Blue Water Curry & Roti is a family-owned Caribbean restaurant on Victoria Park Avenue.

Established in 1988 by husband and wife duo Khemraj and Chandra Singh, the restaurant has been operating for more than 35 years.

The dining room is small, but mirrored walls keep the space from feeling too cramped. Seating is limited to six small tables, and takeout orders are prepared behind a walk-up counter.

The restaurant's most notable feature is a large mural along the north wall, which depicts a jungle landscape next to a shining sea. This mural, painted by artist Barbara Reynolds, was finished in just two days.

Seeing this painting up close brought back memories of my Guyanese grandparents. As a child, they would often take me to Blue Water for roti and potato balls. I was young, so my memories are a little hazy, but the mural always stood out to me.

Khemraj and Chandra's son, Tony, explains that the family has made a conscious effort to preserve the mural.

"We try to keep it clean," he says. "After we wipe it down, it looks brand new."

Tony began running the business in 2020. Though the restaurant had always been a significant presence in his life, Tony never intended to take it over. It was only after his parents announced their retirement that he stepped up.

Tony tells me that his decision was influenced by the client base. He understood how much the restaurant meant to the community and wanted to keep it running for their sake.

Since taking charge, Tony has pared the menu down to about a dozen dishes. Caribbean dishes such as jerk chicken and fried bangamary are still at the forefront, but pub classics like fish and chips are available as well.

Blue Water also offers a selection of tropical soft drinks, including Kola Champagne and Ting.

Chicken Wings ($12) come in six different flavours: plain, pepper, barbecue, hot, honey garlic and jerk.

The jerk flavour — my personal favourite — is a dry rub that blends an assortment of aromantic spices together for a subtle yet spicy taste.

Fried Shark and Rice ($13) is a simple but hearty meal, consisting of ten pieces of fried shark meat with a side of red peas and rice. A lemon wedge is served on the side, allowing you to season the dish as needed.

Since this was my first time trying shark, I wasn't quite sure what to expect. To my surprise, the bite-sized pieces were tender and lacked the "fishy" aftertaste I normally associate with seafood.Tony claims that shark is an easy dish to mess up. As such, he takes great care to make sure it's prepared properly.

If you're in the mood for more meat, you can swap the rice out for more shark at no extra charge.Veggie Curry ($10) is a catch-all term that refers to several different dishes, all made from potatoes, channa and vegetables.

We tried the pumpkin curry, a brightly coloured dish served with white rice, tomatoes and cucumber slices.

I poured some pepper sauce on mine to give it a little extra kick, but the curry is quite flavourful on its own. Its sweet, earthy flavour is unlike any curry I've ever eaten, vegetarian or otherwise.

Last but not least is the Goat Curry ($13), which was another first for me.

To my delight, the meat — wrapped in dhal puri — was rich and juicy, with a strong, pungent flavour.Though my connection with my Caribbean heritage is tenuous at best, returning to Blue Water was almost like returning home.

Things have clearly changed there, but the restaurant's most important aspects — the mural, the food and the family behind it all — have remained the same.

Blue Water Curry & Roti is located at 1646 Victoria Park Ave.