2 /5 Jessica Valencia: I would like to begin by expressing my admiration for the concept of this restaurant and the fact that it is Black-owned. However, I feel compelled to share my disappointment with the "all you can eat" offerings. Firstly, I encountered a discrepancy between the pricing advertised on Instagram and TikTok, which indicated £30 per person, and the menu in the restaurant, which listed £50 per person. This constitutes false advertising, and in light of the current cost of living, I believe it is essential for communication and social media updates to reflect accurate pricing to avoid such confusion. Nowhere, not even on the website, did it mention the £50 per person charge for the all-you-can-eat option. Additionally, many other all-you-can-eat establishments charge between £20-30, which made the £50 price feel unreasonable, especially since we had booked for a birthday dinner and had limited options for a Friday evening.
Upon our arrival, the door sign read “closed,” and it wasn’t until we were waiting outside in the cold that someone came to change it. The service from the waitress was adequate, though she seemed frustrated that not all of our party had arrived. While I understand this, a welcoming smile and a warm greeting are fundamental in hospitality.
Now, regarding the food, as someone with Jamaican and Nigerian heritage, I was particularly excited to experience the all-you-can-eat buffet, as I usually have to travel quite far to South London for this. The process was confusing, as we were handed a piece of paper with the dishes from the menu and asked to select quantities for the first, second, or third rounds. There was no clear explanation about this process on their website or social media, which made the experience more complicated. Communication with the staff was also lacking, giving the impression of disorganization.
The "all you can eat" menu only included dishes from the left side of the menu, and unfortunately, the food was underwhelming. The portions were so small. Many of the items, including the curry goat, oxtail, rice and peas, saltfish, fish and vegetable fritters, were disappointing, with a flavour rating of 2/10, which was especially disheartening as they are some of my favourite Caribbean dishes. We had to return food multiple times, such as the plantain, which was under-ripe, hard, and burnt, and the rice and peas, which was also burnt and lacked flavor. The curry goat was very spicy but lacked depth of taste, and the fritters were excessively salty and greasy. We made it clear that we would not be paying the £10 wastage fee since the food was not up to acceptable standards. On several occasions, the waitress seemed reluctant and slightly irritable when we returned items, and the kitchen staff appeared visibly frustrated as well.
As a customer, when I am paying £50 for a meal, I expect it to be of high quality, at least an 8/10, if not a 10/10. I have experience working in hospitality for over 10 yrs and understand the importance of ensuring that customers enjoy both the food and the service, and unfortunately, neither met expectations. Sadly, I won’t be returning, as the food didn’t taste authentic and gave the impression that it catered to more white customers than black afro Caribbean people. The only dish I truly enjoyed was the soup, which, though quite spicy, I can easily make myself at a much lower cost.
I do want to shoutout to the young black lady who was new and served us on multiple occasions. She always interacted with us in a polite and friendly manner. I had planned to use my £20 as tip for the servers but the food was £50 not £30 like on their instagram.
