Review: JERKKIES (Farringdon)

Spending in excess of a fiver for my lunch is not really my modus operandi, something you may have gleamed from my last blog, where I reviewed a bunch of Easy Cook noodles, all which retailed at 45p a pack or less. Another life hack I am extremely fond of (even if my waistline isn’t), is that every Monday, the Metro have promotional vouchers for McDonald’s, where you can get fries and either a Big Mac, McChicken sandwich, Quarter Pounder or, my personal favourite, filet o fish, for a mere £1.99.

These are two very purse-friendly options, but too much of anything can make you sick, so I strove to take advantage of my office’s Farringdon location to exercise some variety with regards to my lunch, and sample some of the local talent. And that’s how I found myself at Jerkkies, a fast-food joint that claims to produce ‘authentic Caribbean cuisine’.

I had the lunchtime deal, which was one of a selection of chicken dishes (or vegetarian equivalent), along with rice and Peas/ white Rice, steamed vegetables/green Salad and plantain for £6.50. I went for the chicken stew, because the gravy which the chicken had been cooked in looked (and smelt delicious).

I was happy with my selection, given that the element I could control turned out to be the best part about the meal. The stew had a fabulous taste, even if individual pieces of meat in it were hit and miss – some were succulent, other parts tasted bland and chewy. 

There were other missteps in the takeaway container, too. The white rice and peas had been lazily cooked, and the vegetables were soggy and low-quality. These components, graciously, were redeemed by the plantain, which I doused in generous amounts of sweet and sour sauce (it was free, so naturally, I helped myself), and tasted heavenly, the s&s sauce really coaxing out the plantain's texture.

So overall, a satisfying amalgam of flavours, where the tantalising taste of the stew masked some of the cooking shortcuts the chefs made with regards to the vegetables and rice. It was certainly a memorable lunch in a week where I’d been feasting on noodles. I’m glad I sampled Jerkkies, and I have no doubt that I’ll get a craving for the unadulterated in-you-face character of its creations one day in a few months, and saunter back. But for £6.50, I was hoping for more.

B