The Evening Standard offers its list of the best Jamaican and Caribbean restaurants available to diners in London. The Evening Standard is a local, free daily newspaper, published Monday to Friday in tabloid format in London. Listed below are the top restaurants selected by the publication.
Rum Kitchen is, as the name suggests, well=stocked with rum, but it also offers excellent and authentic island cuisine, including saltfish fritters and chicken marinated for 48 hours in jerk spices. The restaurant’s BBQ sauce is also cited as a real treat for London diners., and those looking for vegan dishes will not be disappointed with the jackfruit patties, sweet chili jam, and excellent rice and peas.
Rudie’s provides a bright and spicy side of island cooking, with its peppered shrimp in Scotch bonnet broth a standout. The jerk chicken puts ifs focus on the marinade rather than the sauce for a dining treat as it features moist meat with charred and smoky skin and hinting at is wood-grilling. The restaurant also offers a Caribbean brunch and a “full Jamaican” fry up, ackee & saltfish and baked green bananas.
Roti Joupa provides just the thing for diners looking for hot and delicious dishes. While the décor may not be as stylish as other eateries, the menu offers the best in Trinidadian cooking. Its roti are an oft-praised favorite and are filled with a sweet chickpea curry. The curry goat with potato slaw is a must-try.
Island Social Club offers some of London’s best roti. The venue has a short menu featuring three starters, four curries, and two sides, in addition to the highly praised beef roti, which feature meat marinated for 24 hours in a flaky and buttery bread. The mutton curry is also a favorite with diners. Add some Scotch bonnet and saltfish fritters and a Ginger beer, and all is well.
Fish, Wings and Tings requires no guessing as to its menu. The restaurant features both “small tings” like grilled prawns and “big tings” like curried mutton. Special mention is given to Granny Suzie’s pepper sauce for the prawns – “nasal cavity-clearing” is the description. The Caribbean fish stew is not to be missed.
Peppers and Spice offers food that has been called “addicting” and noted for featuring foods not readily available to Londoners, including cow foot and butter beans. The main dishes listed on the menu change daily but generally include curried mutton with rice and peas and a choice of salad. There is also an excellent selection of patties available with fillings that include jerk chicken, salt fish and callaloo.
Cottons opened its first location in 1985 and qualifies as a legend among Caribbean restaurants. There are not four locations to serve all parts of the city with island comfort foods. The jerk dishes feature excellent sauce, and the venue has a central focus on rum, offering 283 varieties of the beverage at its bars.
Mama’s Jerk is a friendly place to enjoy spicy jerk chicken Jamaican style. The chai puri roti feature a sweet-corn salad and mango mayo with hot pepper pickle. The meat is the star, however, as it is marinated 24 hours in a secret-recipe marinade created by the grandmother of the restaurant’s owner. A must-try dish.
Information and Photo Source: Mama’s Jerk, Evening Standard
