Marley's Caribbean Restaurant, Reviewed.

I have a bone to pick with Caribbean food providers in Manchester.

I was 'mop my brow, unbutton my trousers and bellow, ‘Lord-a mercy!’ full. 

Being a third generational Carib, that could mean a few things; picking out the bones in a bubbling pot of Saturday soup, flaking off the tender meat from curry goat, or tearing the meat from chicken wings and leaving a plate of discarded bones as my Antiguan/Bajan grandparents did.

But no...

The proverbial bone I want to pick is why, in our vast culinary scene there aren't more proper Caribbean restaurants, serving the spicy soul food I love and have grown up with. Sure there are many takeaways in Manchester, Buzzrocks, Jerk Junction, Dougies, Chicken Run, Cool Runnings and more, to name a few.

But where are all the restaurants? 

Then three weeks ago, a new Caribbean restaurant, yes a restaurant, opened on Wilmslow Road. My family were overcome with excitement and trepidation, could this be the breakthrough?

Marley's Caribbean suitable on Wilmslow Road.

Based on Curry Mile, the site seemed appropriate, after all the restaurant has spice and curries at the heart of its dishes.

Bass-heavy reggae flooded onto the street as we approached, as did the fragrant aroma of marinating meats. An illuminated Jamaican flag glowed proudly on the wall of the white-washed corner restaurant. Inside it was plainer, almost bare, lacking the shiny swank and the razzle-dazzle glitz of some of the Indian restaurants further up the road.

Nonetheless it was welcoming, bright and on a Monday night at 7pm, it was quiet apart from a Roots Reggae old-timer wallowing over the stereo.

“Would you like any help with the menu?” said our Eastern European waitress. “No, we’ve got this,” said Mum and I with eager smiles.

We were also served by a smiley, casually dressed bar manager who spoke with a purring Latin American lilt. He succumbed to my request to make a rum-based cocktail, "with anything in it as long as rum was involved". The boozy red drink, he delivered turned out to be a heavy-on-the-alcohol white rum strawberry Daiquiri. Very good.

A boozy Strawberry Daiquiri (£5.00)

We were delighted to see the menu of Jamaican food included traditional dishes. Along with jerk chicken, ackee (Jamaica's national fruit) and saltfish, Marley’s offered a variety of typical hearty soups, a broad selection of fried fish dishes, and importantly a number of vegetarian dishes, from lentil stew to spinach dish callaloo. 

Hurrah. Then boo. The reality was different.

The waitress explained there were no soups, salt-fish fritters or fish dishes apart from ackee and saltfish, and if we wanted dessert we couldn't have it as there wasn't any of that either. She said: “We'll be serving desserts soon. Just wait a few weeks."

Disappointed we settled on main course and sides - we didn't have a choice. I chose my personal favourite, curry goat and mutton, rice and peas, with banana fritters on the side (£8). Mum, chose ackee and saltfish with hard food (£8.50). Hard food is a general term for selection of starchy vegetables including sweet potatoes, boiled dumplings and yam. We added good old plantain too - of course.

Ackee and Saltfish

My hot bowl of curry goat was just how it should be. The meat had that special tenderness resulting from being seasoned and marinated over night. It was rich with flavour, not dominated by heat, a problem sometimes with this dish. Served with rice and peas, it was excellent, with all the bones left in as they should be, adding to the richness.

                                             Curry Goat and Mutton (£8.00)

The ackee and saltfish were equally as gorgeous. The beautiful combination of the smooth texture of the ackee and the sharp saltiness of the fish were well balanced. The hard food – yam, dumplings and banana - were again perfection, not so much hard but excellently firm.

Hard food: Boiled dumplings, sweet potatoe,yam  

In Manchester there are many restaurants notable for fine-dining and minimalist plates, my palette is far more accustomed to the mammoth portion sizes of Caribbean food. I can eat.

Still, I was considerably full, in fact, I was mop my brow, unbutton my trousers and bellow, ‘Lord-a mercy!’ in mimicking patois full. 

The food at Marley's was some of the best Caribbean cusine I’ve had outside my parents kitchen. Out popped the main chef, a happy-go-lucky Jamaican-native with a wide smile and quick fire patois to check if we were licking our plates clean. Turned out he wasn't just the head chef but the only one. He has some kitchen helpmates but he does all the cooking, and he clearly knows what he's doing.

Inside Marley's

But in the end, the Marley’s experience, was frustrating. The decor, while clean, needs an update beyond palm trees and coconuts. But the main problem was the way the menu turned out to be an annoying tease.

If a restaurant wants to be taken seriously then having that number of missing items, key items too, is unacceptable. Amateurish.

This was even more frustrating because the food that did appear was superb: authentic, fresh and colourful. It's clear Marley's soul food has a great deal of soul.

So does it at last provide Manchester with a proper Caribbean restaurant? The jury's out on that one. Thing is, there’s more than enough leg room for Caribbean restaurants encompassing Jamaica and the smaller islands from Barbados to St Kitts. So why aren't there more? 

I'll be exploring that in a later article. 

ALL SCORED CONFIDENTIAL REVIEWS ARE IMPARTIAL AND PAID FOR BY CONFIDENTIAL.

Marley's Caribbean Restaurant and Bar, Wilmslow Road, Rusholme, Manchester. 07456 759 3992

Rating: 13/20 

Food: 7/10
Service: 3/5
Ambience: 3/5