• About The Hedonist
  • Bar Talk-Where we’re drinking
    • The Polo Bar @ The Westbury
    • Pink Chihuahua
    • 69 Colebrooke Row – Review
    • The Bar at the George V Paris – Review
    • Duke’s Bar – Review
    • Bassoon Bar – Review
    • Banca – Review
    • THE EGERTON HOUSE BAR -Review
    • The Lucky Pig – Review
    • Beagle – Review
    • 214 Bermondsey – Review
  • London Restaurant Reviews
    • Caractère – Review Notting Hill
    • Patri – Review
    • Villa di Geggiano – Review
    • African Volcano @  Great Guns Social  
    • Beso – Review
    • Padella – Review
    • 28°-50° London Wine Workshop and Kitchen – Review
    • The Goring – Review
    • Freakscene – Review
    • CUB – Review
    • Tsukiji Sushi – Review
    • COYA Angel Court – Review
    • Nutbourne – Review
    • Galvin Bistrot de Luxe – Review
    • Palatino – Review
    • Lao Café – Review
    • Galvin at The Athenaeum – Review
    • 7 Park Place – Review
    • QP London – Review
    • Cinnamon Bazaar – Review
    • Chinese New Year @ Hakkasan
    • Dinner by Heston Blumenthal – Review
    • The Ritz @ Xmas – Review
    • Coriander – Review
    • El Parador – Review
    • Inamo – Review
    • Ostuni – Review
    • Chai Wu – Review
    • Shotgun BBQ – Review
    • Ormer Mayfair – Review
    • Review-The Angler
    • The Harcourt – Review
    • Pizzicotto – Review
    • The Painted Heron – Review
    • All Star Lanes – Review
    • Kurobuta Harvey Nichols – Review
    • Bangalore Express – Review
    • Zero Degrees – Review
    • Chakra – Review
    • Cottons Caribbean Restaurant and Salon de Rhum – Review
    • Lotus – Review
    • Charlotte’s W5 – Review
    • Massimo – Review
    • Brasserie Les 110 de Taillevent – Review
    • The Dalloway Terrace @ The Bloomsbury hotel – Review
    • Plum + Spilt Milk – Review
    • Bella Cosa – Review
    • Roka Aldwych – Review (with Bookatable)
    • Brasserie Gustave – Review
    • Muga – Review
    • Barrafina – Review
    • Charlotte’s Place – Review
    • The New St Grill – Review
    • The Lockhart – Review
    • Kêu – Review
    • The Richmond – Review
    • Allan Pickett @ Sanderson – Review
    • Scents of Summer Afternoon Tea @ The InterContinental London
    • Tartufi & Friends @ Harrods – Review
    • The Five Fields – Review
    • West Thirty Six – Review
    • Evoluzione @ Hotel Xenia Kensington – Review
    • Rex & Mariano – Review
    • Kitchen Table @ Bubbledogs – Review
    • John Doe – Review
    • Ceru – Review
    • Kouzu – Review
    • Enoteca Rabezzana – Review
    • Old Tom & English – Review
    • The Wallace – Review
    • Zaika – Review
    • Xmas at Boulestin – Review
    • Crocker’s Folly – Review
    • The Cavendish – Review
    • Laurent-Perrier at The New Angel – Review
    • Assado – Review
    • The Life Goddess – Review
    • Bubba Gump Shrimp Co – Review
    • Ember Yard – Review
    • The Palomar – Review
    • Blanchette – Review
    • Cannizaro House – Review
    • 1901 Restaurant at Andaz – Review
    • Notting Hill Kitchen – Review
    • The Guildford Arms – Review
    • Curry for Change @ Cafe Spice Namaste
    • Chotto Matte – Review
    • Lyle’s – Review
    • The Clove Club – Review
    • Quo Vadis – Review
    • Polpetto – Review
    • Osteria dell Angelo – Review
    • Amsterdam-Johannes Restaurant – Review
    • The Worlds End Market – Chelsea
    • Brigade Bar & Bistro- Review
    • La Polenteria – Review
    • Mele e Pere – Review
    • La Mancha – Review
    • The Well – Review
    • Harrods The Salad Kitchen – Review
    • Layla – Review
    • See Sushi – Review
    • Pescatori Mayfair – Review
    • Flesh & Buns – Review
    • Grain Store – Review
    • Acciuga – Review
    • Pizza Pilgrims – Review
    • Les Trois Garcons – Review
    • Little Social – Review
    • Review-Ametsa with Arzak Instruction
    • Review-Balthazar
    • Reviews-Brasserie Zedel
    • Review-Copita
    • Review-Hawksmoor Air St.
    • The Glasshouse – Review
    • Review-Coya
    • 214 Bermondsey – Review
  • Travel
    • Tuscany
      • Tuscany-A Florentine Feast with Anna Bini
      • Tuscany-Olive Oil Pressing in Pistoia-Olio Nuovo
      • Tuscany-Pecorino and Ricotta from the Pistoia Hills
  • Music
    • When A Gig Goes Wrong – Pop Music’s Hall of Shame

