Some restaurant experiences are a bit like a revolving door. In and out, without a second thought, and barely a backwards glance. Dinner for Paloma at The Good Front Room was exactly the opposite – unforgettable for all the right reasons.
The Good Front Room in Dalston Junction has it all. Chef Dom Taylor’s passion for refining and elevating Caribbean food is genuine and infectious. He is keen to showcase the region’s cuisine in a way it’s rarely been seen before in London.
He proved himself with a residency at the Langham Hotel in 2023/24, the first Caribbean restaurant within a London five-star restaurant setting. This followed on from his now famous Five Star Chef TV show win on Channel 4, with Michel Roux Jnr as one of the judges.
The new restaurant is a more laid back affair, in terms of look and location, which lends itself better to embracing a Caribbean vibe. The restaurant’s name is evocative enough but the interior shouts 1970s, as imagined by the Windrush generation. As the child of such parents – mine came from Guyana in 1961 – it took me right back to my childhood.
Of course the good front room was the reception room reserved for the most important guests. In our house, we spent most of our time in the back room, with ripples of excitement when invited into the front room on special occasions.
The a la carte menu is filled with starter plates and small mains ideal for sharing. This immediately creates a lighter touch approach to a cuisine renowned as heavy and filling. More plates than usual made their way to the table. This is a different way of eating Caribbean food but one I prefer.
The delicate execution of Ackee & Saltfish Cake is a case in point. Croquettes generously filled, and served with Scotch Bonnet Aioli, Charred Blackened Pineapple and Heirloom Tomato Chow. A sucker for crispy breadcrumbs, I finished the croquette before pausing to question the whereaboust of the ackee. I don’t find it visually appealing so the fact that ackee and saltfish were blended together, to a very tasty finish, was all to the good. I now like ackee.
Chef Dom talks of classic Caribbean dishes re-imagined, which is where the main course came in.
Rum + Raisin Glazed Pork Belly, with charred Hispi cabbage and poached golden raisins. Sweet, juicy meat, that’d undergone some serious marination, at least 24-hrs, with melt-in-the mouth fat as proof.
Short Rib Brown Stew fell apart upon fork contacted, the caramelised meat melding well with slow-braised candied breadfruit.
I was determined not to order jerk chicken but couldn’t resist. That most famous Caribbean dish is something quite different here. Reminiscent of a MasterChef trial, the dish was almost unrecognisable from its usual high and heavy appearance. This dish was fine dining live in action. Intricately cut pieces of chargrilled chicken and roasted sweetcorn delicately placed in a neat stack, with a plantain crisp canopy, and served with plantain jam. A rather exquisite plate and so far removed from the traditional dish barbequed inside an old oil drum.
Refined kitchen skills doesn’t mean the restaurant had cut ties with tradition. and all the classis sides remain. Granted, portions are smaller, but definitely more luxurious. Baked Mac + Three Cheese must be generous on the calories so lighter portions work here. I loved Plantain, with maple and lime. Simple frying and salting would have been enough for me but this treatment was next level.
The drinks game is strong here so much so that I only managed one. It had to be chef Dom’s Rum Punch, with two liberal serves of rum (Wray & Nephew and Kraken). It packed a punch, quite literally.
I’m not a huge dessert fan and by that I mean, the flavour has to be worth the calorie intake for me to bother with it. Savoury flavours are harder for me to resist. A meal is often fulsome enough, before dessert enters the picture. Chef Dom’s desserts are, however, irresistible. Two stood out for me. Nan’s Apple Crumble – Demerara Stewed Apples, Shortbread Crumbs, with Vanilla Bean Ice-Cream and Custard, and Stout Soft Serve.
I’d love to visit the Good Front Room again but this time for brunch. Available only at weekends, it’s so far removed from the typical bacon & eggs menu commonly found in the Capital. Chicken + Festival Waffle, Smoky Bacon, Bourbon Hot Sauce, Golden Fried Egg and
Lobster French Toast, Coconut Rum Bisque, Green Papaya, Scallion Oil are just two dishes certain to lure diners in.
The Good Front Room, Thomas Tower, Dalston Square, London, E8 3GU.
Nearest Station: Dalston Junction – on the Windrush Line.