The Deal: The Caribbean-with-a-twist menu was apparently developed with Chef Adjey and it feels exciting, if a bit ambitious. Perhaps that explains why several items were unavailable on a recent lunchtime visit: no peanut dusted dry ribs, no cod fish fritters, no jerk hamburgers, no sautéed snapper escabeche. It was a discouraging introduction. Despite offering a few more sophisticated (and more expensive) entrées such as grilled curry shrimp and blackened tuna, the menu is largely geared to student appetites (quesadillas, turkey club wrap, wings, nachos — as well as an inexpensive all-day breakfast menu). Rumour has it banana martinis will be served soon. According to a follow-up story on the Food Network blog, the restaurant’s long-awaited liquor licence may finally be in-hand.
The Dish: Here’s a restaurant truism: if it’s in the name, it better be good. I ordered the signature dish, the Jerk Chicken, and was actually blown away. It surpassed all expectations. In fact, it was one of the juiciest, most flavourful, crisp-skinned specimens I’ve eaten in a restaurant in a very long time. A half a bird was presented on a bed of cumin-infused rice and beans, the breast meat cooked to perfection, and removed from the bone before serving. Garlicky sautéed collar greens tasted fresh and lemony and provided a perky contrast to the delightfully complex sweet heat provided by the meat’s judiciously applied sauce and seasoning.
The Cost: entrée range from $7.49 to $18.99; Jerk Chicken is $14.99
The Giggling Jerks, 332 Wilbrod St., 613-695-5375.