Jerk and rum and reggae: How Caribbean food went mainstream

Founded in 2010, Turtle Bay leads the charge with 37 sites but there are a number of smaller operators snapping at its heels, including Sugar Dumplin, The Rum Kitchen and Cottons. The latter is finally on the expansion trail following a lengthy hiatus (it was launched in Camden back in 1985), with the opening of two London sites, one in Shoreditch and one in Notting Hill, with a further site in Vauxhall set to open soon.

This growth has no doubt been fuelled by the recent success of the wider Caribbean market in London and beyond. 

“There is a growing awareness of Caribbean cuisine now, and its incorporation of the food, music, and rum,” says Cottons owner Chris Singam, who also puts the success of the genre down to its casual nature, emphasis on communal eating and the UK diner’s increasing love of spicy food.

Keeping it ‘irie’

For most brands in the space, the core menu items are similar and familiar: jerk chicken, fried plantain, rice ’n’ peas and curried goat. “It sounds a little clichéd, but we only cook authentic recipes passed down by our grandparents and parents through our own meals at home,” says Norris Panton, co-founder of the four-strong Sugar Dumplin restaurant group. “We have a really simple menu, and we focus on wholesome, comfort food that makes you feel irie (good).”

“You have to stay true to the classics,” adds Matin Miah, co-founder of Stoke Newington-based Caribbean restaurant Rudie’s, which opened in 2015. “We wouldn’t play around with curried goat, for example.”

Smoking: The jerk chicken at Levi Roots Caribbean Smokehouse 

Caribbean food’s rise has to some extent dovetailed with that of US barbecue. Jerk – a style of cooking native to Jamaica in which meat is dry-rubbed or wet marinated with spices – has similarities with US barbecue.

“We’re a smokehouse. Jerk is actually a smoked product,” says Levi Roots Caribbean Smokehouse head of operations Steve Phillips. “It’s a great bridge to connect the popular American-inspired barbecue flavours to authentic Caribbean food. The cuisine generally needs long preparation, marinating and slow cooking. It’s difficult to reproduce at home and people want that authentic taste.”

Despite its reliance on the classics, the Caribbean sector is fighting the idea that its food is constrained to just a handful of staples. “The cuisine isn’t as limited as some think,” says Singam. “After all, the Caribbean spans a vast region and encompasses many distinct subtleties from island to island. There are different influences, spices and methods of cooking.”

The menu at Levi Roots Caribbean Smokehouse, for example, encompasses many different dishes from the Caribbean, with items including Bajan fish cakes, Trinidadian ‘doubles’ – hot curried chickpeas and fresh vegetables served on double crispy flat breads – steamed sea bass, inspired by the dishes served on Hellshire beach in Kingston; and Martinique coconut chicken curry. The restaurant also doesn’t shy away from serving very traditional dishes, such as steamed yams, green banana and dumplings; and Jamaican coco bread.

“Caribbean is an emerging but still misunderstood cuisine,” says Phillips, who believes that people are more willing to try less familiar flavours. “Londoners especially love diversity, and foodies love the plethora of flavours it brings, but it takes a while to break through.”

Beyond rice ’n’ peas

The success of the Caribbean casual-dining restaurant sector is not just down to customers becoming more adventurous with their food. Most Caribbean restaurant brands also experiment with non-traditional dishes that tick off key casual-dining menu categories, from wraps and burgers to pizza and sushi. As the name suggests, Boom Burger has fused Jamaican flavours into burgers, with a menu that includes jerk chicken with fried plantain, mango and paw paw sauce as well as pan-fried fish with escovitch sauce and chilli jam.

Patty power: Boom Burger has fused Jamaican flavours into burgers

“You’ll find all the traditional dishes like curried mutton, rice ’n’ peas, and fried plantain on our menus,” says Cotton’s Singam, “But we also do jerk-cured hot-smoked salmon rice ’n’ peas sushi with breadfruit and wasabi mayo. They’re more experimental dishes for the more adventurous customer.”

Rudie’s takes a twist on Jamaican cooking by fusing traditional Caribbean ingredients with more international dishes, with the likes of calamari deep fried in jerk-seasoned polenta; deep-fried jerk pulled pork balls and Boston wings. The restaurant also taps into the current popularity for small plates. 

“We serve what you would expect to eat in a traditional home in Jamaica, but we try to push the boundaries on flavour and presentation,” says Miah. “At Rudie’s, we want food that has got the soul and tradition of home cooking but elevated to a much more interesting format and standard. Like any cuisine, Caribbean food is constantly evolving.”

A rum deal

Rum is the key drink for almost all the groups in the space. Consumers are increasingly interested in the category and Caribbean restaurants are uniquely placed to educate on the different varieties available. With a tagline that reads ‘no rum, no rainbow’, The Rum Kitchen runs weekly rum masterclasses at its Notting Hill site, guiding participants through the key styles and showing them how to make a number of rum-based cocktails.

Rum specialist: The Rum Kitchen

Levi Roots Caribbean Smokehouse has teamed up with UK rum ambassador Ian Burrell to curate its selection and, late last year, Cottons in Notting Hill won a Guinness World Record for having the world’s largest collection of rums.

The drink is intrinsically linked to the region’s history, as a look at Rudie’s cocktail list reveals. “Rum is synonymous with the Caribbean. Each island has its own variety and takes pride in it,” says Miah. “Jamaican rum is sweet, so it balances the spice and the jerk, and each of our drinks tells a story of the various islands’ histories.”

Heading toward the mainstream

Caribbean food is moving closer to the mainstream but it’s not quite there yet with most of the smaller groups London-centric for now. With the exception of Turtle Bay, which launched in 2010, no other Caribbean brand has yet to gain any real traction in the wider UK market.

When it opened in 2015, the smart money was on Levi Roots Caribbean Smokehouse being the concept to take on Turtle Bay. The Westfield Statford restaurant has a high-profile figurehead and was co-created with Las Iguanas co-founder Eren Ali (Turtle Bay founder Ajith Jayawickrema launched Las Iguanas with Ali) with scalability clearly high on the agenda. Eighteen months on, however, and a second location has yet to open (although the management team says it is currently engaging with landlords).

Taking it easy: Levi Roots Caribbean Smokehouse has yet to expand

With four sites – two in London suburbs, one in Surrey and one in Glasgow – Sugar Dumplin is the second biggest player in the space and has proved its formula can work in a variety of locations. The concept places a big emphasis on its drinks and music, aiming to create a sense of the Caribbean’s laid-back party culture.

“Hopefully Caribbean will become more mainstream,” says Phillips. “We believe it is the next big thing and we intend to be at the trend forefront.”

“There is a growing awareness of what Caribbean food is, even though it’s so multifaceted,” adds Singam. “I would like to see it accepted as a mainstream cuisine; a household food on a par with Indian, Chinese and Italian.”