Brina’s Jamaican Kitchen
I’ve been around the Scottish food scene for a good few years now and Jamaican food is a cuisine that I don’t often come across. However, after a day trip to the Kelpies in Falkirk, it felt like the perfect opportunity to nip over to Brina’s Jamaican Kitchen.
It is located in Calendar Square in Falkirk town centre and claims to be the only place to find authentic Jamaican food in central Scotland.
Being totally honest (as always!), I thought that this was going to be a proper restaurant before I got there. However, Calendar Square is an extremely run-down shopping centre where pretty much every shop is closed down. There was a gym open but other than that there was not much life about the place…it was almost eerie being inside with how empty it was. With that being said, the small corner of this shopping centre Brina’s has taken over is so full of life and atmosphere. There was a great buzz with groups of people coming in and out, sitting down for a meal or taking their food away.
As someone who’s not often exposed to Jamaican cuisine, I was unsure of what to order as I didn’t know what to expect. The menu was pretty limited but had classic dishes from sailfish and ackee to jerk chicken with rice and peas.
To play it safe, I ended up going for the Jerk Chicken with rice and beans. It wasn’t as spicy as I thought it would have been but there was clearly so much love & care put into this meal. The meat was incredibly tender & melted in your mouth and the sauce underneath was full of flavour.
I did also order a side of v-cut wedges to share between two people which were seasoned and topped with a sort of spicy mayo. This was under the sides menu but the portion size was so big that even two of us couldn’t finish them (not complaining as we got to take the rest home for later!). There was certainly no skimping on portion sizes around here…
We also got two amazing mini patty’s (one chicken & one veg) which we ended up taking home too and snacking on them the following day. Both flavours were great and the pastry had been super flaky when they were served fresh as I made sure to check.
It’s worth noting that the food actually took quite a bit of time to come out as it’s cooked fresh to order. Although I have no complaints with the dishes being cooked fresh (I’m fully here for that!), the wait was long and it would have been nice for the starters to come out before the mains/sides.
Brina’s Jamaican Kitchen is an incredible hidden gem which I urge you to try if you’re nearby the Falkirk area. The food was fabulous and a nice change from the usual restaurants we often see popping up around Scotland. It was like visiting a Jamaican household and having a meal cooked just for you. The two staff members, the waiter and cook, both went above & beyond with their service which was just a cherry on top of an already amazing meal. My only wish is that it was in a different location, but that’s no the be all and end all.
- Brina's Jamaican Kitchen
- Calander Square, Falkirk FK1 1UJ
- 07721 891058
- www.brinaskitchen.co.uk
- Walk-ins
- £15-£20pp
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