No Frills Food at D&G Jamaican Cuisine

D%26Gs+Jamaican+Cuisine.

Yezenia Rodriguez

D&G’s Jamaican Cuisine.

Yezenia Rodriguez, Staff Writer

D&G Jamaican Cuisine is about as no-frills as it gets: the menu has only 6 different items to choose from, they have no website or Facebook page, and to be honest, the décor doesn’t have much going for it.

But none of that matters once you put their food in your mouth.

The curry goat at D&G’s melts in your mouth. It simply does. There is no other way to describe it other than to say that each tender, flavorful morsel will melt the second your tongue touches it. And every time I encountered a piece of goat with bone still in it, I practically only had to think it for the meat to fall off the bone.

Both the goat and rice it came with were generous sizes considering I ordered a small. Layered on the serving of white rice, the seasoning from the goat soaked into the rice, lending it the same flavor.

The curry, for those who are spicy adverse, was perhaps a 2 out of 5 on a spiciness scale. It hovered somewhere between a mild and a medium. If that seems to be too spicy, there are plenty of sweet Jamaican sodas and other drinks to choose from in the fridge. In fact, the selection in the fridge is bigger than the menu.20160208_113128

Since the menu selection is so small and simple, it can be easily remembered: all 6 choices on the menu come in snack, small and medium sizes. To choose from are: curry chicken, fried chicken, jerk chicken, stew chicken, curry goat and oxtail.

Not a single thing in the restaurant costs more than $10. For my goat and rice combo, a pineapple soda, and 2 Jamaican beef patties I got to share with a coworker later, I spent a mere $13. Most food items are priced at around 5 to 8 dollars though, so this won’t break the bank. At many other restaurants that might get you only an entrée, never mind two sides and a drink.

The man who took my order looked very stern with a stoic face and for some reason assumed I was taking my food to go, but was nevertheless polite and got me my delicious food very quickly. As customers trailed in and out while I ate, I realized later he assumed I was taking my food to go because that’s what everyone else who entered did.

To my amusement, as I ate, a jazz rendition of Drake’s “Hotline Bling” played.

The restaurant is super low key; though it is visible from Boston Rd, the restaurant front faces the side street it is officially on and can be easily missed.

They can’t be found on Yelp and have a single 5 star review on Trip Advisor, but I’ve always found small mom and pop restaurants tend to deliver the best, authentic meals around. D&G’s is no exception. The great portions and exceptional flavor speak for themselves.

My final verdict: the no-frills nature of D&G is of little importance once you try their amazing food. At less than $10 a meal and being a 4 minute drive from campus, they are way too good and accessible to pass up. Stop on in to 5 Preston St. Springfield, MA and give D&G’s a try for the best Jamaican food around.

This is number 2 of my monthly international cuisine reviews for the Yellow Jacket. I hope you will seriously consider visiting one.