The restaurant started as a food truck in 2017 but made its way in between 13th and Meridean and 13th and West st. The location of the restaurant is convenient for students during lunch time as well as being close to two sides of town. Even for those far from the location, it is completely worth the drive.
From the outside the building itself is spray painted with colorful graffiti and tropical palm trees. As you enter the small building, the room was filled with smiles and hospitality. The smell is similar to your spice cabinet at home which makes customers feel at home.
Every customer that entered the room was greeted and attended to fast. The area is limited up to only about 16 available seats inside, but it did not take away from seating outside. The side of the restaurant closest to 13th street was blocked in by a fence with tropical decor around and was filled with soft sand under your feet. A DJ stand is set up for weekly live music hosted by Sorrel’s like Final Fridays, and Reggae Sunday’s. By having both the graffiti and outside seating decorated - especially at night - in that manner made the experience feel as though you were in Jamaica, as well as made it more authentic.
As we looked over the menu options it is shocking to see the amount of options which also included different jamaican styled drinks. Our top choice was the chicken curry with fried dumplings which was 10$ without tax. At first a person may think it is too much for one plate but we soon discovered the size did not compare to the amount of food in it which was more than enough for two people.
We decided to sit in front of the chef where we watched the chefs magical hands cook authentic meals first hand. By being able to watch the chef it makes you feel as though you're a guest at someone's home patiently waiting to be fed. The chef proceeded to fill a styrofoam box with the meal and pace it infront of us.
The chicken curry was served with rice and vegetables.The smell was a mixture of sweet and various spices.”I work across the street and would be able to smell the food all the way from over there. It smelled too good!” Bre, a loyal customer said. At first glance the chicken curry was scary to even touch due to the unique display of color. As we continued, we realized how similar the curry was to a Hispanic traditional dish called Asado Verde. The taste of the Chicken Curry was subtle but makes you feel warm inside leaving you wanting more. The white rice, similar to Asian White rice, added little flavor but mixed with the vegetables, and curry the combination made an incredible sweet and salty meal. The fried dumplings also added a sweet crunchy taste on the side that filled you up quickly. The taste was not overly sweet but balanced the whole meal out.
Sorrel’s has added a unique delicious taste to the food realm in Wichita. Both the atmosphere and food deserve more advertising than it gets.
