Not Clean-and-Jerk

On Tuesday, I couldn't make it to my regular lunch spots. Finding myself in the Wallace-Lansdowne area, I headed a block south to Fahmee Bakery, spun off from its Scarborough home, and located at the original Starving Artist diner. A number of people were waiting for their Jamaican orders. Looking over the menu, I settled on a beef patty ($1.75) and a Jerk Beef sandwich ($5.99). Since there were no suitable outdoor spot, I finally made my way to the Susan Tibaldi Parkette near Bloor and Margueretta. To be honest, I wasn't too keen to sit here either since the idea got into my head that the patches of brown grass were not from dry weather but too much canine business.

At first, things were promising with the beef patty. It was cheaper than Caribbean Queen of Patties ($4) but comparable in size. It turned out to be a good snack but not quite as mouth-watering as the latter. Sometimes you do get what you pay for.

But the sandwich was a disaster. Unbeknownst to me, the sauce had dripped through the paper wrap onto my clothes during my walk from the restaurant. You'd think it would make a less messy meal now. Unfortunately the meat was held together by bones and tough cartilage. It was the sort of cut that was impossible to bite through while trying to keep the soggy coco bread from falling apart. After several failed attempts, I left more than half of it uneaten. From what I tasted, the beef was alright. It had a slight sweetness that reminded me of defunct AF1 Canteen where jerk is a process not a rub.

Little things could have made this lunch better such as slicing up the meat when making the sandwich. There were dinner options with cutlery that may make more sense. But given its location and the quality of the ingredients, Fahmee is not a place that I would visit often.