Jamaica Patty Co. – Covent Garden, London

The last time we ventured down New Row in Covent Garden, was to review the European debut of Singaporean curry puff chain Old Chang Kee.

This time, however, we decided to review patties originating from the Caribbean Islands and a small eatery that’s championing “The Fresh Flavour of Jamaica”.

Founded in 2013 by Jamaican-born entrepreneur Theresa Roberts’ “inability to find the flavours and aromas of straight-from-the-oven patties in London”, Jamaica Patty Co. is aiming at “bringing high-quality Jamaican food to the UK”.

With decor inspired by the colours of the Jamaican flag, this 13-cover eatery, with seating for five on the ground floor and a further eight in the basement (where the yellow roses on each table are freshly changed every single day!), also has renowned Jamaican Chef Collin Brown behind the helm.

Jamaican Prime Minister, Andrew Holness, visits JPC!

Having been the first Caribbean chef to be awarded the prestigious AA Rosette Award for excellence, and twice voted Caribbean Chef of the Year, Collin and Theresa have put together a simple and straightforward menu.

Of course, it’s their selection of freshly baked meat, fish and Vegan patties that take centre stage, proudly being displayed in a large cabinet at the entrance.

And it appears Jamaica Patty Co. has acquired quite the reputation too with no less than the Prime Minister of Jamaica, Andrew Holness, having visited the establishment on more than one occasion when in town.

The restaurant also offers a loyalty card that rewards customers, who buy 9 of their Blue Mountain range coffees, with a free serving on the 10th.

NOTE: Apart from the beef, spicy beef and curried goat patties, everything else is Halal.

Blue Mountain Blend Latte £2.45; 100% Blue Mountain Americano £2.75

JPC’s own brand Blue Mountain coffee is imported to the UK in green bean form and roasted here to ensure freshness. We Espresso roast 100% Blue Mountain beans as well as more traditionally Medium roasting them.

We went for the Blue Mountain Blend Latte and the Blue Mountain Americano. Although coffee connoisseurs will certainly appreciate these, our take on them is that while the former was creamy, with a touch of bitterness to it, the latter, which was more watery in consistency, was more strongly bitter. In the end, we required the sachets of sugar to dampen said bitterness.

Old Jamaica Ginger Beer; Ting – £1.00 each

While some of you may have spotted the Old Jamaica Ginger Beer (containing 4.9g sugar) in some supermarkets and passed them by, you probably wouldn’t have come across Ting (containing 3.5g sugar).

The fizzy Ginger Beer was nice and sweet, with the ginger, “made with authentic root ginger from Jamaica since 1988”, being light and fragrant.

As for the Ting, then this wasn’t quite the “zesty fruit fizz” promised on the tin. Instead, this grapefruit drink had a touch of citrus therein and no more.

Take out £3.95, Eat in £4.75

Ackee & SaltfishJerk ChickenChicken

Ackee & Saltfish

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Wow! Of the three patties tried, this was the stand-out one for us. Covered by the crumbliest most delicate pastry one could hope for, was a moist, potato-like mixture, which exuded a mellow fishy aroma, before ending in pleasant heat.

An absolute delight, and one which, given its lightness, we could have easily devoured twice over.

Jerk Chicken

Another tremendous patty this, with the combo of the scallion, Scotch bonnet and “pure Jamaican” jerk sauce imparting some fantastic flavours into the soft shredded chicken, which ended on a really surprising floral note that ambled in the background.

Chicken

Another really good patty, with a relatively moist, minced chicken filling that had a satisfyingly mellow spiciness to it.

Curried Goat £7.95 (out), £8.95 (in) – served with rice & peas and coleslaw

There was no holding back with the spices in this Curried Goat. Too often do we find cuisines in central London evidently compromising on the spices and chilli that would otherwise be utilised without any concerns.

That’s not to say that this was uber hot, far from it. But, there was enough there to enhance the meaty-cum-fatty richness of the curry and those tender chunks of goat meat.

As for the rice, then in spite of its inevitable reheated quality, it was otherwise well made.

It should be noted that, ordinarily, the Meals are presented in fairly deep bowls and paired with coleslaw.

Jerk Chicken £7.50 (out), £8.50 (in) – served with rice & peas and coleslaw

The chicken is gorgeous, flaky and moist, with a good level of spice to it, and enveloped in plenty of jerk curry sauce.

Banana Bread £2.20 (out), £2.65 (in)

This was another superbly made item. You can’t complain when your cake, in this case Banana Bread, is full of the flavour it promises while being entirely moist and sumptuous. Went perfectly with the aforementioned Latte.

Devon House I-Scream – 1 scoop £2.00, 2 scoop £3.00, 3 scoop £4.00

This trio of Jamaican Devon House I-Scream scoops were really very good.

The Choc flavoured one had a firmer texture than the others, and a deep chocolatey taste which we really enjoyed. No ice crystals here folks!

As for the Vanilla, then this was soft and delicious, while the Ginger which, though subtle in and of itself, was soft scoop and almost sweet overall.

What’s more, at £4.00 for 3-scoops, this is excellent value for money!

Grace Sweet Plantain Chips, Green Plantain Chips

These were actually pretty darn addictive. For one, and unlike some dried-fruit crisps currently on the market which are hard and chewy, this range actually had a crispy texture.

Our favourite was the Sweet Plaintain Chips, with the Green counterpart being slightly thinner, less sweet, and almost earthy in taste.