Scotchies Too

March 1, 2013

Drax Hall, St. Ann’s Bay, Jamaica W.I. – Today marks my second visit to this restaurant. I was so impressed last time that I promised myself next time I return to Jamaica, I would come back here. Promise kept.

Scotchies takes its name from the Scotch Bonnet pepper. (It’s similar to the Habanero but a little sweeter – not that you’d notice with that fire burning in your mouth.) The eatery is located on grounds that resemble an estate’s botanical garden. You wouldn’t think there is a restaurant here when you first drive up.

Park in the dirt parking lot and head toward the hanging Scotchies sign. Vines and other plants cover the long walkway leading around to the counter where you place your order. The dining areas are octagonal gazebos, one large main one and three smaller ones. All are wooden. Tables and chairs and the fences are made from debarked tree branches, which blend in very well with the environment. (Apologies for the photo quality. I put it in so you could see how Scotchies does this.). A well-stocked bar is on site.

Glen, my driver for today and tomorrow, suggested I get the fish. That wasn’t part of the plan, but since he recommended it, I decided to follow his lead. What we finally ended up with was a veritable smorgasbord of food: Jerk fish, half a chicken, pork, festival, roasted breadfruit, sweet potato (yam), Guinness, and a Malta. Total for all of that was only US$32. Several sauces are available to go with your meal. We chose the green sauce. We also mixed another container of green sauce with ketchup to cut some of the heat from the spices.

What initially sold me on Scotchies, aside from the taste of their fare, was their traditional way of cooking. The meats are cooked over pimento wood and covered with corrugated zinc sheets. You’ll find that most of the best jerk centres around the island cook this way. What distinguishes one from another is their jerk seasoning

Everything is constantly being cooked so it shouldn’t take long to put your order together. Ours was presented to us after only a couple of minutes. We took our haul back to a table and dug in. Here’s how it breaks down:

Starting with the festival, it was slightly sweet. Light in consistency so it won’t fill you up too fast. They were a little longer in length than most.

A new experience for me was jerk fish. Scotchies did a wonderful job here because it was well seasoned without overpowering the fish. It is topped with okra, onions, and red bell peppers, then wrapped in foil and cooked over the fire. The juices from the fish and vegetables inside actually end up steaming the fish inside the foil, with the vegetables imparting their own flavors into the fish. The result is a very tender fish with a light jerk flavor. Very juicy. Though I much prefer grilled fish to steamed fish, I was pleasantly surprised as Scotchies’ version was much better than I expected it to be. I wouldn’t mind ordering it again. Thanks, Glen.

A dry jerk seasoning was used on the chicken. The seasoning could have been a bit stronger. It did taste like most of the flavor was in the skin. The meat itself had a light smoky flavor. Our half chicken seemed to have two personalities: the white meat was a little dry while the dark meat was much more moist.

The pork was cut into chunks; cubed, basically. Like the chicken, most of the flavor was in the skin. And, like the chicken, it could use a tiny bit more jerk seasoning. I did taste some of the smoky flavor in the pork.

Breadfruit, to me, is very bland. I will usually only have it if it is roasted. When roasted, the breadfruit takes on some of that smoky flavor. Scotchies’ version was roasted just about right. I did like their breadfruit. It was a nice compliment to all of the meats we had.

Glen says there are about 18 varieties of yams across the island. I’m not sure which type we had. It did taste a bit gritty, but other than that, it tasted like a roasted yam. No much else to say about it.

After coming up empty three times in a row at Cuban restaurants back in the states, I finally got to try a Malta…which I promptly knocked over right after I put it on the table. What remained in the bottle tasted a lot sweeter than I expected. Kind of like, um, a malt. It was also heavier than I expected. Though it was sweet, it did cleanse my palate very well in between the different meats.

If you could try jerk chicken in only one place while you’re in Jamaica, make sure it is this place. Traditional jerk cooking is what brings people in. Be aware that it is fast losing its ‘island secret’ status as more and more visitors from outside of Jamaica are finding out about it. Even guests from cruise ships make a point of visiting. Of course, locals love it here, too. I plan to stop at Scotchies each and every time I visit Jamaica.

Scotchies now has four other locations: Ocho Rios, Discovery Bay, Montego Bay, and Kingston.

Scotchies Too – 4 forks. Recommended. Authentic cooking in large portions. And they take credit cards.