"I placed my order about an hour before closing. First, the person who answered the phone (a male who sounded as if he was on a personal call at home) gave me a bad vibe (first red flag). I ordered the mango jerk chicken with rice and peas, mac and cheese, and festival. Unfortunately, they were out of festival (second red flag), so I opted for cabbage instead — not a huge deal, but still concerning.
Finding the restaurant was easy, just a 12-minute drive from my home. Upon entering, a young man was sitting at a table on his phone, showing no sign of a greeting and seeming annoyed by my presence. When I told him I was there to pick up my order, he provided no direction, so I approached what I assumed was the bar. Another young man eventually brought out my food, which raised my apprehensions (third red flag), especially with the place being completely empty and dimly lit. I initially brushed it off, thinking it was close to closing time, but from my experience, that time usually sees the most dining activity.
I drove home, eagerly anticipating the food I had been salivating over on Instagram, especially the gooey mac and the much-hyped mango jerk chicken. However, when I opened the platter at home, my excitement turned to disappointment. It felt like I had been "food catfished." Instead of the mango jerk chicken, I received regular jerk chicken that lacked any flavor whatsoever. It was surprisingly spicy, but lacking seasoning. The rice and peas were equally bland, and the mac and cheese I was so looking forward to was just regular macaroni with no flavor at all—dry to the point where I struggled to chew pieces that were stuck together. The cabbage was also undercooked and tasteless.
I was sweating as I tried to eat this disappointing meal, especially after spending $19 on it. I couldn't even finish a third of what I had ordered; my sadness overwhelmed me. As a dedicated foodie, I'm genuinely disheartened. I’ll stick to Hummingbird, where I've had the best BBQ jerk chicken of my life. I don't know if the chef was just having a bad day, but I won't be returning, especially with current inflation. Wishing the restaurant good luck, as I see many positive reviews—clearly, others enjoy it; it just wasn't for me."
