"I'M extremely excited, I'm feeling proud" says Jaipaul Powell, owner of Jiggaz Caribbean takeaway as he celebrates the successful launch of his new Andover shop.
The new Andover branch of Jiggaz, located at Station Approach, opened on Wednesday, September 27, and is the second Jiggaz takeaway to launch.
Speaking about the new shop, Jaipaul told the Advertiser: "There's a sense of accomplishment and there's also a sense of trepidation for the unknown.
"Even though we have had the Tidworth Jiggaz for three years, the economic climate has changed, the world has changed so it's still a bit daunting but you have to be optimistic, and I'm very optimistic."
Jaipaul takes great pride in his food: "I'd recommend you close your eyes and point at the menu.
"Everything we do here is quite good, our wings are exceptional and we have three different flavours."
READ MORE: Caribbean takeaway 'targeted' by arson attack and string of vandalism
The 'wingz' come in a variety of flavours ranging from spicy jerked to a more mild barbecue, and can even be purchased without sauce.
The popular 'wingz' can be bought grilled or crispy fried, depending on how you prefer, there is even the option to combine flavours and cooking style.
During our interview with Jai, one customer popped into the takeaway to order a small portion of chicken 'wingz' to "keep him going" until his meal out in a restaurant later that evening.
Jaipaul continued: "We have a unique selling product and most of what we do here is quite different, you probably won't see it anywhere else."
"We thought about what the British public like from takeaway, and we thought about how we can infuse the Caribbean culture into that."
The Caribbean-inspired menu isn't just limited to chicken.
"The mac and cheese wrap is a best seller in our previous location, and the dumpling sandwiches pack a punch and will fill you up.
"We have a jerk mega sauce, which goes really well with chips and in burgers, and we have a new item on our menu - the snack box - which is chips layered with diced chicken and sauce, and it actually is amazing.
"We do a vegetarian option as well, burgers, wraps and salads, as well as a vegan salad."
Tidworth is home to the original Jiggaz takeaway, which as previously reported, was targeted in an arson attack.
"The arson attack did take a toll. It wasn't expected.
"We'd been operating in Tidworth for three years and we'd seen nothing like it, so it did make you wonder why. Or who?
"What allowed us to bounce back was the love and support from our customer base and family, in fact, I didn't realise we had so many supporters and customers showing love in and around the area.
"It was Bob Marley who said 'The people who were trying to make this world worse aren't taking a day off, so why should I?' We just thought that we need to keep going."
"I would like to say to the public, our fans and well-wishers, and the people who didn't want to see us do well, thank you.
"If you haven't tried Jiggaz yet, come down, we guarantee we will have something that you'll like."
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