We rang for a table the night before and was helpful told by the lady on the other end of the phone that the menu and setup of the restaurant had changed from previously, and that the food would be a taste fusion of small...plates relating to 'earth', 'land' and 'sea'. We loved the restaurant food previously, but we were really intrigued and liked the sound of the new menu.
Once we arrived we were allowed to pick our own seats (we booked an earlier table). We were told that this was the first night since having a new menu and setup and I quite liked the idea of being one of the first people to sample the new menu!
Drinks orders were taken promptly and we had a chance to look at the menu properly. The food was a fusion of all sorts of wonderful inspirations, mainly Jamaican but with a really interesting spin on different types of meats and cuisines. We ordered 12 different small plates from the menu.
We were informed that some of the staff were off sick and the chef was working alone, so knew there might be a little wait (along with it being the first day of the new restaurant setup!) We were happy to wait a little and enjoy our drinks.
We were served our dishes, and I cannot explain how good some of the taste combinations were! The chef obviously knows which ingredients work well together, I think in one dish there were about 10 different ingredients I tasted which I would never have thought worked well together- but I was in heaven!
The only slightly negative we had is that we didn't realise they didn't take cash, that was mainly our fault though as we realised then from being in the rum rooms previously we'd always had to pay by card. It would have perhaps been helpful though to be have been informed of this on the phone or once you arrive at the restaurant in case you've never visited downstairs at the rum rooms before. The staff were more than helpful in accommodating us though, and as it was the first night we were told we'd be able to pay by cash but no change would be able to be given. We were more than happy with this and were pleased at how accommodating they made the experience for us.
I have to especially mention the callaloo dish, the explosion of tastes in this dish was insane. A little bit spicy, but if you don't mind a little spice you have to try it. The teenage girls in our party particularly enjoyed the chicken wings, especially the marinade. The ribs went down a treat too.
There were no desserts available at the time, but I'm sure some of these small teething problems that I've mentioned can be easily fixed.
We will definitely be back again sooner rather than later, and look forward to trying some of the other dishes that we didn't get to try tonight.
Bravo to the chef and the team for a succesful first nightMore