Having heard lots about Caribbean Croft on Stokes Croft, I was looking forward to paying them a visit for lunch. The independent restaurant and rum bar has rave reviews and is known for its delicious food and thriving atmosphere.
When I first got there at noon, the large restaurant was largely empty and only one more table was occupied. However, as time went on, a few more people started to arrive and there were also diners coming in for takeaways.
Nice, but not too loud music was playing in the background and I enjoyed watching them prepare the food in the open kitchen. With an extensive menu with lots of choices (particularly impressive is the fish and vegetarian/vegan section), I decided to order some chicken wings as a starter (£8) followed by the Croft Combo (£19) and a side of sweet potato fries (£3).
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The chicken wings didn't take long to arrive and, when they did, they were steaming. They came with lots of sauce and a dip of cucumber, mint and basil mayo.
The chicken wings had the right amount of spiciness and, while the gravy had a deep flavour, personally I was more of a fan of the dip. I kept going back to it as I found it to be light and refreshing.
The Croft Combo consists of a mix of jerk chicken, curry goat and jerky belly served with rice' n' peas, salad and 'croftslaw'. I love coleslaw so that is the first thing I tried and I was not disappointed - it tasted fresh and it had the right ratio of veg and mayo, not being too creamy or too dry.
It also came with a small portion of what looked like red cabbage that had been shredded in a tangy dressing. The rice and peas were very nice and just as you would expect them to be.
On the meaty side, the jerk pork belly was the highlight for me. It was not something I had tried before and that, from my experience, you don't see in Caribbean restaurants that often.
The pork was soft and nicely seasoned, while the jerk chicken breast was tender and spicy. A big fan of curry goat (it is my go-to dish normally), I was a bit disappointed and found it to be a bit bland and lacking in flavour.
The Croft Combo is a generous, filling portion that could easily be shared or, otherwise, you could take some home with you. I also enjoyed the sweet potato fries as a side dish, but these were not essential as it was more than enough food.
Bristol is a city known for its food scene and where there is fierce competition among Caribbean restaurants. However, Caribbean Croft has certainly managed to carve a place for itself.
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