By Sarah Greaves-Gabbadon
CJ Travel Editor
Want to make a Jamaican’s mouth water? Just mention patties and Devon House ice cream.
Which one of us doesn’t love a piping-hot, flaky-crusted, eat-it-straight-from-the-bag patty, its meaty goodness promising scorched tastebuds and a satisfied tummy? And which Kingstonian doesn’t have fond memories of Sunday afternoons spent wandering the grounds of Devon House, (former home of Jamaica’s first black millionaire), where the iScream parlor serves up sweet scoops of frozen happiness?
So you can imagine how thrilled (and surprised) I was yesterday to stumble upon an establishment that sells both, not even in Jamaica but on Providenciales in the Turks and Caicos Islands.
The Patty Place, on Grace Bay Road, imports tubs directly from the Kingston creamery, and carries all the traditional island flavors, including soursop, mango, rum-and-raisin, and grapenut.
They’re also the exclusive purveyors of the much-loved Jamaican pastry pockets from Clarendon-based Juici Patties. Flown in frozen from the 876 and baked in-store on Provo, a beef or beef-and-cheese patty folded into a soft and warm coco bread (yes, The Patty Place sells those, too!) makes a hearty lunch.
A patty and an ice cream cone will only run you $7.30 plus tax, so for a visitor to this notoriously expensive destination, the delicious duo makes for a filling snack at a bargain price.
But for a foreign-based Jamaican food lover like me, a patty and a scoop of Devon House ice cream is much more than just a dining deal.
They’re a welcome taste of home.