Rum’s The Word At The Kitchen That’s Jamaican Me Vegan
What: Inspired by World Vegan Month (November), the Rum Kitchen bigwigs got together with the ‘Queen of Contemporary Caribbean Cooking’ Shivi Ramoutar to create some plant-based dishes worthy of being on their menu.
First Impression: Having forgotten that Thursdays and are the new Fridays I was surprised at how packed Rum Kitchen was when we got there; a slight hold up with the train thanks to ol’ TFL meant I nearly forfeited my coveted table and lost out, but luckily we were squeezed in. The restaurant was buzzing all evening and I couldn’t help but notice that it was very female-heavy in there.
On The Menu: True to the rest of the menu, Rum Kitchen has created vegan dishes that boast bold Caribbean flavours, although these ones steer clear of any animal products varying from salads to curries to a jackfruit bowl.
What We Ate: Soup doesn’t normally get my juices flowing but the curried cauliflower and coconut soup with lime and crispy cauliflower croutons was something else; almost curry like in thickness. In fact, the winter veg curry seems to be born from the same batch except this time it accepts its curry nature and comes served with rice and peas. The roasted corn was nice enough but I struggled to detect any strong flavouring (besides corn of course), the krispy fried kauliflower was totally amazing though and extra delicious with the dipping sauce.
What We Drank: With a name like ‘Rum Kitchen’ is it even worth us telling you that rum cocktails feature heavily on the drinks menu? Well they do, and they come dressed up like the LL Cool J (Element 8, Cherry & lychee liqueur, lemongrass, lime and apple juice) and Rumbustion (Kraken, apricot mix, pineapple juice & coconut cream).
Go With: This is the perfect spot to take anyone no matter how fussy as all dietary requirements are catered for; vegans to meat-eaters can dine alongside each other in peace without anyone feeling like the odd one out.
Where: The dishes are now a permanent fixture on the menu and are available across all of the Rum Kitchen venues. www.therumkitchen.com
Final Word: It’s great that a restaurant group not known for being overly veggie-friendly has created a varied vegan menu that not only tastes good but fits in seamlessly with the rest of the menu. Many have tried but Rum Kitchen has made it easy and simple to include vegan dishes without them looking out of place.
Like This? Try These: Rudy’s Dirty Vegan Diner, by CHLOE, Tell Your Friends
