Jerk chicken with grilled plantains, rice and peas, and stewed cabbage

Just about ten thousand miles separate the island of Jamaica from the more than 7,600 islands of the Philippines. I wouldn't know this tidbit, except I'm sitting in a particular eatery in Vista that happens to serve food from both cultures, and have turned to the internet to find out exactly how much a world apart they are.

JamPinoy is not a fusion restaurant (though I wouldn't be above dipping one of its mini lumpias in its curry). It's a joint venture between romantic partners Clement Edwards and Evangeline Bush—his background Jamaican, hers Filipino—that recently made the leap from farmers market stand to restaurant startup.

Chicken adobo with pancit noodles

Lightly decorated with nods to both countries, the cafeteria style counter shop, built into a former Subway, replaces bins of cold sandwich ingredients with hot bins filled with a handful of dishes from each side of the menu. You may order dishes a la carte, but the general idea is to make it a meal with a combo plate. And that will look different depending which cuisine you choose.

The Filipino dishes offered may include pork or chicken adobo, beef giniling (sort of a picadillo), and stewlike pinkabet. In the tradition of Phillippines' turo-turo ("point point") establishments, it may be easiest for customers to point at whichever looks best. Point to one item ($11) or two items ($14) and your combo plate will come with rice, pancit noodles, or both for a buck extra.

The Jamaican side takes a different approach. A small or large combo features one dish, priced differently depending whether you opt for jerk or curry chicken ($13/17), curry goat ($16/18), braised oxtail ($17/22). These combos are served with grilled plantains, stewed cabbage, and rice and peas (the name of the dish, which typically features rice and beans).

And, if you like, you can create a combo featuring both cuisines by adding some a la carte Jamaican food to your Filipino combo.

Lumpia served at JamPinoy

This is my first impulse, but I decide I want my JamPinoy all. And to me, that means eating chicken adobo and jerk chicken in one sitting, while also eating pancit, plantains, and rice and peas. Add to that an order of lumpia (six for $3), and I start to feel like I'm making the most of the occasion. But there's more if I'm hungry enough: daily specials, soups, whole fried fish ($8 pompano, $6 tilapia), and Jamaican hand pies (chicken or beef, $4).

Braised meats and cafeteria service rarely yield photogenic plates, regardless of cuisine, so temper your food snap expectations entering here. You may not taste anything exceptional, but you will find a good value, even if you stick to the food of one culture. or another. And though putting two cuisines side by side makes it tempting to compare them in terms of quality, I think that too is a fool's errand. I could say I liked the jerk chicken meal best, but most of the other customers during my visit seemed devoted to the Pinoy menu. Either way, we're not so many miles apart.