
7

"Even if Smokey Jerkey’s pale blue signage has faded over the years, the flavours of its jerk have not. Owner Louie MacPherson has been at this New Cross institution for 15 years, and the care that goes into every aspect of the meal is seen from the custom-made furnace that thrives on hickory wood smoke and the long marinade in cayenne chillis, to the house-made Bajan pepper and Trinidadian scorpion sauces, with the former burning slow and long on the tongue and the latter piercing right through it. Jerk here is restricted to chicken, pork and lamb: the first two are as good as any other version in London bar Tasty Jerk, but the lamb is untouchable." - Jonathan Nunn