Weve been eagerly awaiting the opening of Jamaican Grill since we first heard about it, and so it was refreshing to learn that not only is the founder of this restaurant Jamaican, he is also a trained chef, and one who is bringing a little bit of Carribean cuisine into the heart of Jeddah.

Jamaican Grill is pretty easy to find, in fact its hard not to miss if youre driving down Hera Street, the bright neon lights are a dead giveaway; lights that have been attracting Jeddahs youth like moths to a flame for the last month or so (according to the member of staff we spoke to). All were turned away with flyers detailing the forthcoming menu, but they may be happy to know their wait is now finally over. The Venue has its soft opening on the 2nd of July 2009.

Traditional Jamaican grub is served up in this carefully decorated restaurant, shoots of bamboo cover the walls from floor to ceiling, while photos from Jamaica adorn the walls. Elsewhere its easy to spot Jamaican memoribilia decorating the walls along with ornate boards detailing humourous takes on the Jamaican Alphabet and even Jamaican slang!

It cant not have helped having a true Jamaican at the helm, Mr Rasheed Muncey, founder of Jamaican Grill has had the Jamaican Grill in the works for over two years now, and is happy to see his idea finally come to fruition.

Faux trees suspend a selection of beautiful lights glowing in small round wicker baskets, something that probably wouldnt look out of place on a beach shore, and in case you cant quite picture it the restaurant has gone the extra mile (short of covering the floor in sand), and painted murals of beach scenes across the restaurant walls.

Members of staff trot up and down the restaurant dressed head to toe in carribean themed gear, from the oversized straw heats, to the hawaiian shirts and loose board shorts, its great to see every effort has been made to ensure the Jamaican theme runs across the board,

As for the food, all the dishes are authentic Jamaican meals, an eclectic mix of the countrys history, for Jamaica was inhabited by the Arawak Indians, Dutch, Spanish and British, making a truly unique cuisine the blends flavours and spices from across the globe.

Dishes available include the world famous Jerk Chicken (tender chicken breast marinated then grilled with jerk spices). Curried Chicken, BBQ Chicken, along with numerous other mixed meals with apt names such as the Reggae and Irie Meals. Home made burgers are also available for those wanting something a little more 21st Century, and its great to see the Chicken Burger is actually a pure chicken breast and not a mashup of processed chicken.

Rice N Peas, Curried Goat, and Fish Tea are some of the more curious additions to the menu. For those inclined to Seafood, worry not, Jamaican Grill has made the most of their location in Jeddah and rustled up some great fish dishes which also feature on their regular menu, including Jerk Fish Fillet and Jerk Shrimp.

African and Indian influences can be found across Jamaican dishes, and curries feature heavily in Jamaican Cuisine, the story of their arrival in Jamaica is an interesting one, African dishes and cuisine actually came across to the Carribean with slaves brought over by European powers. These dishes were further influenced some time later by the scores of Indian labourers who later followed them, and brought their own cooking styles and dishes into Jamaican cuisine, particularly the curry.

We tried the jerk chicken, which was fiery hot, but somehow left us wanting more, once you start you cant get enough of the spices. We also sampled the BBQ chicken, but preferred the jerk as it really is quite different than anything we have come across in Jeddah.

Mashed potatoes, and spiced rice were also tasted, along with curried chicken and vegetables. The Curried Chicken was particularly good, and very similar in appearance to a curry you might find in Indian restaurants, without the copious amounts of oil.

To drink we ordered the Reggae Splash which was light and refreshing mix of juices infused with ice and ginger. Desserts are also available but we really didnt have room for these on our visit, but include dishes like home made banana cake.

Prices are reasonable and we were happy to see no service charge was included for the time being, a first for Jeddah! Also great to find the place is a no smoking restaurant! Two thumbs up for this!

If you have a chance, make sure you head to the back of the restaurant downstairs to catch a look at the enormous rotisserie grill rotating in the kitchen to catch the cooking in action. A large converted oil drum is also worth seeing, painted with the Jamaican Flag, it sits to one side in preparation for any orders for grilled burgers. Catering services are also available, and a family section is available upstairs, with curtained partitions for extra privacy.

So if you fancy a bit of Jamaica, or are looking to ‘Turn up de spice’ of your meals, check out ‘Jamaican Grill’.

Set on Hera Street besides the Al Nahda Gas Station, and adjacent to Shish Kebab, Jamaican Grill is a first for Jeddah. You cant get more different than that, and if we know Jeddah, we also know that differentiation is the best way to set yourself apart from the competition. A City of ‘Me Toos’ its only a matter of time before a wave of Caribbean venues open. Perhaps not such a bad thing!

We can now confirm that Jamaican Grill will soon be making Jamaican Patties (or Pasties), these are very similar to large Sambousas, and will probably go down very well here. Curious about Jamaican Cuisine?? Read more on Wikipedia here

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