Pretty Mama Caribbean Grill & Island Bar

Pretty Mama 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.

Owners Michael Cotter and Shae Silvestro wanted to make people feel as though they were really on 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.

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 traditional Puerto Rican process. They’re cut into really large chunks, then deep-fried and squashed flat between two wooden boards. Then they’re re-fried again for crisp edges and a soft centre.

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