Tag Archives: jerk chicken

Lick it up, lick it up @ Miss Likklemore’s

Now, I’m not a member of KISS, but I did stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night, bro! We’re hanging out at Miss Likklemore’s, this funky family-style Jamaican joint on King West, where they’re serving up all kinds of Caribbean classics. We’re talking jerk chicken, oxtail, mac pie, escovitch fish… and even a super-legit lamb that’s all part of the jam, fam!!!!

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Let’s save the best for first, bro! This braised oxtail was fall-off-the-bone tender, served in a nice gravy that wasn’t too rich or too spicy. Even if I ate nuttin but oxtail this evening, I’d still be happy!!!

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Now, here’s a dish you don’t see every day. We’re talking crab fried rice, with all kinds of crab (it’s hidden in the middle), and they’ve even got some crab legs on top. Shut the back door, bro!!!!!!

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Sticking with seafood, this escovitch style snapper is battered and fried to perfection, with a nice, citrusy kick. Ja mon, as they say in Germany!!!!

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Of course, I couldn’t come here and NOT order jerk chicken, bro! Half a jerk chicken is 35 bucks, and I ate half of it myself. The chicken was moist and juicy, and the gravy added a nice kick. But I’m not sure it was much better than the 5-dollar daily special at Ritz Carribbean Food…

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Now, when we went to Chadon Beni a couple weeks back, they had these “Mac Pie Bites” that were really just mac ‘n cheese balls. So when I saw mac pie on the menu at Likklemore’s, I felt like having my own personal Cheesus, bro! Tasty, creamy, cheesy — nothing wrong with that at all!!!!

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But now we’re saving the second best for last with this lamb platter. You’ve got a super-tender lamb shoulder with a few mini rotis — I totally made a taco outta this. It might not be authentic Jamacian, but it’s Jamaican its way straight down my piehole, bro!!!!!

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Now, the name of this blog ain’t Burgers, Bacon & Rum, but they’ve only got Red Stripe, Carib and Dragon Stout in the beer department, and a rum list that runs over 100 deep, including some from countries you wouldn’t even expect, like this Companero Ron Elixir Orange, coming straight outta Denmark! This one was sweeter and didn’t cut through the Coke as much as the other ones I tried, though.

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Who knew they made rum in Fiji, son? This Plantation Isle of Fiji reminds me a lot of Kraken Dark Spiced Rum, which I drink whenever my team plays against the Seattle Kraken. (Good thing I’m not an Avs fan, eh?)

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Up next, a Barbancourt 8 Year Special Reserve from Haiti. This was the strongest and most flavourful one… that I combined with Coke, anyways.

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And for dessert, we’ve got chocolate mousse, topped with peanuts and caramel, and paired with a Dzama White Prestige from Madagascar that really knocked my socks off! Let’s just say I be jammin’ tonight, bro!!!!!

Ah-ah-ah-ah, Jerk Lobster!!!

Now, we’ve had lobster a few different funky ways on Triple B, whether it was the 1.5-pound lobster roll at Smoked & Cracked (RIP), the Typhoon Crispy Lobster Mountain from Dine & Dim or the grandpappy of them all, Fishman Lobster Clubhouse’s 15 pounds of flavour. But one thing we haven’t tried until now was jerk lobster. I didn’t even know that was a thing, bro!

So, we’re hanging out at Patois, the legendary Jamaican Chinese joint on Dundas, which is now back at full capacity. I’ve already ordered takeout from dem a couple times during lockdown, so I know the food’s legit…and now they’re about to kick it up a notch!!!!

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With jerk in the name, I figured it’s gotta be spicy — the waiter even warned us — but there wasn’t really any heat in this dish. Turns out it’s cooked with jerk butter, which definitely adds flavour, but not much of a kick. Now, what puts this ahead of other crispy lobster dishes we’ve destroyed is they pair it with tater tots instead of frozen french fries. You KNOW I gotta have my tots, bro!!!!!!!!

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But that’s just the first act of this festival of funk in Flavourtown, son! We’re going to town on this $169 feast for four, starting off with Jamaican patties, kale salad and crispy Brussels sprouts. OK, so this wasn’t my favourite part of the feast — but hey, those Brussels sprouts weren’t too shabby…

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These Caribbean side dishes ain’t no side chick, son! We’ve got coleslaw, rice & peas, shrimp chips and my personal favourite — Trini Mac Pie. Dude, any dish that combines mac ‘n cheese and pie has gotta be one of the all-time greatest culinary creations in Flavourtown, bro!!!!

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But you KNOW this party’s just getting started in here, Bro-k Eyed Peas! Here come the hotsteppah — jerk chicken, fried chicken, and a pair of double smash burgers served on a Chinese pineapple bun!!! Oh, and they happen to have an extra-special secret ingredient…

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Now, I dunno if you can tell from this angle, but they actually put Hickory Sticks, my all-time favourite chips on top of this burger! Patties are pretty tasty, too, and the pineapple bun adds some extra sweetness… Can this night even get any better, bro!!!!!!???????

