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| - The Real Jerk made headlines earlier this year when it fought against an eviction against condo developers. This was a Twitter-worthy event, with an online petition at SaveTheRealJerk.com.
Located at the corner of Broadview and Queen, The Real Jerk is a cultural icon, a landmark, and a local favourite. They've been around since 1984. If you need proof, just look to their wall of fame with accolades from Now magazine, and Eye Weekly.
The restaurant interiors brought back scenes from the movie Cool Runnings were the locals gathered at a restaurant to watch the Jamaican bobsled team race off against all odds. You definitely get a feel of "The Island" here. Banners of Appleton Rum span across the ceilings with palm trees and a whole lot of colour.
I stopped by to grab some take-out en route home from work. After perusing their menu online I decided on the Jerk Chicken + Oxtail Combo ($12.50) and the Ackee + Cod ($13.50). Both come with a side of slaw.
My favourite of the two was definitely the jerk chicken and oxtail as the chicken was flavourful and tender. The oxtail just melted off the bone with a few gelatinous parts.
This was the first time I had tried Ackee, which is the national fruit of Jamaica. The fatty acids in Ackee make it a creamy fruit. At a first glance, an inexperienced eater may mistaken it for scrambled eggs. While texture-wise it is reminiscent of a smooth, scrambled egg - it has a slightly bitter finish to it. I took them up on their suggestion of ordering a side of dumplings to go with. The "dumplings" was a knotted "donut" which tasted exactly the same as the Chinese "Ox Tongue Pastry" () minus the sweet. Hey - there are a lot of Chinese-Jamaicans after all?!
All their mains are served on a bed of spiced beans and rice and a side of slaw. Their slaw embodied the a perfect balance of sweet, creamy and salty without being watery. It was fresh and refreshing!
V E R D I C T
While The Real Jerk is by no means a pop-up restaurant, I'm glad I got to try it in its original location before its closing. One main is probably enough to feed 2 people, and the food itself is comfort food at its best. There is (limited) parking towards the rear of the building.
So check it out soon... because it'll be gone before you know it!
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