the twin island nations warm hospitality, is a blend of the people of many nations that had come to Trinidad and Tobago like the French, the English, the Chinese, East Indians, and Africans.
The cuisine features a lot of spices and Logan specifically mentioned Callaloo, which is a regional dish in the Caribbean, but has special meaning in Trinidad and Tobago. According to food writer Brigid Washington, “In Trinidad and Tobago, where I was raised, callaloo is so significant, it’s considered the twin Islands’ national dish—even without an official governmental designation.”
Logan also spoke of pork jambalaya, cassava, chow mein, curried mussels, stewed oxtail eschabiche, Roti, and stressed that the menu would be a true melting pot of cuisines.
Finally, Logan told me the origin of the name of the restaurant. In Trinidad, a flambo is a lamp used by families at night when the electricity goes out during a storm. He told me that it was a bottle filled with flammable liquid with a rag stuck in the neck of the bottle. He told me that it was what people in America would consider a Molotov cocktail. It was a very moving moment to realize that what is consider a weapon here is actually a source of light and comfort for Logan’s people. He thought it was important to name the restaurant Flambo so that the restaurant would be a beacon of light for everyone.