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You can totally order some fruity, tropical cocktails at this place — but since this blog ain’t Burgers, Bacon, Wray & Ting… I had to order a beer. Patois’ beer selection is pretty solid, too, with craft brews from Beaus, Blood Brothers, Cowbell and Fairweather alongside your Red Stripe and Dragon Stout. They’ve even got this Cowbell Citra Smash juicy IPA on tap, which is actually more fruity than hoppy at 40 IBU, and goes pretty great with Jamaican food, if I don’t say so myself…

TORONTO’S TOP TAKEOUT: Take a bao (or three), bro!

Now, I once put an entire Peking Duck between steamed buns, son, so when I heard about Mean Bao, this funky little chain serving up steamed buns all over this city, you KNOW I had to check it out! They might not have duck, but they’ve got two kinds of chicken, three kinds of pork…and unfortunately the one I ordered from was all outta beef, but they do have it on the menu, too.

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We’re starting off with the classic pork belly bao. This bad Momofuku in Flavourtown is super unctuous, with a nice kick from the hoisin, a coupla cucumbers and the bun just melts in your mouth. Eat your heart out, David Chang!!!

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Now it doesn’t get much more Toronto than this — jerk chicken inside a Chinese bun, son! The pulled chicken has a decent kick, but not too spicy, and there’s a whole pile of cool, creamy coleslaw on top. We be jammin’ this straight down de piehole, mon!!!

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And now we’re about to funk it up another notch. This Sloppy Jones bao is sorta like a Sloppy Joe, except with ground pork instead of beef. And it sure lives up to its name! While the other two baos stayed together, this one had stuff falling out all over the place — the bun even broke across the bottom, making it sloppy AF. But you know what I say, if it ain’t messy, it ain’t tasty, bro!!!!!!!

 

PATIO LIT EATS: Fountains of Flavour @ Casa Loma Gardens

Now, last weekend at Cabana was probably the prettiest patio I’ve been to since this whole thing started. But this place has gotta be a close second. We’re hanging out at The Gardens at Casa Loma, this massive castle courtyard at a local tourist attraction. Now, I’ve eaten inside at BlueBlood Steakhouse before, but this was something totally different:

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What we’ve got here is a crab cake BLT with a side of jerk chicken lollipop wings. When I ordered ’em, I thought the wings would come out first, but hey, it’s not like I can’t eat two things at once. And for the record, I did NOT ask for a side salad — this dish couldda came with fries, but the server didn’t even ask what I wanted on the side, and just assumed I needed salad… Yo, don’t shame me, bro!!!

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It ain’t no thing but a chicken wing, though! These lollipops packed a punch from the jerk marinade, but the pineapple salsa helped cool things down…although I had to scoop it up with a fork cuz it didn’t stay on top of the chicken. I could probably pound, like, 17 of these, but then I wouldn’t have room for crab cakes:

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While this sandwich does have all the necessary ingredients — bacon, lettuce and tomato — there’s no question that the crab cake is the star of the show. Breaded and deep-fried, it’s coming in hot and crunchy, with some added crunch from the slaw, and a soft bun to bring it all together. Hey, it’s no Maryland crab cake, but I still can’t complain!

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When it comes to beer, you won’t find any craft here…unless you like Mill St Organic. (And there’s nothing wrong with that at all.) But I prefer the nice, summery taste of a Hoegaarden wheat beer from Belgium. They don’t have the massive pint glasses you’ll normally find this beer in, but a couple of these brewskis will still hit the spot, son!!!

TORONTO’S TOP TAKOUT: Takin’ and bakin’ some real-deal Jamaican!!!

Now, I’ve never been to Patois before… but I did have their Jamaican patty double-down sammy at Union Market a few years back, so I knew their food’s legit. And when I found out they were delivering care packages of heat-‘n-eat Jamaican classics, you KNOW I had to get in on that, bro!

Now, their half pack was meant for two people, but if you’re stuck in self-isolation, there’s probably enough food here for two full meals — in fact, that’s just what I did.

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So, we’re starting off with a Jamaican takeout classic — jerk chicken with rice and peas and coleslaw. And lemme tell ya, there was more than enough coleslaw for two people here! Now, the chicken leg was alright ‘n all, but when I bit into the breast, that’s when the magic happened…

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Dude, this breast is the best! The meat was super tender and juicy, the skin gets a little extra char from being reheated in the oven, and there’s a little bit of spice, but not too overpowering. Of course, I washed it all down with a Jamaican ginger beer…

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And even after slaughtering a half-chicken, rice and peas, and at least a pound of crunchy coleslaw, you KNOW I still had room for dessert, bro!!!!

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Now, I’m guessing they don’t chow down on this dish in Trenchtown — but it doesn’t get much more Toronto than rum cake tiramisu! You’ve got cocoa, you’ve got marscapone…but instead of ladyfingers, it’s a real-deal Carribean rum cake underneath! I’ve had rum cake from the Bahamas, and this one was definitely on point!!!

