Savannah Jerk

Some of you may understand what I mean when I talk about a ‘chicken craving’. For some people this manifests itself as a necessity to visit Nandos on a regular basis, for others it’s their local fried chicken establishment (those that know me, will know very well that KFC is my personal favourite). Regardless of its manifestation, most of us from time to time adore well-cooked chicken (yes, even the vegetarians amongst you, they just don’t realise it yet). I personally feel that in the Caribbean they know how to handle a chicken better than most and that’s just one reason of many why I adore Caribbean food.

I first went to Savannah Jerk in the middle of Soho nearly two years ago and left with excellent memories of the place and their food, in particular the jerk chicken. I even asked if they sold the marinade, which unfortunately they did not. I had been intending to revisit for well over a year now so it was about time I got down there.

Interior

I went on a Saturday evening and the place was pretty packed. No surprise for a restaurant which claims on its website to have been visited by Jay-Z and Beyonce and features a video endorsement by Jessie J. The interior is simple and colourful and the atmosphere was buzzing. Fortunately we were able to get the last available table. By this point I couldn’t wait to tuck into some more of that wonderfully spicy jerk chicken.

The menu is compact, which is usually a good sign in my opinion, with a selection of classic chicken, meat and fish dishes. However I only had one thought on my mind. But I would have to wait for that because the service, whilst pretty friendly, seemed a bit stretched and as a result was rather slow. After about 10/15 minutes I had to request the waitress over to our table take our order.

Our food arrived within a fairly reasonable time and with the large gleaming red hunk of chicken beckoning me I couldn’t wait to tuck in. However my first reaction was of mild disappointment; the jerk sauce was not quite what I had remembered. It was tangy and slightly sweet but I couldn’t detect much spice, if at all. However after a few more bites I did grow to enjoy it quite a bit. It was well accompanied by the rice and peas and the crunch of lettuce (instead of ice you can opt for accompaniments of traditional ‘hard foods’ such as yam, dumpling and sweet potato). My cousin had ordered a chicken roti, which was a large flatbread packed with chicken curry inside and then folded over, almost like a calzone. The roti was rather different to the traditional Indian ones but it was lovely, slightly chewy with a floury quality to it. The chicken curry inside was tender and very flavoursome. Unfortunately the slow service continued. Clearing our plates and paying the bill took well over half an hour.

Jerk chicken with rice & peas

Chicken roti

The food at Savannah Jerk is definitely tasty and reasonably priced (mains £10-12). Whilst that jerk chicken may not have quite lived up to my memories (who knows, maybe I had hyped it up in my head after all this time?) it was still enjoyable. The only real downside of the meal had been the frustratingly slow service, but maybe midweek if the restaurant is a bit emptier there wouldn’t be such a problem. The good food and big portions means that Savannah Jerk is definitely a solid option next time you’re in Soho.

Price: £22 for two main courses

Where to go before/next: Its location on Wardour Street means that after a meal at Savannah Jerk you are moments away from exceptional dessert a few metres down the road at Princi (open till late). There are also no shortages of great bars such as the Experimental Cocktail Club in Chinatown or Mark’s Bar underneath the restaurant Hix on Brewer’s street. Don’t forget the close proximity of the West End or the shopping of Oxford/Regent streets to Soho.

Website: Click here

Location: 187 Wardour Street, Soho, London, W1F 8ZB

Nearest Tube: Pretty much equidistant between Tottenham Court Road & Oxford Circus

Opening Times: 11am - 11pm Mon - Sat