Restaurant Review: Allwyn's

ALLWYN'S BAKERY

81 Underhill Drive Instagram: @allwynsbakery ~ Twitter: @allwynsbakery Co-Diner: Tim Golem

No where else in Canada does Caribbean food like Toronto does. It's such a signature cuisine of the city and I would recommend to anyone who visits Toronto that they must eat some. There are so many good options! However Allwyn's is one of the most legendary. With four locations in the city, you'll find the original one in York Mills, tucked away in an unassuming strip mall (the best type of place for this sort of thing). The blue and white signage out front announces "Patties, Jerk Chicken, Ox Tail and Curry." blogTO calls Allwyn's the #1 Best Jerk Chicken in the city which meant that I had to try it. I visited on a Saturday evening and was pleased by the hole-in-the-wall vibe of the restaurant. Don't expect much in terms of decor - the walls mainly feature white tiles and posters of the menu. You do not require more than this. All that you need from this establishment is the incredible food. The menu is straight forward and includes all of the classics that you want. You'll find some different sandwiches, patties (of course), rice & peas dishes, roti, and basically all of the jerk meat that you could ever dream of. To the right of the counter you'll find a refrigerator packed with every flavour of Grace Island Soda. After considering the options I chose the Kola Champagne.

This flavour was invented in Puerto Rico and tastes a lot like cream soda. Unfortunately, it has nothing to do with actual champagne! The guy working behind the counter was very friendly and he prepared my order at lightening speed. Before I knew it, I was out the door and shoving sweet, sweet jerk in my face. As a bit of a side order, I wanted to try the Fried Plantain ($2.95).

You can't go wrong with these golden-fried banana-family babies. Piping hot and fried to perfection, plantain are starchier than their banana cousins. This makes them well-suited to more savoury preparations. These ones were sweet and delicious, a wonderful side that goes with everything. I loved dipping them in Allwyn's green hot sauce because spicy-sweet might be the greatest combo. High on the priority list: JERK CHICKEN! Their tagline is "The best jerk... Nothing else even comes close." So... You get the jerk! Obviously. Native to Jamaica, jerk is a style of cooking in which meat is dry-rubbed with a hot spice mixture that typically includes allspice and Scotch bonnet peppers. Allwyn's will be happy to sell you straight-up jerk meat (they do pork as well as chicken) but I decided to go the Jerk Chicken Rice & Peas ($10.65 for large) so that it would eat more like a meal.

I can't beat about the bush on this one - this really was the best jerk that I've ever tasted. It's already haunting my dreams and causing me massive cravings. The chicken was absolutely perfect. It was unbelievably tender, deliciously seasoned, and packed a shameless punch of spice. Each bite was more delicious than the last. This chicken is exactly what jerk is supposed to taste like and it might as well be from Jamaica. I was also very pleased with the rice & peas (which is actually made with kidney beans and not peas at all). The ideal accompaniment. I didn't expect that there would be coleslaw on the side and it was excellent as well. Ultra creamy and a perfect way to add some crunch and to cool down some of the heat. This whole container was perfect and I want more. Now. I was not done yet. Not with the Stuffed Sandwich ($5.85) on the menu calling my name.

Patty, jerk meat & coleslaw in coco bread.

This is your new life. So let's break it down. They take warm and pillowy-soft coco bread (a starchy and slightly sweet bread that is made with coconut milk) and they stick a patty of your choice in there (spicy beef always!). Then they crack the patty open and shove some of their incredible jerk chicken in there and top it all off with creamy coleslaw. I MEAN... This sandwich (Jamaican taco?) situation has it all. It's spicy and crunchy with tender meat. Literally every element in this thing is exactly right. It should also be noted that the patties at Allwyn's come from Fahmee Bakery in Scarborough, the undisputed king of patties in this city. This review might sound pretty rave-y but I think that Allwyn's deserves it. The food was everything that I wanted it to be; authentic, tasted amazing, and all done in such a simplistic way. The prices are reasonable, although it should be noted that only cash is accepted. If I could marry this jerk chicken I probably would.