This afternoon, I took a rare trip to a restaurant without Bill. The local Vents Facebook group decided to meet for lunch at Patrick’s Stop Jamaican Eat In and Take Away. I had heard about Patrick’s Stop a few times and everyone universally said they had great food. Moreover, they just moved to a new location in Böblingen. I don’t know if the new location is an improvement, but I will say that they have a nice big parking lot, which is definitely a plus.
There’s a nice biergarten area outside for when the weather is warmer, too.
I still had to be cajoled into braving the trip up A81, but was finally talked into it. Those of you who were happy to see me today have Bill to thank. He set me up for success by giving me plenty of Euros, hooking up the GPS, and reminding me that I could write a new restaurant review! Yes, I know I sound ridiculous and I didn’t used to have this problem of not wanting to go out and about in my car. Driving in heavy traffic makes me a little mental, though.
I got to Patrick’s Stop about fifteen minutes early. There was an “open” sign on the door, but the door was locked. A gentleman who arrived at the same time I did said they opened at noon. It was 11:45, so I just hung around and checked Facebook. Patrick, I presume, finally poked his head out the door and told me to just come on in out of the cold. I appreciated that, since it’s a bit chilly today. I chose a big table in the corner and ended up moving to the “Stammtisch” table, since we were anticipating a fairly big group. Sadly, a few weren’t able to make it.
A shot of the dining room before anyone else arrived.
The first thing I noticed besides the very generous parking lot is the way the place smelled. There was a delightful aroma of smoked, grilled meat. From what I gather, Patrick has one daily special available, as well as a few dishes that are available every day. Today’s special was curried goat. I had been planning to have fried chicken, which they offer everyday. However, because there were a bunch of us coming, they also had Jamaican Jerk chicken.
Since the chef had made it available especially for us, Jamaican Jerk chicken is what I decided to order. Let me just say, if you’ve been missing spicy food since coming to Germany, you may want to pay Patrick’s Stop a visit. A few of us had our sinuses cleared with this dish! I need to bring Bill there because I know he’d love it. I am less of a spice fan, so next time, I might try the fried chicken. All meals come with coconut rice and beans, plantains, and Caribbean style vegetables. They also offer small portions, a children’s menu, and a dish for vegetarians. Click here to see a photo of the menu. If you like Red Stripe beer, you are in luck. It’s available in bottles, as I would expect it to be in a Jamaican restaurant.
It was our waitress’s second day, which explained a bit why she seemed confused by the menu. We also learned that she’s not originally from Germany, so she no doubt hasn’t yet tried the Jamaican Jerk chicken.
Although I asked for dark meat, I was given white… It was very good. I tend to like dark meat because white meat can be a little dry for my taste, but this wasn’t too dry at all. And it was plenty spicy! I paired this with sparkling water, but later ended up getting a beer to help flush away the spice!
Most everyone else had the Jamaican Jerk chicken, with the exception of one Venter who shall remain nameless. I appreciated that I got to see what the fried chicken looked like, thanks to him. One Venter also tried a dessert that had a special name that escapes me right now. My bill came to 19,80. That included two large glasses of mineral water with gas, one beer, and Jerk chicken.
A good time was had by all. I probably ought to break out of the house more often during the week, hang out with people, and try new things. In any case, I will definitely be going back for more of Patrick’s Jamaican cuisine. It was a refreshing change of pace, even if I did have to brave scary traffic through Böblingen to experience it! Five stars from me!