Talk Of The Town

I was wandering around the city centre earlier today having had no breakfast so eating was a matter of urgency but I was unsure what I fancied! We happened across the Talk of the Town and I knew that it was what I wanted. I have been meaning to try it for a while and I would rather grab something quick in the day time from here rather than the standard boring baguette shops that seem to have taken over various parts of town.
Caribbean food is one of my top cuisines so I can be quite hard to please. The place is bright and very clean with the menu clear above the counter. There is a good amount of choice from the menu and there was various deals to be had. We both opted for the jerk chicken with rice and peas. You can judge a quality Caribbean takeaway by how they serve there chicken so this was going to be the clincher! It looked appetising and we could choose between small, medium and large portions. We decided for the small cartons for £4.50 but they fill them so generously I don’t think you would ever require the larger size.
The flavours were spot on and the chicken was nice and juicy. With a can of Pepsi my order came to £5 and I left incredibly satisfied and ready to take on the rest of the afternoon. The have definitely gained a returning customer!

I am a big fan of Jamaican food so when the smell of this place caught my attention I could not resist seeing what it was all about.
The menu is full of classics like jerk chicken, curries and dumplings, I decided to go for the jerk chicken with veg, rice and peas. At £4.50 for two thighs and a hefty portion of rice you can’t complain really. Everything was all well cooked and piping hot… temperature wise. The thing that was lacking for me was a kick of chilli but with a bit of chilli sauce it had the heat that personally I think all good jerk should have.
With this place being a relatively healthy option for fast food in the city centre you can expect me popping in here a fair bit more. Its great to see an independent Jamaican food place slap bang in the middle of the city, it’s something I would love to see more of so it has my full support!

An update. In the interest of fairness I have to say that this place has now greatly improved it’s available menu, the pasta dishes have now gone and it’s now totally Caribbean, and usually fish is ready and waiting, well done

Big fan of this place. Already itching for a return visit. One of the guys serving was blessed with great looks and a wonderful smile. I’d smelt this place before I saw it and followed my nose. The menu is great and has all the Caribbean favourites plus more obscure dishes which bring out the authenticity of the place.
The song playing as I entered is a favourite of mine so that coupled with the smells meant I was sold almost right away. For only £3.50 I got 2 pieces of chicken and 2 dumplings. I had a choice between curried chicken or brown stew chicken and I went for the latter. The chicken was really tasty, but the dumplings stole the show. If I could have dumplings with every meal I would, and especially these bad boys. It seemed like they were right out of sexy juice so I’ll have to sample that soon to better place them against their competitors. Also, it may sound like a carb overload, but beef pattie in coca bread is a firm favourite in Jamaica and these guys do it– yes I!

What a colourful shop front! Well looking at the menu I couldn’t help but feel the menu might be too colourful for me. Coco bread? Cow foot? Salt fish? Don’t you understand I’m a mainstream boy from Cradley Heath? If I’m not told what to like I melt down in a ocean of uncertainty and end up eating nothing.
Well it was time from me to man up and acquire a Caribbean food palette. Upon entering the first thing you notice is how good it smells and then how clean the establishment is.
I was greeted by a smile and asked what I’d like. The scared Cradley boy came out of me and I ordered the chicken and dumplings. I tried the curry chicken and the friend chicken with some stew and the portions were great for under £4.00. I was already confident, the lady serving me was nice and all then food is present subway style so you can see (and pick) exactly what you get.
Talking about the menu the value for money is amazing considering how nice the food is and how much you get.
Now the food was amazing, melted off the bone, not too spices for the curry, not too thick for the stew gravy. The dumplings were soft with a crunchy exterior and a great size.
I’m going to go back and try cow foot wrapped in Coco Bread, I’m not sure if they make it like that but I’ll find out.
They also cater for parties, might be food to introduce your friends to something new or treat them to some great food.

I noticed Talk of the Town a week or so ago; well, how could I miss it? It’s bright yellow!
I thought it’d be a good place to grab a bite in town and a welcome alternative to Greggs, which is where I’d probably head for my sausage roll fix.
So today was the day; I dragged my reluctant boyfriend up to TOTT with the intention of treating him to a cheap lunch. He didn’t seem convinced at first but I was determined to try something as it was pretty much my first foray into Caribbean food apart from the occasional jerk chicken sandwich.
We opted for 2 fried dumplings with any 2 chicken pieces for £3.50 but when we ordered we found that chicken pieces actually meant chicken dishes and was a much better deal. In fact the friendly lady at the counter gave us an even better offer and we ended up with 2 dumplings plus chicken curry plus 2 pieces of fried chicken and a drink for just £3.75. I thought that was a great deal and we then sat outside in the sun to enjoy our late lunch (just so you know, there is seating outside only. This is more of a fast food takeaway than a diner).
The menu at TOTT is extensive with many snack items but large meals too.
Prices range from 80p for a fried dumpling to £7.25 for a large meal such as snappa fish with rice and peas. They also serve regular sized meals for £4.95 and snacks such as 5 hot wings for only £1.
I’ll definitely be heading here again when I’m out shopping in town and I might even try some ‘sexy juice’.