There are many different cuisines within London from Indian to Italian but have you ever went along to a restaurant which serves up pan Caribbean food? Antillean provides a great range of Caribbean dishes from jackfruit to flying fish.
As I have never had Caribbean food before I was excited when I was invited down on a PR basis to discover and taste the delights of Caribbean food which Antillean has to offer.
Antillean
Antillean is one of London’s newest Caribbean restaurants which opened up back in Summer 2021 serving up Caribbean dishes.
Chef patron Michael Hanbury of Antillean wants to show that Caribbean food is not all just about jerk chicken and rice but there is so much more to enjoy such as flying fish, which they also use as their logo.
The name Antillean, is derived from the beautiful islands of the Antilles.
At Antillean they have captured the essence of Antilles by brining together food, drink and music which captures the rich and diverse community of the Caribbean islands.
Enjoy a sharing selection of Caribbean food whilst at Antillean and a drink or two, perhaps a rum from over 100 distinctive types from around the world as well as exotic cocktails.
Antillean ethos is about brining people together in a space that offers high-end casual dining, where you sit back and relax and have fun in a community-based environment!
Caribbean delights
Antillean is set within a Grade II building on Blackfriars Road. upon looking at the entrance yo would of thought it was going to be a small restaurant but in fact once you step inside things are much bigger than I though, think Doctor Who’s Tardis.
Walking past the bar the space then opens up to reveal a large seating area which is airy, light and spacious with 40 foot wooden trussed ceilings and a skylight running most of the length of the room.
Once seated and looking over the menu it is clear to see that the chef has put much thought into all his dishes with unique twists.
As I took my husband and I love fish and he loves meat we decided to have three seafood inspired dishes to start and share, then two meat dishes from the mains and finish with a platter of desserts.
Whilst we waited for our food one of the managers Alfred treated us to a sneak peek of their Valentines cocktails in which they will be serving up during Valentines.
The Pink Negroni consisted of pink gin, rose vermouth, Aperol, loaded with ice and was garnished with a slice of dried pink grapefruit. Tasted slightly bitter, with floral notes and spice.
The Tequilla Amore consisted of tequila, lime juice, sugar syrup, ginger beers and crème de cassis, and topped with ice. Tasted sweet, fruity and gingery resulting in a very punchy drink.
Even though I loved the colour, look and taste of both cocktails I must admit they were a little too strong for me this is because they use the right measurements, never undercutting or watering down the alcohol like which some other restaurants do. So if you love strong tasting cocktails then you will certainly love these.
For those that are looking cocktails without alcohol they do a great selection and I don’t mean just three or four to choose from as they have a great range. I opted for the Mojito and Jason opted for the Espresso Martini.
The Mojito tasted just like how I imagined minty, zesty, sharp and tangy.
The Espresso Martini was an explosion of coffee followed by a sweet creaminess to it.
Both mocktails really were a delight and actually I started to question why do I drink cocktails with alcohol in it when these mocktails are just as good, or perhaps even better as least this way I won’t end up with a headache or hangover.
Now onto the main reason for visiting this restaurant their Caribbean food.
For starters to share we opted for a selection of their seafood Caribbean inspired dishes.
The blue swimmer crab, mango avocado, ginger and chilli (£12) was lovely, the crab was not like any other crab I had as not overly flaky and more meaty in flavour. The flavour of the blue crab is a little similar to crab and cod combined to me. The mango, avocado, ginger and chilli gave the whole dish that extra sweetness and a slight kick cutting through the taste of the crab, making it a very cleansing dish. Perfect dish for hotter months as it so light and refreshing.
The grilled prawns, Antillean salsa verde and avocado salsa (£8) was great. The prawns are juicy and the salsa is peppery and creamy.
The grilled octopus, mango, cucumber, mint and scotch bonnet emulsion (£17) has to be the best octopus starter I have ever had. I must admit I was a little scared about the scotch bonnet being used within the dish but it was not fiery at all in what I was expecting. All the flavours worked well giving, sweetness and that little bit of heat when eating with the perfectly cooked octopus which was so soft and refreshing.
For mains though we decided to choose a few of their meat dishes this tome around to share.
The braised oxtail, sweet potato puree and pan jus (£23) provided a rich dish. The meat was rich, flaked away and melted in the mouth. The potato puree was flavoursome, creamy and silky.
As for the Rum marinated ribeye, boniato mash and salsa verde (£29) I loved how it came served sliced and with the salsa verde in a dish making it perfect for dipping. The meat was cooked perfectly, medium rare providing a succulent and juicy piece of steak. The salsa was herby and peppery working well with the meat.
Also we ordered on the side a bowl of lobster mac n cheese (£17) which is the best seafood mac n cheese I have ever tasted. It was full of nice size pieces of white lobster, along with mushrooms and little cubes of peppers. Every bite provided flavours of lobster, pasta and vegetables, with that hit of cheese. Absolutely gorgeous and when I next visit I will certainly be ordering that again.
As to end any perfect night it was time for dessert. The dessert menu had great options making it hard to choose what to have as nearly all the desserts on the menu I wanted, and now that does not happen that often but had great selection.
As I could not make up my mind we opted to order and share the chef’s selection dessert platter (£18). This was perfect as it came with all the desserts I wanted to try.
The rum baba and spiced rum syrup was like mini sponges with that hit of rum and spice. The extra kick from the spiced rum syrup which made it a very adult dessert.
The Guinness punch ice cream, with Havana club spiced rum was a little like a milkshake as it was creamy, sweet, milky and full of Guinness flavour with a little heat to it, due to the spiced rum. Did you know that Guinness punch is a very popular Jamaican drink so any Jamaicans or even Irish will certainly love this ice cream.
The Island chocolate torte, passionfruit and mango is a rich chocolate tart. The chocolate is a ganache set within a biscuit tart base which was butter and crumbly. It was topped with a slice of passionfruit and mango cutting the chocolate flavour with a sharp tangy flavour.
The carrot cake, pineapple was amazing, not only was it huge, but the flavour was great. The sponge so flaky and buttery with a great consistency of carrot throughout and a extra hit of sharpness from the pineapple. The cream frosting gave it that extra creaminess and sharpness.
See how happy desserts make me!
Which dessert takes your fancy?
Video footage of my time at Antillean
Verdict
Overall I was very impressed with Antillean from the ambience, staff, food and mocktails. As I mentioned earlier the space is nice and spacious thanks to the size of the room and the alcoves around the perimeter of the room which provided a degree of intimacy. The staff were happy and very versed in the menu so any question I had they could answer. The dishes all were plated up beautifully making each dish very appetising. Some of the dishes truly were WOW with flavours, especially the octopus starter and lobster mac n cheese. Plus they had a great array of drinks on offer from cocktails to rums to choose from so there is a drink fit for everyone, even those who don’t drink alcohol.
So if you are looking for a restaurant which serves up great sharing plates (you don’t need to share) and something that little different when it comes to cuisines then Antillean is the place to visit. Plus with it’s large dining area you can go along easily in a party of friends / family.
Antillean visit now
Antillean
74 Blackfriars Rd
London
SE1 8HA
Telephone: 020 3011 4449
Email: reservations@antillean.co.uk
Opening hours:
Monday to Friday: 9:00 – 23:00
Saturday: 10:00 – 23:00
Sunday: 12:00 – 18:00
Click here to see the menus of offer.
Thank you to Tall PR and Antillean for the invite I loved it. All views are my own honest opinion.
“I love going out discovering new and existing restaurants, theatres, immersive experiences and so much more but I also love staying in and discovering new gadgets, gaming and cooking.
