Tommie's Jerk — Restaurant in Surrey

Super friendly guy and great value (one burrito will be enough for 2 ppl if you're a moderate eater)

Went with family (4 ppl total) and ordered 2 burritos (beef and chicken), nachos (pork) and the lemonades and it was more than enough.

The great:

1. EXTREMELY generous with meat filling
2. Personally preferred the pork beef chicken
3. Very strong and forward flavours and heavy on seasoning, which I assume is the hallmark of jerk seasoning/food. Spicy!
4. Lemonade had real fruit chunks and didn't taste syrupy like a lot of lemonades out there. So its the real deal. Would be interesting if they also sold fizzy water on the side so that you can top off the drink afterwards and make it into a fizzy lemonade.

For $11 for a fat boy burrito filled to the brim with meat the value for $ is insane

Suggestions/Constructive Feedback: Disclaimer: I've not been much exposed to Jamaican cuisine but since Tai seemed to really want feedback to take his food the next level, which I highly respect, this is just my personal opinion with limited context

1. While the meat portions were extremely generous, combined with the forward spices, it may appeal to a wider audience to introduce a bit more balance to the dishes via more veggies and/or pickles. Overall, something to balance the heavy meat/spices would've been welcome.

2. The chicken did end up becoming a bit dry for my pallette but again, I'm really not sure if this is a feature of jerk chicken as the few other jerk chicken I've eaten in other places did also take things to a further doneness level than I'm used to. Same for the beef, which is why I preferred the pork in the end, which was very succulent. If it doesn't compromise the cuisine, something closer to a braise/pulled chicken with more moisture retention might be something to consider?

Overall, a really unique restaurant concept, super friendly guy and great food & value....

Given high rents, rising costs of living and generally unaffordable real estate it's no surprise to find more and more places like Tommie's Jerk popping up in non-typical restaurant locations. Tommie's is located at the end of a cul-de-sac, a big industrial parking lot with a huge weatherproof dome structure over some shipping containers. It's easy to get to, just use Google Maps.

We arrived for our first visit today, about 230pm Saturday. We thought they weren't open, we were the only ones in the parking lot but Tobias greeted us with a big smile and was quick to wave us over to the covered area. He is the big friendly chef/owner and after introducing himself we got the first time customer rundown on all the available menu items. It's a simple straightforward menu with a few select items. We ordered chicken jerk tacos and a bunch of patties to go; you can have them heated and ready to eat or frozen to take home. The service was incredibly fast and friendly, had the feel of dropping by a friend's back yard barbeque, felt right at home and enjoyed a nice chat while our order was being prepared. The tacos were devoured back in the vehicle before heading home, they were really, really good. A great balance of all the spices and seasoning, not too hot but nice heat and the flavour of the jerk chicken cooked on a barbeque...so juicy and tasty. Go hungry because the portions are really generous. And don't be put off or hesitant when you pull up, the ambiance is not fancy schmancy but once you meet Tobias and his team, you will appreciate the welcoming street vibe and great food. We will be heading...

We went to their new Langley location on Saturday which is inside the Reggae Market. We got a bunch of different dishes to share. Even before we got the food, we noticed the chef is super friendly! He greets his customers personally and you can see that his customers love him. They refer each other as friends and cousin. It’s such a cosy friendly vibe in such a small spot at the back of the market. From the way the Chef talks, he reminds me of Chris Tucker in Rush Hours. It was our first time there and he took the time to explain his cooking process and how he wants to show his Jamaican heritage through his food while we wait. He is so passionate and it makes me feel excited and happy to try his food.

Back to the food, we tried few of his food like the rice & peas, jerk burritos, jerk chicken, and jerk Patties. I love the jerk burritos the best. The jerk meat is so well seasoned and it definitely has a kick to it. It also has a slight Smokey flavor from the charcoal grill. The salsa and strawberry lemonade definitely help cool down the spice.

Definitely need to come...