This little Jamaican place on Manly’s sort-of bar strip, Belgrave Street, looks like it’s been lifted straight from one of the more tourist-friendly parts of Kingston. It’s all hand-painted signs, pink flamingos and colourful benches and the drinks list is exactly what you want it to be – Red Stripe, Kingston Town Golden Lager and alcoholic (but toothache sweet) Royal Jamaican Ginger Beer, plus some juicy rum cocktails. We like the strong, sweet and spicy Painkiller, made with dark rum, pineapple juice and dusted with nutmeg.
You can come here just to drink, but you should stay for dinner. Jerk chicken is juicy with a decent wallop of heat; fried plantain chips come with a dusting of chilli powder; and a goat curry with rice and peas is fall-apart tender. If you’re not too full, there’s a limbo challenge when you get to the till: shimmy under a low pole by the bar and get a ten per cent discount.