Review: Ackee Tree

Review: Ackee Tree, Toronto
170 Spadina Avenue (at Queen)

Cuisine: Jamaican - roti, sandwiches, curries, stews and jerk dishes with rice.

Sandwich: Jerk Chicken Sandwich ($6.99 + tax)


I made my way to Ackee Tree after finding this list of the 'best sandwiches in Toronto' and reading the sparkling review of Ackee Tree's jerk chicken sandwich (left). I made it as far as "assertively spiced and remarkably juicy" before hopping on the subway to find out for myself.

Ackee Tree is an unmissable restaurant on the west side of Spadina, slightly north of Mcdonalds. There is an enormous, sign above the entrance, advertising the carribean roots of Ackee Tree through the use of bright colours and a palm tree motif. Inside it is a long, narrow restaurant illustrating a typical Torontonian mix of cultures - reggae music on the radio and CP24 on the flatscreen TV's. There is a long counter on the right with a variety of delicious looking dishes, covered and uncovered, being kept warm and on hand for for serving. The menu is a blackboard behind this counter, listing (in a slightly messy way) the specials of the day and the standard menu items.

My jerk chicken sandwich took 5-10 minutes to arrive and I was disappointed to discover that I was to pay $6.99 + tax - the takeaway menu has the 'Ackee Tree Jerk Sandwich' at $5.99 and the review in NOW magazine states $5.95. However, nestled in a corner of the blackboard behind the counter I found 'Jerk Chicken Sandwich - $6.99' and so handed over my money without complaint.

The sandwich itself arrives on coco bread with a generous helping of jerk chicken, a thick slice of both grilled sweet pototo and tomato, and a sauce described as 'jerk mayo' though it tasted more like a chipotle dressing. It is served with a dollop of creamy homemade coleslaw on the side which acts as a cooling diversion from the scotch bonnet-induced heat of the jerk chicken.

I think the word to describe this sandwich is 'hearty'. It is filling, rich, and warming. The sweet potato was a revalation and added considerable, but subtle, flavour to the sandwich. The tomato also provided some cleansing freshness to contrast the creamy sauce.

Unfortunately I found this sandwich rather disappointing for a number of reasons. Firstly, it was not a well balanced sandwich. There was far too much of the dressing which therefore became the overriding flavour, whilst also having the effect of making the sandwich seem rather greasey. Coupled with the sweet potato, it was an extremely rich sandwich with not a lot of flavour. Jerk seasoning is a wonderful, spicy, earthy flavour that I enjoy very much but it was barely discernable amongst so much mayonnaise. The only 'jerk' element that managed to cut through the sauce was the heat of the chillis. I think that the jerk chicken should be the highlight of a jerk chicken sandwich but in this instance it served more as background texture. 

Beyond the compositional issues, there were a couple of other things that had a negative impact on my assessment of this sandwich. There were two quite large (i.e. over 2cm) pieces of bone in my sandwich, and one large piece of gristle. This is a serious sandwich sin and something that implies a lack of care and diligence when building a sandwich.

I also thought that the coco bun was a bad choice of bread for this sandwich. Whilst it was quite tasty, it was thin and extremely spongy which meant that it disintegrated amidst so much sauce. By the time I'd eaten one half, the other half was falling apart in a big, saucy mess. Something thicker or denser would have been a better choice for such a moist filling.

Verdict:

For something that was advertised as 'the best jerk chicken sandwich in Toronto', I found this experience very disappointing. Poor compositional choices, a lack of care and the insignificance of the jerk chicken make for a sandwich that is rich but short on flavour and difficult to eat. I enjoy jerk chicken as a wonderful, fresh experience when coupled with caribbean flavours like mango or pineapple, because I think that this makes the most of the jerk spice flavour. If you want something sticky, rich and filling then certainly Ackee Tree's jerk sandwich is worth a try.

Pros:

- Large portion size
- Sweet potato in sandwich
- A good level of spice

Cons:

- Poor bread choice
- Too much mayo/sauce
- Bones/lack of care
- Muted jerk flavour

Score:

5/10