If necessity is the mom of invention, then not having sufficient area should be its midwife.
Regardless of its outstanding spot within the Deptford Yard market, Caribbean takeaway Jerk Yard appears to get far much less passing customized than its neighbours, corresponding to Taca Tacos. One can solely speculate as to why. However maybe such industrial pressures are a cause why their menu has grown in dimension, whilst their premises stay restrictively cosy. In any case, few issues can reshape a menu like the necessity to earn some coin.
Jerk dishes at Jerk Yard
Of all of the jerked proteins out there at Jerk Yard, probably the most ordered will inevitably be the basic jerk rooster. At its finest, it was an exemplar of what this dish will be, the smoky char of the deftly singed pores and skin breaking up and transitioning seamlessly right into a beguiling mix of citrusy sweetness, spicy warmth and moreish tang.
Sadly, there was a big degree of inconsistency. The jerk rooster was so alarmingly bland on a subsequent go to, that I briefly questioned if it had come from a Jamie Oliver chain restaurant. But on one other, jerk wings flapped their manner again to their earlier glory, or near it at the very least.
In the event you’re a vegetarian within the temper for jerking round, then the halloumi is the way in which to go. The jerk seasoning and sauce clung tightly to the skinny slices of cheese, its daring flavours a high-quality match for the heft and relative denseness of halloumi.
Vegetarians shouldn’t be tempted by the jerk soya – the burnt, bitty and bland strips had all of the attraction of a unfastened plaster floating round in a swimming pool. Small, considerably comfortable prawns had been one other unsuccessful try at offering another for meat dodgers.
Meaty mains at Jerk Yard
Ox tail was served on the bone, as is correct and correct. Though not as tender because the model at Yah So, it was nonetheless satisfyingly hearty. Whereas the sauce wasn’t as sticky as Yah So’s, it was simply as moreish and with a fruity, fiery undercurrent to it.
Curry goat was arguably even higher because it had a deeper, richer meatiness. Dense but tender and earthy, occasional mouthfuls had been blessed with fattiness or rivulets of connective tissue. A cinnamon-like heat to the sauce meshed completely with jollof.
Patties and different dishes at Jerk Yard
The patties suffered from related ranges of inconsistency because the jerk rooster, with the pastry starting from easy, flaky and hearty to being so comfortable as to be bordering on mushy. The meat and cheese filling had a suitably milky, viscous contact to its easy, modestly spiced and evenly meaty filling. The lamb variant, alternatively, was unrecognisably mushy and bland.
When saltfish was mixed with potatoes into wee savoury truffles, the impact was that of evenly salty and fishy hash browns. Crisp then fluffy, these had been immensely pleasant.
Saltfish mixed with flour made for gently chewy, puffy and comfortable fritters. This multifaceted texture – dotted with bits of dense, flaky candy fish – jogged my memory a little bit of oden, however condensed into a few mouthfuls. They had been much more delectable when taken with the evenly spiced tang of the jerk-ish sauce. All of this makes it much more of a disgrace that Jerk Yard has taken these saltfish truffles off its menu.
Plump, springy, nutty and hearty beancakes had been high-quality conveyors for the spicy warmth of the jerk seasoning and sauce.
The Verdict
Jerk Yard is clearly able to knocking out some completely belting dishes, however that is undermined by the kitchen’s consistency – or lack of it. Their odd method to vegan/vegetarian dishes, choosing the likes of soya strips reasonably than say callaloo or ackee, has seemingly been formed by the necessity to have all the things stuffable in a bun or tortilla. And in addition I think, by their small premises, forcing them to decide on what will be ready simply sufficient alongside their meat dishes.
The general impact then is much less an expertly remastered basic album, and extra of a Now-style best hits compilation with some decidedly tough, unharmonious cut-offs within the recording. Jerk Yard remains to be a priceless useful resource for Deptford locals, but it surely’s not fairly the standard-setter it could possibly be.
What to order: Ox tail; curry goat
What to skip: Jerk soya
Title: Jerk Yard
Department tried: Arch 10, 4 Market Yard, Deptford, London SE8 4BX
Telephone: 0203 971 0859
Internet: https://jerkyard.uk
Opening Hours: Monday-Saturday 11.00-21.00; Sunday 11.00-19.00.
Reservations? not taken.
Common value for one particular person: £9-£18 approx.
Score: ★★★★☆
