Jamaican Jerk Shak - Review
A welcome addition to WEM
WEM mall food has always been hit and miss. However, over the years there’s been more and more diversity when it comes to the types of food you can get. I guess that goes for mall food in general. There used to be 5 places you could get a burger. It’s nice knowing that there is more and more interest in different tastes and places such as Jamaican Jerk Shak operate in such a busy food court. Not only does it add the only Jamaican restaurant to WEM but probably one of the best options in the west side of Edmonton.
I was itching for some jerk chicken the day I tried Jerk Shak, but when they said they had oxtail…I sprung for it. I get excited when I hear oxtail. It’s a rare treat and I will always opt for it when it’s on the menu. This combo had oxtail, rice and beans, coleslaw and these doughy twist things. I have no idea what these twist things were but it was tough to chew and had a slight sweetness to it which felt like a dessert?!? But really wasn’t too great overall. The oxtail was perfectly cooked, the meat was tender and it was bursting with flavour. I wish that there was just more of it. For $22 I hoped that oxtail would cover all of the rice. The rice and beans were on point here, and it was nice of the worker to pour oxtail sauce onto the rice.
The jerk chicken combo had the same sentiments. The chicken was moist and had such a great taste but I just wish there was a bit more. Considering this place is more of a buffet-style restaurant as it has the proteins out on display. I’m surprised at how moist both the oxtail and chicken were.
The beef patties were fucking delicious here though. Had such a good spice to the beef and the crust was a bit crisp. I thought the amount of beef inside the patty was on point but for $5 it was a bit steep. If there were a deal to buy 2 for under $10 I think this would fly off the shelves. I know in Toronto I had some incredible patties for 7 bucks and it came with a drink.
Overall I liked this place, it’s definitely one of the better spots in the mall for food. Just won’t be the value that other buffet-style places will offer. You will have to pay a bit more for this Jamaican food but I’m sure you’ll appreciate the taste Jamaican Jerk Shak brings.
Sal says: Just Try It (3.4/5)
Krystyn says: I really liked the jerk chicken, it’s tasty. And for someone who doesn’t like beans, I really liked the rice lol.
