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A legacy of great flavours at Jolly’s

Published:Thursday | January 9, 2020 | 12:00 AMRocheda Bartley/Gleaner Writer
Waitress Kenisha Lee is always happy to serve.
Chef Shawn Anderson enjoys cooking up a feast to please your palate.
How do you prefer your fish, fried or steamed?
Brown stewed snapper, enhanced with a luscious pineapple sauce and okras, surely makes mouths water.
Fried plantains, green or ripe, are a popular side order at Jolly’s Restaurant and Lounge.
Steamed fish and crackers have always been a local favourite.
When was the last time you enjoyed a dish of fried fish and steamed bammy?
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Dream up a feast with fried and curried crab, lobster and shrimp, steamed bammy, fried plantains and a lot of steamed vegetables. You can have all of this in one place, Jolly’s Restaurant and Lounge.

For more than 42 years, the recently renovated eatery has been treating foodies to mouth-watering meals. Anchored along the coast, the 1 Port Henderson Road establishment is considered supreme to other seafood eating stations. In fact, the manager, Shawn Dowdie, says that it is renowned for the “best seafood, especially steamed fish, and the Thursday special, zinc-style roasted fish”.

The hum of the sea, sounds of waves gently crawling ashore, and the cool, refreshing sea breeze make the prime spot even more inviting, but you also have the option of dining inside. Dowdie explained to Food that he is simply following and staying true to a lineage that denotes excellence in tropical flavours.

“We’re just keeping the standards that my grandmother set. She started the business and she’s known for cooking the best steamed fish. So, we are trying our best to never lower the quality. Jolly’s will remain the same,” Dowdie explained.

Every day is a great day to visit the restaurant. But some days are a bit more special – like crab Tuesdays that’s particularly reserved for a merriment of flavours with the 10-legged crustaceans from both land and sea and, of course, Thursdays for the famous zinc-styled steamed fish. The latter you’ll be tempted to have with okras, steamed crackers and vegetables.

“We are the best and so, too, is our customer service. And our legacy remains true,” he said.

Each meal at Jolly’s Restaurant and Lounge is done to order. If you get a glimpse of its exquisite escoveitch snapper that’s completed with a side of steamed bammy and vegetables, and a share of fruits for the perfect balance, you’ll definitely want to have it. If that’s not convincing enough, its brown stewed snapper, enhanced with a luscious pineapple sauce, will be. Seafood isn’t the only option the restaurant offers. Its fried chicken is a popular selection that keeps tongues wagging.

Now, are you ready for this epic experience of toothsome flavours? Contact Jolly’s Restaurant and Lounge for more details at 876-988-7593.

rocheda.bartley@gleanerjm.com