You pass Manor Park and begin climbing Stony Hill, bearing right as you travel on Long Lane. It’s a route that I’m sure many a Kingstonian has travelled from time to time. And, here we are, at that infamous hairpin corner. But we’ve reached our destination — Red Gal Ring, home to the Red Gal Ring Jerk Centre — a welcoming roadside ‘dive’ (for lack of a better word), where friends and strangers alike can ‘kick back’, eat, drink and watch the cars pass by.

Rumour has it that the Red Gal Ring was a ‘hot spot’ of sorts back in the day. Marlon Stuart, one of the partners operating the jerk centre will tell you that in the 60s, the Sugar Mill and Cotton Club nightclubs were located in this very bend, so as far back as then, it was known to be a ‘happening’ place.

Formerly a gas station, Red Gal Ring is known for being a pit stop on the way to and from the country — whether Port Antonio, St Thomas, St Mary, travelling the Junction route. As a food spot, the infrastructure was already in place, so in December 2009 Stuart along with co-owner and in-house chef Robert Isaacs, modified the location, gave it an ‘upscale flavour’ and adjusted the ‘jerk’ menu.

Owned by two ‘Rasta men’, this ‘pork shop’ serves really great ‘jerk’, not to mention the other foods that they’ve added to the menu. And the aroma hits you, moments before you arrive at your destination. Says Stuart, the token spokesperson, “We try to give you Jamaican flavour in a different way.” On a Tuesday, you can order burgers; Wednesdays are for stewed peas; Thursdays they do barbecue and Friday is seafood night. On a Saturday you can basically get everything. And, at the moment they are trying to get their Sunday brunch underway.

Having lived in the US for fifteen years, Stuart believes that service is of utmost importance: “It’s about the service,” affirms Stuart, “We know how you like your pork, what you like to drink. It’s like a big family up here; you’re not a stranger. We try to create that family atmosphere.”

Here, customers need not worry about parking, and with it being ten degrees cooler in Stony Hill, it’s a little more comfortable, and the perfect getaway from the hustle and bustle of Kingston.

“Growing up I’ve always loved this corner. They used to have the push-cart derby up here, and I’d love to start that again; I’m trying to bring it back to the corner… and maybe an oldies night too.”

While Isaacs dishes out tantalising servings of pork chops, ribs, steamed fish and jerked meats, Stuart often plays host, sometimes initiating games of dominoes, Monopoly and even Scrabble. And as he says, while the food is good, “It’s not just about the food, it’s about the camaraderie.”

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