Ma Petite Jamaica

What do you need on a cold and dark winter evening? Exactly, a bit of tropical warmth. Our booking was a little last minute, as we hadn't really thought about arranging something for the last Friday of the year. My wife, who often takes the lead in picking our Friday evening restaurant, suggested this Jamaican place in Camden, not too far from where we live.

We arrived to find the dining room partially full, with Jamaican musing playing and (fake) palm trees. It gave a happy and homely feel to the dining room.

I had never had Jamaican food, so decided that I wanted to try the staples. As my starter I picked the ackee and salt fish, which was served with fried dumplings. My wife chose the chickpea and pumpkin curry. We also decided to share a portion of the jerk chicken spring rolls. All three small plates were very flavourful. With enough hints of scotch bonnets to add a kick, but nothing too overpowering. The dumplings were great for dipping up the sauces.

Because we felt we needed to escape from the cold, we enjoyed a pair of Jamaican Mule cocktails, with our starters, and later mains. The first set was half price as it was still happy hour! There were also a number of Jamaican beers on offer, with a Red Stripe on tap.

I selected the curried goat with rise and peas as my main course. My wife wanted to order a wrap, which they were no longer serving, although they were on the menu. She ended up with their vegetable curry with a roti. Both were excellent.

Our only regret was probably ordering too much food. One and a half starter, and a full main per person was certainly too much. But that's not the worst problem to have if your dinner was so tasty.

Fried Dumpling, with Ackee and Saltfish

Curried Goat