They are the world

Open for less than a month, The Green Coconut Tree in Lakewood already has a steady packed lunch crowd. The tiny joint serves Chinese, Vietnamese and ... yes a full complement of Jamaican cuisine.

Green Coconut Tree offers many of the dishes one might find in Jamaica: curried chicken, curried goat, curried potatoes, jerk chicken, beef patties, fried plantains, roti, oxtail and beans and rice. The ripe plantains, sliced thin and sautéed with butter and a bit of sugar and salt, come on the side of most plates or can be ordered à la carte. The curries are spicy but not too hot, and the goat in particular is very flavorful.

The jerk chicken sandwich was delicious, if a little small. The saltfish, however, excelled on all fronts - perfectly cooked and spiced, mixed with butterbeans, green onion, tomatoes and fresh thyme, and served with a side of plantains.

Of course I ordered a couple ginger beers to wash it down.

I'll report on the Chinese and Vietnamese dishes next time. Pho noodle soups, rice dishes, chicken curry, Kung Pao dishes, lemon grass chicken, pan-fired noodle dishes, rice vermicelli noodle soups and bubble tea await. - Jake De Paul

[Green Coconut Tree, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday-Saturday, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sunday, 8813 Edgewater Dr. SW, Lakewood, 253.473.4444]

Barrel No. 51 BBQ

Rolling along South Tacoma Way in search of the elusive Barrel No. 51 BBQ truck had me recalling the plate lunch trucks on Maui. Sigh. Once I found what I was looking for, I had a toss-up on my hands between the ground beef sloppy Joe sandwich (highly recommended), and the pulled pork sandwich.

The man working asked me what I liked; I told him "everything" - to which he grinned and replied, "Then everything is awesome." That great attitude made me want to try it all at once, but I knew my personal trainer would make me pay for it later.

I settled on the pulled pork - a tasty choice. Sad for me, but good for them - lunch crowds had gobbled up all the coleslaw by 11:45 a.m., leaving me with French fries as the only side option. Luckily, smoky fry sauce was to die for. The menu tops out at an even and affordable $5 (cash only) and makes for a quick lunch. Be sure to check out the sauces rated by hotness. - Jennifer Johnson

[Barrel No. 51 BBQ Truck, Monday-Friday, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., parking lot of the Pawn4More at 38th & M Street in Tacoma, 2403 South Tacoma Way, Tacoma, 253.228.6300]