The Place

Unless you live in the far end of Kemptown Village you might have missed The Rock Inn, but it’s a lovely little labyrinthine pub full of cute rooms to get cosy in. Almost a suburban Prince Albert (minus the music), it’s not the first place you’d look if you had a yearning for Caribbean food, but that’s exactly what you’ll find on a not inconsiderable menu that includes wraps, burgers and jacket potatoes as well as all the Jamaican staples.

The Meal

As great as all the choice is, Caribbean nosh comes down to two dishes. Get the jerk chicken (£7.50) and goat curry (£7.50) right and you’re laughing. We add a portion of chicken wings (£4.45) in this year’s hip reggae reggae sauce. When the food arrives we realise that we’re probably not going to finish it all. Big portions all round, but the quality is there too. The wings have a lovely little tingle, like Chinese barbeque sauce with a fruity zing that isn’t gluey. Most of all they taste like real chicken for a change. No bones about it, the goat curry has, erm, no bones – the meat tender like braised beef as the sauce subtly builds its intensity. The first mouthful of jerk chicken knocks our head off, but the sharp spices are lessened as we get more into the meaty breast. We really need the delicious pineapple salsa though. The stir-fried veg is a nice touch and there’s plenty of hand-cooked chips.

Verdict

Wonderful food and great value for money, if you’re in the area you should make The Rock Inn a regular stop off. City dwellers should consider that even a taxi over to Kemptown won’t make the meal expensive, so keen are the prices. And you can walk off the meal on the way home.

Were We Sussed

Jokey enquiries were made when we got our camera out and started snapping, but the attentive waitress later claimed surprise, if not shock.

The Rock Inn

Rock St

(01273) 697054

Times – 12-9pm Daily