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Now, since we went with the Jamaican classic dinner on Friday, tonight was more of a buffet of flavours from the rest of the delivery order. You’ve got stewed oxtail in a rich gravy, a couple itty bitty beef patties, Trinidadian-style mac pie, a side of plantain chips with garlic sauce…oh and some kimchi brussels sprouts. Yeah, I dunno how those got here, either.

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Now, even though I probably needed to reheat it longer than they suggested, the oxtail meat still came right off the bone — these are like little baby beef ribs in Flavourtown! The patties were nice ‘n hot after 15 min in the oven, the plantain chips with the garlic sauce was a nice, tasty snack and that mac pie, man…I wish I could have mac ‘n cheese shaped into a pie with every meal — there’s nothing wrong with that at all!

On the other hand, I wasn’t as much a fan of the kimchi brussels sprouts, a dish served cold like revenge. Now, I don’t mind kimchi with Korean BBQ, but the bitterness kinda clashed with the oxtail gravy and everything else — one of these tings was not like the other, mon!

Oh, and speaking of Ting…

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This Jamaican 7-Up goes pretty good with spicy food — although the only thing that was really spicy about tonight’s meal was the pineapple scotch bonnet sauce on the side. (I still got a bunch of it left to make some hot wings, or something…) For an extra 25 bucks, Patois will add a six-pack of Red Stripe to your order, but I gotta say, I’m glad I stuck with the Jamaican soda. Yeah, we be jammin!

Whole lotta jerk wings for 8 bucks @ Southern Accent

You know me–this is body by chicken wings, bro! And I’m all about finding the best deals on wings in the city, whether it’s hitting up a couple friendly neighbourhood bars on Bloor West, or destroying four pounds of AYCE wings at St. Louis. Now, I’ve been to Southern Accent before for some badass blackened chicken livers, so when I heard they had jerk chicken wings on special on Thursdays, for just eight bucks an order, you KNOW I was ready to get back on that horse, cowboy!!!!

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Now, normally when you’re thinking jerk chicken, it’s gonna put a little fire in ya wire. But that was definitely not the case here. On a scale of one to wingsanity, these were pretty mild. But the meat was nice and tender, and the seasoning was quite tasty… Let’s just say they go pretty good with a beer:

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Way up high in the atmosphere, it’s Elora Borealis, from the Elora Brewing Co in Elora, Ontario. This pale ale was light, not too bitter, with just a hint of lemony freshness. Now, while they also had specials on bourbon this evening, the beer was not half price–this pint cost me just as much as a whole order of wings, bro!!!!

My jerk chicken wrap brings the boys to the yard!

So, check it out. We’re chilling like a villain in the courtyard at Brookfield Place, where they’ve got this local, real-deal, farm-fresh summer market on Wednesdays. There’s these little stalls serving up sausage, veggies and cheese, but the one that everyone lines up for is the Jamaican stand. Not only have they got patties, but they’re funking it up with this double dose of deliciousness–the jerk chicken roti wrap:

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Dude, this is like Caribana in my mouth, bro! You’ve got a multi-layered blanket of cornmeal goodness with some thick chunks of chicken and potato on the inside. The bird is nice and tender, with a good kick, but not too spicy. Washed it down with a ginger beer, which didn’t really soothe my soul–the fizz from the bubbles only put more fire in my wire!!!

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Food Truck Feeding Frenzy Friday: Jamaican me hungry, Randy!

(Originally written January 13, 2014)

Wait, Toronto has a food truck scene?  I mean, I’ve occasionally seen a couple trucks parked on Front Street or at the Molson Amp in summertime (beats the hell outta Pizza Pizza), but shows like Eat St. and, well, Eat St. would have me believe that the mobile feeding units aren’t nearly as prominent in this city as in other major urban centres.

In any case, a recent surge of waterfront construction has brought the trucks out of hibernation to feed construction and office workers alike at the foot of Bay St.  Though they’re not exactly out in full force—they’re only setting up one per day, due to space constraints.  That said, I’ll be braving the (not-so-unpleasant) elements to line up for street food over the next few weeks because hey, it beats the slop in the office cafeteria any day!

First on the docket is Randy’s Catering, a truck offering Caribbean cuisine.  Unfortunately for me, they were all sold out of roti by the time I got to the front of the line (note to self: arrive sooner), so I settled for the “barbecue jerk chicken” as seen below:

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Of course, you can’t really go wrong with jerk chicken, especially when it’s served so cheaply at many Jamaican restaurants across the city.  On that note, Randy’s $10 price-tag was a little steep, but I was too hungry to haggle at this point.  The rice and peas had a good spicy gravy, while the coleslaw contained crisp cabbage and the chicken was nice and moist.  But I didn’t understand why they poured some squeeze-bottled barbecue sauce over top.  It just didn’t really jive with the rest of the dish.  I guess that’s putting the “barbecue” in barbecue jerk chicken, though…

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