myTobago – your questions, review and comment about Tobago

Hello all,

Pennysavers Canaan seemed to have very little fruit available, and there was a limited selection at the fruit stall just down the road too.... can anyone tell me the best place to buy a good selection of fruit and vegetables?

Thanks
Lisa

Hi Lisa,
Wish I could give you a positive suggestion. We have been coming to Tobago for a long time and unfortunately the selection and quality of veggies and fruit (maybe not so much on the fruit) has gone right down hill. On that note, a few suggestions.. some people swear by the Canaan Fruit Basket (on the main drag going from the Pennysaver towards Scarborough...before Golden Girl Bakery). I have had some issues with the quality of veggies in the past. But I will say I got a decent bunch of parsley last week. There is also a Friday & Sat market in Scarborough....most of what is sold is not from Tobago, but brought over from Trinidad. Prices tend to be high and everyone is selling at approx the same price.
It pays to check around and see who has the best selection. There are also vendor selling in the Market parking lot other days (even though they're not suppose to)...sometimes you get better quality from these vendors.
Another possibility is a trip out to Hope Beach on the weekend. Again it's produce from Trinidad, but the price and quality is considerably better than the Scarborough market. Chief problem is a small selections of items. Maybe some members can offer other suggestions....I too could use some. Does anyone know of a local farmer selling???
In general, it's some what of a shock as to quality and selection after shopping at home. We're very spoiled in Toronto.
Cheers,
Carol

While looking through many Tobago articles I've been seeing lots of pictures of Fruit, vegetable and juice stands, Im sure there must be lots of fruit and veggie vendors around! Perhaps some of our Tobago experts can help out!

Yes, Richardus there a lots of fruit and veggie stands. They mostly sell the same stuff.....
oranges, bananas, provisions (starchy root veggies), coconuts, imported soft apples or not great looking carrots from Canada,etc. And it's hard to tell from photos what the fruits and veggies look like. This is a problem is you are living here and cooking for months at a time or even for a week....which I think is why Lisa was asking for some information. If you're just looking for some snacks, staying at a hotel...it's not a problem. I try to cook a lot with local fresh ingreds but it's getting hard to do so. I can buy twice as many processed things at the Pennysaver than when we first started coming in the 90's. Both good and bad!!
Cheers,
Carol

A visit of the market in Scarborough can't harm

As for local fruits, some of them are just not sold in shops or fruit stalls as nobody would buy them (except for tourists), because everybody has a tree in the yard.
If you go up the country side, you may find children selling by the road side, what they just picked in grandma's yard.
Local cherries, mango, chenette etc., which you will NEVER find in a shop. Here is were you can buy the real thing !

I'm surprised that no one knows about Public Demand, which is located in the street behind Jacob's Plaza, Bon Accord. We get all our fruit and veg. from them. The prices are very competitive and on thursdays and fridays you get the freshest goods. (closed on sat.) i think the number is in the book. have a good one.

The place Ian talk about is on First Village Street in Bon Accord, the problem is that there's no street sign, very common in Tobago.

Heading to the Airport:
- you pass Penny Savers, on the right hand side you have a number of low flat houses
- after the last house you have a small street inside on left hand side, turn in
- you have Jacob´s Plaza on the right hand side
- turn right and you are on First Village Street and the shop is on the left hand side some 50m away

Heading from the Airport:
- you have a bus stop on the left hand side in front of a church building
- turn right in to Kilgwyn Bay Street, you pass a small local shop
- turn left next and ou are on First Village Street and the shop is on the right hand side some 2000m away

Thanks Iain and Ronald,
Iain, had not heard about this place...will try to check out next week or whenever we are down at that end on a Thur or Fri. Great to have another place to shop for veggies and fruit.
Ronald, I was trying to imagine Jacob's Plaza and the surrounding area and couldn't quite figure out where the it was located after passing the Pennysavers and the school....to the left or to the right. You solved the problem!
Cheers,
Carol

Hi Ronald

Nice one! I didn't know Public Demand either. However, we're doing a review in that kneck of the woods, so this morning I popped down there, hoping they would be open on Carnival Sunday. And they were! My, what a good find. I was a bit sceptical when I found it (excellent directions, thanks) because there was nothing but a few boxes of plantain outside. However, what a surprise inside. Best of all, the staff were really helpful.I'm useful at choosing the best fruit, so relied on their help and came home with a ripe papaya, 2 grapefruit, a pineapple and a bunch of lovely bananas, all for a very reasonable TT$62. We had papaya, grapefruit and bananas for breakfast and they were as good as they go. Delicious! I hope I'm make all you good people in cold climates jealous!

