The Rum Kitchen, Brixton – cocktails and Caribbean food, sounds like a winning combination, right? Well, for me it is although I am not much of a cocktail person, but the thought of a cool (alcoholic) drink with some fried or grilled food is most apt.
The Rum Kitchen in Brixton is it's third branch. The space is quite large and, as you might have guessed, rum is their speciality with various brands on offer (I'm merely an amateur in this) and their Rum based cocktails. The dining area is towards the back of the restaurant while the front area feels like it is dedicated to the happy hour crowd. Outdoor seating is available but limited and quite honestly, I am not mad about the view of a busy road, with heavy traffic at certain times.
There were more than a handful of us and we each order a rum based cocktail but still it looked a little monotonous in this picture. I find it was very mild and needed an extra shot of that, er, rum?
The menu was predominantly fried and grilled chicken with jerk sauce. Smaller nibbles and bits to share are suitable cocktail companion and a crowd pleaser dessert menu of ice-creams and banana cake. I was very tempted by the slow cooked mutton dish but had a yearning for fried chicken. And vegetarian dishes include a halloumi burger, cauliflower curry and a mysterious rainbow salad. Main dishes priced at an average £10.00 needs a side (about £4.00) of either rice, plaintains or chips to make a proper meal. The plating of food looks appetising and vibrant; partly with the colourful plateware. It has a clean presentation which shows that a degree of care was taken with the plating.
Service was very friendly. Perhaps the waitresses were still learning the dishes because there is still confusion of what the dishes were supposed to be. It is not so suitable for younger children because of the level of noise. The Rum Kitchen is appropriate to cater for large crowds.
We had a lovely time, but probably because of the lime salt we all felt very thirsty after the meal.