The Rum Kitchen

Kingly Court is a three-storey alfresco food and dining destination right in London’s West End. It brings together over 20 international dining concepts in a courtyard, which is open air during the summer and covered during the winter months. This popular dining destination is easily reachable by foot from Oxford Circus as well as Picadilly Circus tube stations.

This is a great food place when you are grabbing something to eat in a group. The courtyard has large communal tables, where you can sit and eat your choice of food from whatever restaurant within Kingly Court. This is a brilliant solution for when you cannot decide what and where to eat, everybody is free to choose and you avoid pesky discussions.

On the first floor of Kingly Court, you can find The Rum Kitchen, a colorful, bustling place, serving Caribbean inspired beach shack food alongside great cocktails.

The first thing that hits you when walking into this place, is the noise. This is probably the noisiest restaurant I have ever been too. It doesn't matter whether you visit during the week or on the weekend, during the day or at night, so conversations are usually held by yelling at the person on the other side of the table. One of the reasons is that they are playing their famous Rum Kitchen soundtrack, which you can also find on Spotify. The second thing you will become aware of, is the smoky jerk smell coming from the kitchen, which will make your mouth water instantly.

You should book your table ahead of time, which you can conveniently do via their website. They have actually enlarged the restaurant a while ago, almost doubling its size and included an open kitchen. So now, they have a nice bar area with high tables in the original part of the restaurant as well as booths in the new part. Compared to the small space it was before, this is definitely an improvement, and they have also upgraded the bathroom situation. However, it is as loud as ever.

Caribbean cuisine is known for using a lot of chicken, pork and seafood, however, the menu actually has something for everybody, there are meat, fish as well as veggie options. Nonetheless, the star of the show are the jerk BBQ options, which include chicken as well as pork rib options. One thing to note is that Caribbean cuisine is quite flavorful and often has a little kick to it, so if you do not like heat be sure to talk to the waiter what dishes might be the best suitable for you.

Something I really like about Rum Kitchen is that they have a Happy Hour a couple of times a week, where you can get a cocktail for 5 or 6 Pounds, my personal favorite is the Jamaican Mule. Keeping with the Caribbean tradition, their focus is on rum-based cocktails, but they made sure to have something for everybody, whether you prefer your cocktails to be sweet, fresh or punchy.

During our last visit we shared the KFC, the Krispy Fried Cauliflower with tamarind aioli. This was a nice starter and it also makes good side dish. It is a lighter alternative to fries, even if it is still breaded and fried. It did not have the most crispy coating but it is a nice vegetarian option on their menu.

As a main I got the crispy fish bun with scotch bonnet mayo and refreshing coleslaw salad. Whereas the cauliflower lacked a bit of crispiness, the fish definitely made up for it and it had a perfect crust on the outside and was still juicy and flaky on the inside. With the kick of the spicy mayo and the creamy coleslaw, this was a great dish with contrasting textures and a good option for those who want a change from their regular fish and chips.

However, the highlight was Chris' jerk chicken. Though the plate might not look especially exciting, every component in this dish was a star on its own and the combination of flavors was amazing. You should just shove a bit of everything together in your mouth, for a full flavor explosion. That's what we are recommending at least.

The marinated and grilled chicken was moist and tender and went well with the acidic BBQ sauce. Though very simple, the rice and peas was perfectly cooked and seasoned and the coleslaw salad was refreshing and tangy. All combined, it makes for a perfect blend of flavors and textures. This dish is a must-eat in our opinion. Also, go for the chicken legs option and not for the chicken breast as the meat of the legs is just way more flavorful than the breast.

The Rum Kitchen is a great spot if you want to grab some Caribbean food in a casual atmosphere with good drinks and hip music. Just be aware that it is not the best place to have a quiet conversation. Nonetheless, the atmosphere and food snare you in, so we have been to this place a couple of times and it is our go-to Caribbean food place in London. Absolutely worth a visit in our opinion!