Chef/proprietor Anthony Cumberbatch has cooked for rock stars and manned the stoves in some top London kitchens including The Ivy, but his latest venture is all about his Caribbean roots. Housed in
what was Tulse Hill’s Victorian railway station, Bubbas works its groove in a down-home clubby setting of wipe-clean tables, mirrors and cushioned walls, with garish neon lighting and a funky
soundtrack in the background. The kitchen’s aim is to add some westernised gloss and fancy presentation to dishes that have made the West Indies famous: saltfish and ackee is wrapped up in a filo
purse, chunks of jerk pork appear as ‘lollipops’ with ketchup, goat curry arrives in a tuile ‘basket’ garnished with edible flowers on top, and deep-fried okra balls come with a Kilner jar of
papaya chutney on the side. Starched tablecloths and uniformed staff match the kitchen’s aspirations.