Good jerk chicken is absolutely gorgeous, but bad jerk chicken can be truly terrible. The trouble is it can be difficult to tell by looking at it. The bad stuff might be burnt, dry, stringy, bland and lacking in spice. The good stuff should be smoky, fiery, fruity, moist, crispy and utterly delicious. I've eaten both good and bad that look pretty much like this:
Doesn't look particularly enticing does it? This, I'm pleased to say though, is the good stuff. Beautifully smoky, crisp skinned chicken fragrant with allspice and scotch bonnet chilli. The flesh beneath the skin was moist and the flavour had permeated through suggesting a long, slow marinade. It was also very spicy with a slow burning, lip-tingling heat.
The accompanying rice and peas were also good, rich and sweet from stewing in coconut milk. The vegetables were rubbish (mushy and tasteless) but they're really not the point and are optional. £4.00 for a small jerk chicken meal (a fiver will get you the large which probably includes twice as much chicken). Thoroughly recommended.
A few final notes:
- They have a video on YouTube where the camera pans slowly over fried plantains and dumplings and stuff while music that sounds like it's from the emotional bit of a cheesy 80's film plays. Brilliant.
- The website claims it's in Manchester, but it's very much on the Salford side of the river, next to Salford Central station.
- Finally, I can't take the credit for being the first to find and blog this place. Flavours of Manchester went first and gave me the idea. Thanks again to them.
8/10
Caribbean Flavas
187 Chapel Street
Salford
M3 5EQ
http://caribbeanflavas.co.uk/
Great post. Would love to hear your views on another Caribbean restaurant in Hulme, Manchester. It's called Yaba and they also serve African food. Have a try and let us know what you think?
ReplyDeleteThanks Shiv. I'm not in Manchester so often these days but I'll defo give it a try if I get the chance : )
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