Come for the idiot, don’t worry about the sweat. This place consistently receives 5-star reviews despite its unconventional cuisine and setup, but once you taste their food, you’ll know exactly why.
At Scotchies in Ocho Rios, on the northern shores of Jamaica, you can see the smiling cooks, drenched in sweat, working on giants, steaming slabs of giant slabs, steaming slabs of pork, and the crispy mounds of chicken.
Jerk in his prime
I’m a big fan of hot Jamaican spice, particularly on nondescript road joints like this, which is Scotchies’ original location; others are in Montego Bay and Kingston. This is a classic country restaurant serving typical, genuine and absolutely delicious chicken and pork.
Whole chickens and giant slabs of freshly mashed pork, heavily doused with jerk sauce and spices (and well, maybe a bit of sweat) are heaped on pepper or dogwood logs and smoked over the fire below, all topped with a giant, well- Uses corrugated metal panels to keep the smoky flavor.
That magical jerk smell fills the dark, dingy smoking room – the work kitchen is open for public admiration, particularly from Americans unaccustomed to the sight. Locals abound and make up the bulk of the clientele, the surest testament to the quality of any Caribbean restaurant.
There are long lines at peak times; We took a Saturday afternoon break and were seated and served quickly. There is also a great outdoor bar to hang out; Take the time to sit and sip with the locals and try to figure out their lilting patois.
When your food is crisp, dark, and moist, the cooks remove it from the heat and separate it, distributing various amounts of steaming, aromatic meat onto giant aluminum plates and pans.
Diners feast in one of the several huts in the gardens, sitting on heavy handcrafted stools of sturdy wood and occasionally being disturbed by a feral cat or stray dog.
Spicy or extra spicy
Jerk is a wonderfully spicy meal, and you can add fuel to your culinary fire with scotch bonnet sauce. But beware: this locally popular cousin of the habanero is one of the hottest peppers on the planet, so a little goes a long way and burns. Try a small dose at first and wait for it to infuse your lips and face with its extensive warmth before loading more. A Red Stripe beer or two or three or more is a good counter for the rising heat of the pepper, just be prepared for some brow sweats.
Our group had giant servings of pork and chicken and gobbled it to the bone in no time, gobbling up the succulent, moist and flavorful meat that was accompanied by generous baskets of Jamaican feast bread – braided tubes of fried cornmeal dough. up to golden brown. We also had toasted breadfruit, a Jamaican staple, slathered with fresh butter and roasted sweet potato, different from its American counterpart in that it is tougher, chewy, more stringy, and incredibly good.
And you get all of this at a low price: At the time of our visit, a full pound of pulled pork was only $ 14 US, and a whole chicken mined about $ 12. Your preparers’ sweat? No additional charge.
Essential information
Scotchies
Drax Hall
Ocho Rios, Jamaica
Phone: 876-794-9457
Hours: Monday to Saturday, from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m., Sunday from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.
