12.12.08: Out to Mango room

Her char-grilled pork loin overwhelmed by a jerk of a sauce

To celebrate His bro's birthday, He, She, and His mum and bro convened at the Caribbean- infused Mango room restaurant in Camden. She had the char-grilled pork loin with jerk sauce, while He settled for char-grilled chicken, also with jerk sauce . A plate of mixed leaf salad and two bowls of rice 'n' peas showed their support.

His char-grilled chicken steps into a puddle of jerk

SHE SAYS: Once the din from the Annual Convention of Rip-Roarin' Restaurant Shouters and Hooters died down (upon their departure), I rather enjoyed my sweet and mildly smokey pork plate. The pork was a bit fatty, and the sauce thinner and more sugary than I would prefer, but t was altogether satisfying. The rice and peas were v dry and unappetising, but I put a few down my neck for filler. The salad was a tangy, garlicky surprise, and the bro and I concurred it was one of the best things on the table.

The peas resting in their desert of rice

HE SAYS: Usually this place is a little more low-key in atmosphere, but, being the staff xmas party season, it was brimming with office workers determined to have a good time. This translates to drinking as much as possible and generally trying to be the most loud and obnoxious person in the place. Thus, this was not a good start to our meal.

After a half-hour wait for the table I had booked, We were finally seated. Since We have been to this place a couple of times before, We knew what to expect foodwise and what to order. The jerk sauce in my opinion is pretty good, not too-too shweet and has a subtle hot kick to it. The chicken was tender and not at all dry, unlike the rice and peas, which were a desert of sandy blandness. The salad was a surprising high point, more yummy then a plain mixed leaf salad would have you believe. Must've been the special sauce.

The green salad makes its presence felt

The rowdy tables of drunk revellers left halfway through Our meal, so things ended up on a high note, or perhaps a quiet one at least. Everyone seemed rather satisfied with the meal, which acted as a rehearsal dinner for Our Xmas Day truncated-family festivities.

11.06.08: Jerk chicken stew, take two

It's so nice, we had to have it twice: He sauced up some chicken breasts with the M&S jerk spice, baked it all with some callaloo, and spooned the silky results over a mix of basmati brown, red camargue, and wild rice. The 'Italian-style salad with herbs' plus Sweetfire beetroot nodded its approval nearby.

SHE SAYS: Tasty and simple - what's not to like? The M&S jerk paste is very mild, but nice with the generous allspice. A dabbadoo of Crystal brought out its wild side, and made for one satisfying midweek meal. That salad is so wrong, though! I'm not sure which herb it is - possibly chervil - but it is nasty and metallic! Methinks this was partly the cause of last nite's poor artichoke performance. Sweetfire beetroot did it's best to offset, but eeww.

HE SAYS: This one-pot chicken stew is easy on the tastebuds as well as the washin' up. Adding the callaloo to the mix about 20 mins before serving seems to be the best solution to avoid it drying up and soaking up too much liquid. I also added a splash of the hot sauce for good measure, mon. The salad like she said was nastee, some herb or other in the bowl tasted like fish or summat; I carefully picked out the beetroot to at least salvage what I could.

07.04.08: Caribbean jerk-style chicken stew

He threw together this hot little number while She was out: sauteed onion, callaloo, chicken, and the new M&S jerk spice, baked with chicken stock and coconut milk, and served over brown rice.

SHE SAYS: So glad I got home in time for a hot plate of this spicy stew. The strong allspice and black pepper flavours were mellowed just enough by the spinachy callaloo and coconut milk to make me go mmmmm. The heat lingered pleasantly, never too intense. I liked this type of jerk seasoning better than the sweet Reggae Reggae sauce we normally pour over for baked chicken, and this entire combination is something I could quite happily put away a few more times before stew season ends.

HE SAYS: Was in the mood for some stew - was tempted by some other, Indian sauces, but realised we're having Indian nite rather soon (stay tuned). Was an easy recipe to put together; the callaloo was a new and tasty discovery, and the sauce, when blended with the onions, was very moreish. A surprising success, given that I improvised it all when I went to the store.