Dinner With A Caribbean Twist At Ma Petite Jamaica
*We were given a complimentary meal in exchange for
an honest review so all thoughts and opinions are my own
I’m always up for trying new cuisines and restaurants so when Ma Petite Jamaica came onto my radar I jumped at the chance of heading to the heart of Camden to try out some authentic Jamaican food. The restaurant describes itself as London’s first Caribbean dining serving authentic Jamaican food which was founded in 1985, so with over 30 years of experience, I had high hopes.
Before going to Ma Petite Jamaica I didn’t have much exposure or knowledge about Caribbean food other than a neighbour always bringing over fresh Curried Goat to my dad when I was younger.
Just a few minutes from the station the restaurant looks fairly plain from the outside but step inside and you’ll be greeted with artwork, bunting, umbrellas and nice cosy restaurant space. There was a lot of atmosphere in the restaurant with music and just a generally great vibe and from the moment we entered the staff were really attentive but on the friendly side so it was super relaxed.
Cocktails at Ma Petite Jamaica
We started off with some Rumpolitan cocktails which included Rum, Peach Schnapps, Cointreau, Lime Juice and Cranberry which were so tasty I had to stop myself from downing it. Luke had the same cocktail and loved it which was pretty impressive considering he wouldn’t class himself as a rum fan. From 5 pm until 9 pm it’s happy hour which means a selection of cocktails are just £5 and bottles of beer are £2.50 which is pretty unheard of for London.
For starters, we began with a portion of 5 Jerk Chicken Wings (£5) and some BBQ Spare Ribs (£7) which although they were different meats due to the abundance of sauce tasted reasonably similar. The Jerk Wings were a little spicier but they were incredibly tasty. Thankfully for us we were brought over a bowl of water and some wet wipes as we got very messy with our first course.
Ma Petite Jamaica Main Meals
Then we moved onto the mains where Luke had 1/2 a Jerk Chicken (£13.50) which came with Plantain, Coleslaw and Rice, and I opted for the Sweet and Sour Pork which came with Rice and Peppers. The menu was pretty extensive for mains so I did have to spend quite some time pondering on what to have. Luke’s Jerk Chicken didn’t last very long and the sauce was incredibly generous, although not being used to spicy things he did feel it a little later on in the day.
My Sweet and Sour pork was very tender, so much so that I didn’t need to use a knife to cut through it and the sauce was nice and rich and even just drizzle on top of the rice it was lovely. Considering the reasonable prices as well the portion sizes were really generous, I couldn’t finish mine as there was a lot of it, plus I was saving myself for dessert.
Desserts at Ma Petite Jamaica
I’m rarely ever someone to turn down dessert, it takes a lot for me to say no especially when the choices are so tempting. Annoyingly I didn’t take a photo of the menu and I can’t find the desserts online so I couldn’t be sure of the exact prices, but Luke went for a rich chocolate brownie which was pretty dense and chocolatey but really moreish. I went for Cookie Cheesecake which was one of the best cheesecakes I’ve had as the topping was so light and easy to eat and the biscuit base was quite a thin layer so it added crunch but wasn’t too overpowering.
Considering this isn’t the kind of cuisine we’d usually think about going to our minds have been changed and we enjoyed a great meal somewhere with great vibes.
Have you ever had Caribbean cuisine?
23 responses to “Dinner With A Caribbean Twist At Ma Petite Jamaica”
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All About Me
Rhian Westbury
Travels and Destinations
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This looks like such an amazing experience! Such a cool, unique little place.
WOW! That food looks AMAZING. I’ve never had Caribbean food. I will definitely have to try some jerk chicken soon!
Cuba libre is mu absolute favorite cocktail, other rhan that this place looks fantastic
Ooh yum, this sounds great – I love all the Caribbean tastes, the heat and warmth of the food and the cocktails too, Caribbean cocktails are the best. This looks like a fun, colourful place.
Wow! The foods look so delicious! I will definitely put Ma Petite Jamaica on my bucket list!
Amazing! I’m heading to the UK in April and will be sure to check this out.
The food does look delicious, but it’s the cocktail list at the top that I kept scrolling back to – they take me right back to summer. My favorite memory of Caribbean food was eating bread fruit on Barbados. It tasted like eggs and potatoes. Amazing.
I love exotic cuisine and this restaurant looks amazing . Your cheesecake seemed delicious
I am trying to arrange a date to go here, so really lovely to see how lovely the food is, it looks amazing x
The jerk chicken wings looks like a ” caldereta” in Philippines.. And the dessert looks so yummy. That was a nice food experience.
I’m not sure if I really like Caribbean food or not. I guess I’m undecided. Great post though
Coming from South London we have a lot of Caribbean restaurants here and it’s one of my favourite cuisines. The food here looks so good, we are definitely going to have to try it x
Looks like a delicious dinner idea. I would love to indulge in this menu option for sure.
I have but not for many years. We actually have a lady offering Caribbean cuisine for takeaway in our area which I am keen to try. This sounds like a fantastic place to eat, affordable and located in one of my favourite places, Camden!
I am loving that drinks menu – I wouldn’t be able to choose! I love the decor too!
This looks like a fab place to eat out, the sweet and sour pork in particular looks delicious!
Oh wow this looks amazing, I don’t normally like Jamaican food but I have to admit this looks tasty x
Yes, how fab is this place! I love the look of the cookies cheesecake too xx
This looks amazing!
I have t eaten Caribbean food in so long – I’ll have to check this place out when I’m next in Camden x
Drinks menu sounds great and prices are good! I like the look of the dessert, it looks so tasty. Can’t go wrong with a cheesecake xx
That all looks so yummy! I really like foods that are specific to an area and experiencing them while I am there. So delicious!
I could almost taste the delicious food in the photos. What a yummy dinner.