Likkle Jamaican Dumpling House
Curt Saunders
Cooking has been a lifelong passion for Alicia Hines, owner and chef of Likkle Jamaican Dumpling House. “But being the child of Jamaican immigrants, my parents stressed education first,” she says. “To me, food was a luxury and not something I could think about doing as a career.”
The high-achieving Crown Heights native studied English at Princeton and got her master’s from NYU in American Studies. She went on to teach English at Horace Mann School in the Bronx, where she ultimately served as academic dean. After more than a decade as an educator, in 2017 Alicia received a startling breast cancer diagnosis, catalyzing greater perspective about opening a restaurant — this persistent idea that had been increasingly occupying space in her mind.
“I just couldn’t see a way to do it because I was busy educating all these students,” says Alicia, 48. “Then one of my students said, ‘You know, Ms. Hines, you’re always telling us to follow our dreams and do the things we want to do. When are you going to do that?’” So she decided to take the leap.
In May, she opened Likkle Jamaican Dumpling House in Clinton Hill. Among other fusion dishes, the concept kitchen and lending library specializes in signature dumplings infused with Jamaican flavors (think jerk chicken, or oxtail and callaloo), prepared with traditional Chinese techniques.
Curt Saunders
Curt Saunders
Curt Saunders
“I was trying to come up with something that could be quick and nourishing and still representative of Jamaican cuisine.”
Curt Saunders
Curt Saunders
Curt Saunders
Curt Saunders
Curt Saunders
Curt Saunders
While many restaurants emphasize turning tables and getting people in and out the door, Alicia sees Likkle as a community space for slowing down.
“I’m a devout student of meditation and mindfulness, so I deliberately wanted to create a place where our folks can feel comfortable and connected to each other,” she says. “And because I’m a teacher and I’ve always been a reader, I couldn’t leave my books behind.”
Combining two of her greatest loves — food and books — the restaurant doubles as a library where diners are invited to peruse contemporary and vintage books, mostly by Black authors, on race, gender, art, music and politics, plus more practical topics like finance. Customers can sign up for an $8.84 library card to borrow from the curated collection, three books at a time.
A couple of weeks after Likkle’s February soft opening, however, the coronavirus struck and the city shut down. Alicia pivoted to takeout, later expanding the business with a welcoming deck for outdoor dining, showcasing live bands and DJs every weekend. Recent performances have included an impressive acoustic reggae and rocksteady set by Full Watts Band and record spins by Sabine Blazin and Rich Medina — it’s an entire vibe.
The restaurant recently won a $25,000 grant from the Discover Eat it Forward campaign for Black-owned businesses, allowing Alicia to build a roof for the deck and get heat lamps for the winter. Growing the business under extraordinary circumstances is especially meaningful for the Brooklyn native, who now resides in Harlem. “For me, it means coming home,” she says. “Being in what some people would call the ‘New Brooklyn,’ I want to give a taste of Old Brooklyn.”
“I was trying to come up with something that could be quick and nourishing and still representative of Jamaican cuisine,” Alicia says of Likkle’s Jamaican dumpling concept, which is also inspired by the island nation’s diversity and mix of culinary traditions. “I thought a dumpling would be a nice little bite for people to experience all of it.”
Made fresh and coming six to an order, the juicy dumplings are an exceedingly tasty morsel, drizzled with a spicy sauce of pomegranate, balsamic and scotch bonnets. We’ve enjoyed the jerk pork, veggie and spicy crab varieties, but depending on the day — the menu changes daily — you might also find curry scallop, oxtail, jackfruit or smoked duck options.
The menu goes far beyond dumplings, with a flavorful, constantly shifting selection based on what’s best in the market. We recommend the green curry mussels with garlic toasts, duck fried rice topped with crispy scallions and a fried quail egg, the watermelon rocket salad with feta cheese and pepitas, escovitch red snapper with fried bammy, and the cold sesame noodles. Among other dishes offered in rotation are soft shell crab bao, glazed pork belly, head-on peppa shrimp, a jerk chicken sandwich, and fried chicken drumettes with sweet plantains.
“I’m kind of used to being a lone voice in the wilderness,” Alicia says of her fusion approach. “I want people to experience the spice and flavor of Jamaica in a food context they’ve never really had before.”
884 Fulton St, Brooklyn, 347-463-9750, likkle.nyc
