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| - My girlfriend and I just finished our first experience from Cocoa's. We had our meals delivered through Door Dash, and the food arrived promptly, well packaged, and hot. While she ordered the Salted Cod-Ackee, rice & peas, and cabbage dinner, I ordered the Spicy Jerk Pork, rice & peas, and cabbage dinner. We also got a side order of callaloo and two beef patties. I have been to Jamaica before, and am familiar with the ingredients, spices and techniques used in Jamaican food, so I was anxious to try Cocoa's and see how they measured up. Overall, I had a mixed experience, with the following pros and cons:
Pros:
*The food was made and delivered quickly, and exactly as ordered (and at peak dinner time on a Friday evening-nice job !)
*The meat pies were delicious, and tasted fresh
*The cabbage was tasty, spiced adequately, and tender
*The jerk pork was tender, and lots of it (but SALTY!-see below)
*Portion sizes were certainly generous, leaving plenty of leftovers
Cons:
*The salt content in almost everything, but especially the jerk pork, was overwhelming. Seriously, if you have high blood pressure like I do, or are on a sodium-restricted diet, you need to think twice about eating this food. While takeout food served in America is notoriously heavy-handed with the sodium, this was genuinely distracting. I strongly suggest that Cocoa's not mistake 'salty' for 'flavorful'. Believe me, they're two different things !
*I ordered 'Spicy' (because I like it hot!) and the pork was not that hot, and for me there wasn't enough of the fresh allspice taste that is found in truly authentic jerk.
Would I eat here again ? Possibly, but I would probably try something else, or maybe stick to the meat pies. I think Cocoa's is promising, but seriously, go easier on the salt. People can always add more on their own if it needs it.
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