The Hedonist

Cottons Caribbean Restaurant and Salon de Rhum – Review

June 13, 2016 by Adrian

 157-159 Notting Hill Gate W11 3LF

020 7243 0090/http://cottons-restaurant.co.uk/notting-hill/IMG_6161I’ve never been to the Caribbean so the next best thing was being asked to review the new flagship restaurant for the Cottons group of restaurants, Cottons Caribbean Restaurant and Salon de Rhum in Notting Hill. It’s the upmarket sibling to the original Cottons which opened in Camden over 30 years ago and the Street Food Boxpark Cottons in Shoreditch.IMG_6163The tiki style restaurant and bar offers ‘traditional Caribbean cuisine, weekend brunches and eclectic rum cocktails’ which it was my clear duty to sample-as well as stocking the largest rum collection in the UK!IMG_6168Despite my best efforts  I didn’t get through everything on the drinks list but I can report that the Smokin Hot Bourbon (£9.50) with demerara and blackberry syrup, tarragon infusion, orange and angostura bitters was deliciously dark and well yes…smoky. Smoked bourbon drinks are totally on trend at the moment which made me start to think that Cottons might have a more sophisticated offer than most other Caribbean restaurants in town. A Frozen Daiquiri (£8) made with dark rum, lime juice, strawberry purée and crushed ice was a classic version of what is one of my favourite summer drinks-beautifully refreshing but not too sweet with a hint of evil amongst the sunshine from the rum notes poking through.IMG_6167The Mezze platter featuring (£7) Accra (a peppery Jerusalem artichoke fritter, aubergine choka (grilled for smokiness), creole shrimps and pholourie (fried dough balls) was a prettily presented and gutsy plate of food with big strong flavours and contrasting textures.IMG_6166I’m always nervous when I see scotch bonnet chillies on the menu but the tiger’s milk element of the Scallop Ceviche (£8)-green mango, scotch bonnet and tigers milk- had a fragrant gentle acidity with only a hint of burn. This was a subtle take on the ceviche and as good as anything I have eaten in London’s top Peruvian restaurants.IMG_6173Fiona and I shared the Signature Fish and Seafood Platter (£26.50) for a main dish. There were great chunks of seafood cooked in spices and butter; scallops, clams, king prawns, squid, monkfish tails, lobster with plantain and clams in spicy coconut broth.  The flavours were bold and exciting-this was a great dish.IMG_6174 IMG_6175Rice n Peas (£3) were perfect for soaking up the seafood flavours of the platter and spring greens (£3) were simply cooked with garlic butter.IMG_6177Lemongrass flan with berries (£6) was really a Spanish crème caramel with a hint of lemongrass  beautifully matched by the vanilla and oak of a glass of Corsaire rum.IMG_6176Banana Napoleon (£8) was a beautifully plated construction of Filo pastry, banana cream, coconut snow, tropical fruit sorbet and coriander. It was a little sweet for me but Fiona had no trouble in polishing it off….IMG_6164

I didn’t have particularly great expectations of the food at Cottons as my experience of Caribbean food the UK hasn’t been great. However the kitchen delivered powerful flavours but in a well balanced way that really impressed me. It combined intensity with the precision and presentation of fine dining. All I want them to do now is to have matched rums with each dish!

Competition alert!: go to https://twitter.com/CottonsLDN  and Twitter/Facebook users simply have to retweet and follow the @CottonsLDN account to be in with a chance of winning a complimentary cocktail for you and a friend.

Tags

Acciuga Belgravia Brighton Bruno Loubet Camden Chelsea Chiswick Cocktails Covent Garden Curry D@D Fitzrovia Gallery Mess gin Hackney Harrison's Harrods Hoxton Indian Islington Italian Japanese Kensington King's Rd London London-Unattached Marylebone Mayfair Namaaste Kitchen Negroni Notting Hill pan-asian Peru Peruvian Pizza Restaurant sake Sam's Shoreditch Sloane Square Soho tapas The Hedonist The Saatchi Gallery Tony Conigliaro

Copyright © 2022 · Magazine Pro Theme on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in