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| 4 Inverness Street London, NW1 7HJ |
Located on the catwalk of Camden Town, Ma Petite Jamaica is one of the new editions to the North London restaurant scene, offering an authentic taste of tropics.
Beach hut in its appearance, the décor is vibrant, lively, and definitely inspired by the laid back 'irie' Caribbean attitude. I was welcomed by a friendly bartender, and waiting staff who directed me to my table. I’d already had a peak at the menu online ahead of time, and had decided that I was in a ‘Jerk’ mood.
Having missed happy hour, I decided on a mocktail. Although
it’s always cocktail o’clock for me, their mocktail list appealed to me more that evening.
In no time at all, drinks had arrived and for once – I was
really pleased with my choice. If you’re after a soft, fruity pallet teaser, Raspberry Ripple should be your ‘go to’.
Now... time to choose mains. Unfortunately unrepresentative of true Caribbean culture, some caribbean restaurants have developed the tendency to provide dead end answers when discussing the availability of items on their menu; such as ‘No’ or ‘Only’. For example:
Me: ‘Can I have jerk chicken and white rice please?’
Waiter: ‘No jerk chicken’
Me: ‘Ok can I have Stew fish instead please?’
Waiter: ‘No stew fish left’
Me: ‘Alright, well let me get a lamb pattie and festival’
Waiter: ‘Only veg and chicken left’
You now see my point?
Not only do I often leave without what I really desired, but also leaves me questioning what on earth happened to good old fashioned customer service.
I was really looking forward to this combination but when I
saw the waitress walk back over to me, I already knew where this was going. “Sorry, the chef said
we don’t have roti. Would you like rice with it”. So at this point, I’m
disappointed. Very, very disappointed. With rice already coming with my main, I
opt for sweet potato wedges instead.
It arrived pretty quickly, but still in my feelings about
the roti. The curry was super creamy and coconutty, infused with caribbean spices -
just what the doctor ordered. As the menu suggested, roti was definitely the
perfect accompaniment for this dish but no point crying over spilt milk; the
sweet potato wedges were very soft and easily ‘dunkable’.
I wasn't as impressed with the my main, unfortunately. The fish tasted
overcooked, and really chewy. The jerk sauce, however was flavoursome and I
could see how it would Bang on chicken. My friend had Curry Goat and rice,
didn’t speak once, and cleared his plate. Guess I’ll be ordering that next
time.
Time was getting on and didn’t really fancy dessert (for
once in my life) so we picked up the bill and bounced.
This was a definite Chew – a friendly Caribbean restaurant
that despite the hick-ups in the beginning, really impressed me. Returning is
for definite solely to make that Chick Pea and Pumpkin Curry, with Roti love story happen!
Overall WOM Rating: CHEWS
Can.x
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