Did you watch Five Star Kitchen: Britain’s Next Great Chef?
If you did, you would have seen Chef Dom Taylor recreate classic Caribbean dishes in a fine dining style, beating the competition and winning the prize of his own restaurant at the world-famous five-star hotel, The Langham, London. The competition’s judges were Michel Roux Jr, Ravneet Gill and Mike Reid.
I watched it and was rooting for him. He’s a deserved winner, and I was excited to check out his popup restaurant, The Good Front Room at The Langham, which opened in July, the day after his win.
Since filming the final last year, Chef Dom has been working with Michel Roux Jr and the team at the illustrious Langham to develop the menu.
Chef Dom puts his twist on classic Caribbean dishes, using ingredients such as plantain, rum, okra, and sorrel to rework tradition in a contemporary style. Undoubtedly, playing with Caribbean dishes could be met with some resistance, especially by those who have known and loved it all their life.
Generally speaking, people don’t want Caribbean food to change, but it deserves to be taken to the masses while still being something that grandmother would say is authentic.
The Good Front Room at The Langham was supposed to be open for six months but has been so popular that it has an extension to April, which I’m glad for, as it took a while to get a table.
Décor/atmosphere
The interior is transformed daily to correlate with the modern Caribbean menus and tells a story of culture and diversity through the fusion between Africa and the West.
Eye-catching art by the talented Caroline Chinakwe adorns the walls and aligns beautifully with the cultural celebration. Pop culture images and Afrofuturism create a unique and futuristic depiction of contemporary black art. The restaurant has a vibrant atmosphere, and the setting is comparable to a colonial tearoom.
The Food
To start, I went for the Ackee and salt Fish Cake, followed by the Banana Leaf Baked Sea Bream – both were bursting with mouth-watering flavours. Though the dishes had a twist, they maintained fundamental ingredients and spices, such as pimento, etc., that make it Caribbean.
The meal came with all sides – Okra and Fennel Slaw, Green Banana Gratin, Maple Coriander and Lime Glazed Plantain, hot pepper sauce and Rice and Peas, which was next level. All food bursts with flavour. There was also a side of Brussels sprouts, which I ordinarily hate, but Chef Dom even managed to make these taste good.
Rice and Peas is a staple dish in Caribbean cooking, and this time, it’s not Michel Roux that Chef Dom had to impress. I’m sure this was a dish many were ready to critique. However, he delivered, and I was still thinking about it the next day.
I finished with a Sweet Potato Meringue Pie, which was artistic but not quite what I was expecting. It was made with a different type of sweet potato than I am used to, but the lime sorbet was delicious.
Service
There was good energy from the staff, who were personable and professional. However, in keeping with the theme, service was at points running on Caribbean time. That said, this can be forgiven as it was extremely busy.
Price
Exceptional value! The price is on par with other fine dining establishments I have recently dined at, but the difference is they paled in comparison to The Good Front Room.
A three-course meal from the Christmas menu costs £90 per person. Cocktails were £19 each. The total for two for a three-course meal and a cocktail each was £247.69, including service.
Overall
Chef Dom’s vision was to deliver Caribbean cookery authentically and respectfully to a wider audience, and I take my hat off to him for achieving his goal.
Sometimes, we watch programs and feed into the hype only to be disappointed. Not here. The food at The Good Front Room at The Langham exceeded my expectations, and it was the best meal I have had for a long time.
Throughout the series, judges praised Chef Dom’s dishes for their depth of flavour, and his unique concept was recognised for its potential to succeed on the London five-star food scene. However, it was important to Chef Dom not to lose the authenticity of Caribbean cooking while finessing it to five-star hotel dining with a contemporary twist.
Chef Dom is staying true to himself and winning. Even the name is authentic. Remember as a child that one room at your grandmother or aunt’s house that was sacred and set up immaculately for special guests? Yes, that’s “The Good Front Room”.
I highly recommend that you be a special guest at The Good Front Room at The Langham, should you get the chance.
Book
Address: The Good Front Room, The Langham, 1C Portland Pl, London W1B 1JA
