Carumbar — Restaurant in England

Hi guys. My fiance and I booked to try this Caribbean restaurant that we walked past a few times in Bedford. We got there early and was welcomed to a table straight away. Decor was good, bar looked great and open view to the kitchen was good. The menu was exactly what I would want from a Caribbean restaurant. But FYI, if you want seafood, you do have to order 24 hours before arrival. We straight away got stuck into a jug of rum punch, which I loved as it had the lovely taste of Wray and Nephew. Unfortunately my fiance is not so keen on that rum. We got another jug of cherry rum cocktail with fizzy pineapple which was lush also. I was chatting to the bar staff about overproof rum and had a shot of rum that was very strong, tasted like fireball gobstoppers (if you are old enough to remember them?) To the staffs surprise I thought it was OK compared to a overproof rum one of my best mates mum brought back from St Lucia. I ordered the curried goat with rice, peas, and slaw. It was yum. Velvety sauce, tender goat, nicely cooked rice. Went down lovely with some of the plantain side we had. My fiance had the chickpea curry with rice and peas. I love to try a veg dish and was pleasantly surprised, considering I'm not fond of chickpea, that it was just as tasty as my meat dish. There was people coming in without bookings and seated which showed the restaurant will always try to fit everyone in. They also have a delivery service on delivery apps and takeaway service for walk ins. Really chuffed, really stuffed, and after the rum punch, a little...

Came out for a family meal and ordered the Jerk chicken... it isn't real Jerk chicken and isn't cooked on a drum.

I gave my food back to the waiter and explained my reason for cancelling it. The waiter replied saying it was cooked on a drum pan.

Lol Jerk chicken isn't cooked on a pan it is meant to be cooked on a drum!

Second time coming here, won't be returning. I've also attached a photo of the chicken...

Update: Thanks for your reply and thanks for your invite to view the kitchen. Unfortunately I don't live in the area so I won't be travelling back to view the kitchen.

I'm entitled to my opinion and my opinion stands that I don't find the Jerk authentic. My issue is with the Jerk chicken! I've attached a photo and a honest review...People will read both my comment and your comment and make their own decision.

There were so many other things that I could of touched upon but left out of my review.

That being said, my other guests ordered the Oxtail and Stew Chicken. They all enjoyed their dishes. And they liked the saltfish fritters.

Instead of being passive aggressive just take it on the chin and keep it moving. If your jerk is so great as you state and ppl come back for it... then you've nothing to worry about. Seeing as it just one person that doesn't like the Jerk or believe it authentic.

I've updated my stars to 3* to reflect the other guests that enjoyed their...

The makings of any good establishment are good food, good service and good atmosphere.

The team at Carumbar exceeded all expectations. The service was top notch especially the attentive servers willing to explain the menu to us and recommend their favourite items.

Special shout out to the drinks menu. It’s packed with options and they all sound amazing. We had the Ojs cheery rum and pineapple fizz with a few other delicious cocktails.

The food was elegantly plated, the mixed wings we ordered was a flavourful delight of jerk, bbq and plain chicken. Tender yet crisp. The chilli sauce gave the fried chicken an excellent kick (though not for the faint of heart).

We didn’t get a chance to get to dessert. But with bottomless brunch menu. You can bet I’ll be going back to sample more!

Lastly massive attention to detail in the dressing of the restaurant, the decor is inviting when you step in and everywhere you look there are small details that shows Sophie really thought through the customer journey and experience through the restaurant. The classic Marshall Amp playing the excellent music was my favourite.

All in all, this is a local female owned business that you would be missing out on if you...