By Avery Amaya-Adle, Contributor
Near the corner of the Pacific Coast Highway and Walnut Street in Lomita, stands one of the great Caribbean food joints in the South Bay. The Good Life Cafe stands at 1841 PCH but holds somewhat odd hours for a normal cafe, only open from 5 to 11 p.m. with the exception of Sundays where it’s open from 12 to 5 p.m. according to its website.
I arrived on a Friday at 6:45 p.m. and although the restaurant is large on the outside and considering the time and day, I assumed the place would be bustling with life. Entering the cafe proved a different scene. A large empty space to the right as you enter, and a normal but also empty traditional eating area with tables and a bar to the left are the two main areas of The Good Life Cafe. Three tables were filled on the left side with people waiting for orders and watching March Madness Basketball on three TV monitors perched nearby. Large and various Caribbean flags were draped along the walls of the restaurant, as well as posters of athletes like Manny Pacquiao, LeBron James, Lionel Messi, and Cristiano Ronaldo. With no host or waiter in sight, I sat myself at one of the tables.
After ten minutes, a waiter emerged from the kitchen and took my order. The strange and odd feeling I felt as I waited for my food was finally realized as I noticed that the only sound in the cafe was of the basketball game being played on the TV.
After about 40 minutes of waiting, the food arrived, and with the current vibrations of the room, I was skeptical of the food that was now coming, but to my surprise, the food was worth the rest. For $12, the well-cooked pineapple jerk shrimp was sweet and juicy with jerk sauce on top making the plate worthy of ordering. The pineapple, vegetables, and rice and beans were nothing to really remember. These items were not bad by any means and I did certainly eat all of it, but it did lack any real taste that would be worth remembering.
The jerk chicken main course for $16 was similar in that the chicken was extremely well cooked and had the same sweet sauce spread on top of it that I’m still fantasizing about today. It also came with the same vegetables and rice and beans that needed more salt or something else to make it stand on par with the meat.
Two jerk chicken tacos cost $5 total, and again had delicious meat, exquisite jerk sauce but somewhat forgettable vegetable toppings. The welcomed addition of some chopped-up mangos made the tacos even sweeter but not over the top. The shell was fresh but could have been crispier to accentuate the juiciness of the mango. For the price, the tacos are probably the best food option considering what you get.
I was in the mood for comfort food, so I also ordered the seafood mac ‘n’ cheese that came with lobster, crab, shrimp and clams in it for $20. Although I had a hard time distinguishing the tastes between the various sea dwellers, the overall taste was fantastic and decidedly comforting.
Along with all of that, I had ordered the sorrel and the sea moss smoothie, but realized it had never come. I got the attention of the waiter and asked about it, but he said that he probably didn’t have it anymore. After a check in the kitchen, he confirmed this, explaining that he didn’t have the recipe for these drinks since the old chef left. The old chef being Chef Bernard James, who was still on the front cover of the menus. We reached out to the chef but have received no response at the time. This lone waiter then went on to explain that he was the operator, cook and waiter of the establishment for the time being, which of course explained the emptiness or just clear lack of employees in the café. Modern reggae tunes soon filled the air, filling the strange void of silent customers and college basketball being heard from the TV set.
The Good Life Cafe has great food. There is no denying that. And if you are not in a rush, it’s a great place to have food, but even with these setbacks, the cafe manages to maintain excellent and by all accounts authentic Caribbean cuisine.
The Good Life Cafe
1841 Pacific Coast Highway, Lomita
424-263-5408