The Good Front Room ran as a successful 10-month residency at the august Langham hotel in Portland Place three years ago – Dom’s reward for victory in Michel Roux’s TV series Five Star Kitchen. His follow-up, Marvee’s Food Shop in Ladbroke Grove, had less impact and closing down after only three months last year.
Dom was brought up in London by a Jamaican mother and Saint-Lucian father, and first learned to cook from older women in his family. He says: “The Good Front Room is inspired by my great-aunt Myrtle and the sacred front rooms found in so many Caribbean homes, spaces kept for special guests and layered with pride and memory.
“As a grandchild of the Windrush generation, I feel a responsibility to carry the torch and keep our stories, recipes, and traditions alive. Doing this now feels like the right moment to build something entirely my own, rooted in where I come from and led with intention.”
The Good Front Room can accommodate 80 diners, and will showcase local talent with regular spoken word and live music sessions alongside Dom’s modern interpretation of classic Caribbean cooking. Dishes include Gungo pea daal; Ackee and sailfish cake; Rum and raisin pork belly strips; Escovitch will Hake; Whole jerk chicken; Seafood boil and Sweet potato sticky toffee pudding. The Good Front Room’s signature rum punch heads a selection of bespoke cocktails all at £16, with Red Stripe beer and Dragon stout as well as wine to accompany meals.
The Good Front Room opens next Thursday 5 February at 1 Thomas Tower, next to Dalston Junction station.
