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| yeah maan is situated on 340 punt road, south yarra. |
I'd never tried Jamaican food before. So when I got my hands on a discount voucher for Yeah Maan Rastarant, I was pretty darn excited. I had no idea what to expect, and sometimes, this is exactly what I like - as long as there are pleasant surprises along the way!
And there were. When Simon decided upon the warm soca chicken salad, I thought we could've done better with one of the more unusual-sounding options. However, it turned out to be a great choice - the herbs, spices, and tomatoes worked in lovely tangy harmony with the chicken in the salad.
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| warm soca chicken salad |
The other entree we had, aloo pies, was a suitably exotic one - doughy, starchy pieces drizzled with a sweet and just slightly sour tamarind sauce. This was quite unlike anything we've had - and we liked it.
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| aloo pies |
Soon afterwards, our mains arrived.
I got the Jamaican jerk chicken. Now, from what I've read and heard elsewhere, I was under the impression that this famous Jamaican dish is a hot one, but while it was beautifully spiced, there wasn't really any heat. As a chilli-lover, I couldn't help but be just a bit disappointed. Still, setting that aside, it tasted good, and the chicken was super tender and juicy. I also enjoyed the mildly sweet cassava chips that were served on the side - they had a good bite to them.
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| jamaican jerk chicken |
Simon got the special fried fish, which was really delicious. Again, this was very nicely cooked - the fish was just right, and I totally loved the sweet and sour sauce. It made me want to try making something similar at home!
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| the "yeah maan special fry fish" |
Dessert time! Actually, whilst service had been prompt and efficient up to this point, desserts took quite a long time to arrive. Still, they finally did.
Simon got the diplomatic sticky date pudding. Now why was this pudding diplomatic, I had no idea. Anyway, Simon said it was alright, but did not share it with me. What a meanie.
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| diplomatic sticky date pudding |
I had the upside down pineapple cake. Upside down and down-to-earth, this may not be anything fancy but it was sweet, dense and moist - a satisfying end to my first Jamaican experience!
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| down side up pineapple cake |
The soca chicken is certainly something I would order. A weird name and unusual sounding dish never fails to appeal to me!
ReplyDeleteArgh! I've always wanted to try this place as I love the outside, it looks so kitsch. Glad it was also delicious. I'm sold.
ReplyDeleteMichelle, I just thought - well it's just chicken salad, how exciting would it be? But yeah, it may not be groundbreaking stuff, but it was tasty!
ReplyDeleteTry it shu shu! I found it to be interesting and pleasant. Definitely would be trying out more Jamaican food in the future!
The aloo pies sound amazing! And pineapple upside down cake always makes me think of year 9 home ec class :P
ReplyDeleteSuch an interesting layout of dishes! Looks great!
ReplyDeleteI think real Jamaican food, made for Jamaicans, is probably spicer - seeing as they use pretty fiery chilis, like the habanero/Scotch bonnet.
ReplyDeleteI've actually only had Jerk chicken once - but it was Brazilian jerk. No chilis at all....
Yeah I had a good time sampling the dishes that night, Maria!
ReplyDeleteIndie.Tea - I thought so, and I think I would've loved it spicy. I'm quite a fan of chilli. ;)
What an interesting meal... I love reading about other foods from different cultures.. gets me all excited... I want some now!
ReplyDeleteThe pineapple cake looks yum. As always, great pictures. LOL @ Simon refusing to share his sticky date pudding. :)
ReplyDeleteSame here, msihua! Especially when it's different stuff to what I'm used to.
ReplyDeleteThanks R! Yeah - tsk tsk to Simon. ;)
I never really had jamaican food before as well... dishes looks very hearty.
ReplyDeleteI have a scoopon voucher for this place (perhaps the same one you used?) and am keen to give it a go before the voucher runs out next month!
ReplyDeleteI definitely have the jerk chicken on the list, and ditto the pineapple upside down cake. Simon wasn't very diplomatic with his dessert though. Meanie indeed.
Penny, now that I've had Jamaican food, I'm looking forward to more!
ReplyDeleteLibby, yep that's the one! I actually preferred the fish to the chicken that night (perhaps because I was expecting the chicken to be spicy and it wasn't, while I had no preconceived notions of the fish), though Simon liked them both equally. There were a few other dishes that caught my eye, too, which I would like to try some other time.