Elijah D.
Yelp
Another Jamaican spot in the Valley! Had to give them a shot. I got the Boston jerk pork and my wife got the ackee and saltfish - which she tends to break open new Jamaican restaurant experiences with.
We were running errands in the area, but by the time we arrived, around five or so, it was just us and the staff. The place has an adequate amount of space to the dining room, but with both TV monitors off and no other patrons, it seemed a little more appropriate to eat our food at home. Mentioning this to largely say that the food traveled back well to Sherman Oaks. The heat was still there by the time we dug in.
The jerk pork did come off a grill. A nice plus, given the cuisine and the advertising for the item. Not a lot of heat to it, but the spiciness had a presence. The bbq sauce concoction the pork comes with didn't taste like it came from the store and the dumpling in the sauce I guess helped for some house made authenticity. It didn't do much for enhancing the plate though.
The rice and peas were very okay. Tasted a little on the old side, but we know these day-long batches of food at Caribbean/soul food places are most available and best enjoyed earlier in the day.
My wife was not too impressed with the majority ackee in her ackee and saltfish plate. I had to eat her festival bread and she was less spirited about finishing her half of the beef patty we also ordered - which was flavorful and had a good crust-to-filling ratio.
The food we had can satisfy a lot of people who are happy enough to say they know what Jamaican food is, with One876 being their only exposure to the cuisine. The elements of our plates seem to work way better as wholes, if you aren't scrutinizing the quality of the parts on their own. This place checks a box for having had a certain kind of food, without being remarkable.
My guess is that their chicken probably does the heavy lifting with a majority of their patrons' impressions. I'm planning to try one of their several chicken dishes on my next visit, with a slice of cake. They do have an attractive menu of dessert options to complete any meal.