So, a great tip Ronald - it will certainly be our first port of call for fruit and veg in future.

I've added a marker for Public Demand on our interactive aerial/satellite map of Tobago. I hadn't bothered to take my camera with me, so haven't got a GPS fix on the exact location, but hopefully have identified the correct building. Either way, its near enough for people to find it. I'll call by and get a fix within the next few days and adjust the marker, if needs be.

Hi Steve

Yes, it's close enough, when they reach that area, they just can't miss the shop.

I also wonder why the Bakery at the main road in Bon Accord seems not to be there, Rosies Bakery I think is the namn, it seems not to be on the map. Maybe I doesent see clear enough, to many beers?

When you heading to the Airport, you pass the central Bon Accord and the little Roti Shop on the left hand side beside the road, you also have a car repair place thereafter and after that you have this bakery on the left hand side. They also serve food inside, take-away and always fresh bread, much better and cheaper compared with the bread you buy at the super markets.

Hi Ronald

That's another one I don't know. I'll try to check it out but can't visualise it from the directions. Can you direct me from the airport direction as well - between the two, I'm sure I'll figure it.

Steve,

the bakery is on the stretch between "four roads" and the new gas station, on the left hand side going to the airport.

There's a small stand on the road that intersects the airport and Sandy Point. We got everything we needed there during our two weeks vacation -- lettuce, tomato, onion, garlic, banana, apples, pineapple, etc. It's right near Cafe Iguana. We stop there nearly every day.

Thanks for your help while we were in Tobago.

Pennysavers stock improved greatly while we were there....I guess we went on an off day initially, because the selection got alot better later in the week ( not great, but had basics such as lettuce, cucumbers, tomatoes, spring onions and alot more fruit too).

Lisa x

Steve

Nothing about this veg.shop, but as you adjusting the map into this area, maybe you can adjust something else in Bon Accord too?
Have a look at Penny Severs, opposite (nearly) you have Parmax Pharmacy inside a big building.

That building was a kind of a small Local Mall, but that is gone and so the Pharmacy. The whole building is now in use of Standard's, sales of furniture a.s.o. for houses. I don't know where the Pharmacy did move, maybe to the Lowlands Mall?

Hi Ronald

Just been out to stock our fridge and cupboards, so took the camera along and got a GPS fix and photo of Public Demand fruit & veg shop. I was actually a whole street out - silly me! Anyway, the store was as just good the second time around, so I think that's sure to become our favourite for fruit and veg. I've also added Canaan Food Basket, because that's a pretty good choice as well - but Public Demand takes top slot on our recent experiences.

I've added Rosie's Bakery as well. For some silly reason I had that listed in our restaurant/cafes, but with the wrong position. All corrected now though.

Yes, you are quite right about Pharmax pharmacy. I noticed that the old mall had been demolished last year and left the marker in, figuring they were rebuilding it. But, as you say, its now entirely the motor distributor. Don't know where Pharmax have gone. The is a pharmacy in the Gulf City Mall, and I've added a marker as its the sort of thing visitors need to know the location of, but their name escapes me.

Thanks for the updates - keep them coming.

Quick update. The pharmacy in the new Gulf City Mall is called Bhagan's Drugs - so no idea what happened to Pharmax Pharmacy. If anybody finds them or knows, please let us know. There are precious few pharmacies on Tobago, so I try to mark them all on our interactive map and on our [url=http://www.mytobago.info/medical.php]Health & Medical page (Information menu), so if anybody knows of any not listed, please let me know.

Hi

I've been using this site for over 5 years and have never joined before now. Pharmamax has moved and the directions are as follows: From Crown Point area along Milford Road just after the small playground on the left, before you reach the Primary School and opposite The Green Shop (local rum shop) is a parade of small outlets. The pharmacy is the last building in the group. This is well before you reach Penny Saver. Hope this is of help.

Val Lappin

Hello Val

Welcome aboard! Glad we've managed to convert a 'lurker' to an active poster.

Thanks for your input - very, very much appreciated.

From what you're saying, you seem to be identifying Sinanaan's Pharmacy. There are four long low buildings with a parking area in front (fairly close to the traffic light crossing and turning on the opposite side down to Store Bay Local Road). The entrance to the four buildings (which include a local community centre/play group or similar) is on the left of the complex. They've been Sinanaan's for years and were still open two weeks ago (when I last used them) but perhaps they've changed name or been taken over by Pharmax?

Hello Steve,there is a pharmacy in the general store on Wilson Rd .If you are walking towards up town turn left into Wilson Rd and a short distance down on the left there is a store that is the main newsagents, there is or was a pharmacy in there.
David