You can count on one hand the places in Melbourne to get a cracking Jamaican jerk chicken. This is one of them.

Pretty Mama Caribbean Grill & Bar has a 40-hour process for its jerk chicken. It brines its Milawa chickens for 12 hours, then marinates them for another 24. Then the pieces are cooked sous-vide to seal in the flavours and finished on a massive, wood-burning grill for smoky flavour.

It's a venture between Michael Cotter (also behind Gumbo Kitchen, Po’ Boy Quarter and Bar None and Shae Silvestro (ex-Der Raum, Seamstress, Brooks). Cotter says, “We want people to feel like they’re actually at an island resort on the beach, watching a bartender mix them a drink with palm trees, the smell of piña coladas and a Kokomo-inspired soundtrack playing in the background –just as if you were Elisabeth Shue.”

Save 20% when you buy two or more Broadsheet books. Order now to make sure they arrive in time for Christmas.

SHOP NOW

Pretty Mama seats 100 people for lunch and dinner, and there’s a cocktail bar that opens onto an outdoor courtyard. Inspired by the sun-drenched, washed-out aesthetic of San Juan in Puerto Rico the bar features aged timber, plantation shutters and lime-washed walls.

A popular snack is the twice-cooked plantains made with a a traditional Puerto Rican process. “They’re cut into really large chunks, then deep fried and squashed flat between two wooden boards,” says Cotter. “They’re re-fried again to get those crisp edges and soft centre – and they’re just delicious.”

Drinks are mostly rum based and include a piña colada with a twist of bitters and ginger.

Pretty Mama Caribbean Grill & Island Bar
220 Spencer Street, Melbourne (Enter via Watertank Way)
(03) 9034 4355

Hours
Tue to Thu 12pm–11pm
Fri & Sat 12pm–1am
Sun 12pm–5pm

prettymama.com.au