Prepare your tastebuds for an explosion of flavour as a Caribbean restaurant is set to land in Southampton.
Natty’s Jerk is jumping across the border from Portsmouth to bring mouth-watering dishes to the city.
Opening as a concession stand at the Utilita Bowl in April, founder Natty Crutchfield hopes to wow the city.
The 44-year-old said: “We are opening as a concession and a delivery service to test our popularity.
“This is us dipping our toes in Southampton to test if people fancy a bit of Natty’s.
“What we are doing at the Utilita Bowl is very different.”
If successful, Natty has ambitious plans to expand to the city centre.
It comes after the opening of his Bournemouth branch on February 14.
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Dishes on the menu at Portsmouth include box meals, with jerk chicken, pork and curry goat, rice and peas; jerk burgers, wings and loaded fries.
He said: “Our food is a major part of the business but for me, Natty’s is about the culture I grew up in and how it makes me feel.
“Food is the easy part as that is what gets people in here, they want good tasting food.
“But we use that opportunity to give people a chance to escape through our food, décor, and sounds.
“In Portsmouth and Bournemouth, we have incorporated Jamaica and captured it to transport people there.”
But the business is more than just the food – it is about the people and atmosphere created.
Natty added: “I have always wanted to represent a different part of the Caribbean, providing a place people can escape to.
“Natty’s is a family business and we are lucky to have met great people along the way.
“What we do is fun and I am enjoying myself. We are surrounded by great people.
“The culture we have grown is a blend of Jamaica and Britain.
“We have made Natty’s a culture and that is what makes this exciting.
“I have crazy ideas and this business is like a playground for me, and it makes people become part of our community.
“It doesn’t matter who you are, your background, race, colour, creed, you are just one community here.”
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