Bubbas, Tulse Hill
Cocktails and Caribbean - yes please.
Review
If it wasn't for the wonderful food, you could be forgiven for thinking
that you'd been whisked into a nightclub when you enter Bubbas. With a
soundtrack covering a wide span of genres (from Bill Withers to Flo
Rida ft. T-Pain via a bit of Justin Timberlake) and lighting to rival a
UV party, the atmosphere was a little odd. Add this to the fact that
this restaurant is basically IN the station (perfect for people who get
lost easily), meaning that you can actually hear the train
announcements from the toilets, and you've got quite a surreal venue on
your hands.
So, we fell out of Tulse Hill station and into Bubbas' bar. Itchy was impressed with the range of cocktails - classics such as the Mai Tai were offered alongside newer creations (We particularly liked the Mexican Gigollo... naughty sounding, naughty tasting!) at reasonable prices.
After our cocktails, we were feeling slightly tipsy and pounced on the offer of a "Piccolo piatto misto" (a small mixed platter). Itchy loves sharing, so we enjoyed this one, which was perfect for two. HOWEVER if you plan to try this yourself - BEWARE: there are some little spicy surprises as you navigate the seemingly innocent platter. In fact, every mouthful we took of this platter caused us to have a little weep (we're quite ridiculously sensitive to spice), which slightly marred the experience. So, if you like a bit of spice, go for it... if not, maybe give it a miss.
We consoled our burning tastebuds with a few sips of cocktail and moved on. We couldn't turn down the chance to sample "Deep Fried spiced haddock fillet" cooked in Red Stripe batter with sweet potato chips and mushy peas - the ultimate Caribbean twist on a British classic. The fish was absolutely huge, with a spicy layering inside the batter giving it a slight kick. The chips were a dream come true for Itchy's sweet-potato-addict friend and our only complaint was the lack of sauce to accompany the ginormous fish.
We'd also been recommended the "Boneless braised oxtail" with ratatouille, potato gallete and something called "festival dumpling ball". (Oh how we laughed.) So, we went ahead and ordered it, even though we weren't completely sure what it was. We're happy to announce, it was great. No nasty spice surprises in this one, with the perfect amount of ratatouille to compliment the beautifully cooked oxtail.
Itchy was stuffed at this point, but couldn't refuse a little light dessert. We would have sampled something more exotic, but honestly felt like we couldn't squeeze in any more of ANYTHING at this point... sorbet was the only answer. After Itchy's friend's slightly cheeky request of "We'll have whatever flavour you bring us... although I do really like melon." (wink), we were happy to be served gorgeously fresh melon sorbet. The perfect refreshing end to an exotic evening of culinary delights.
The food is exciting (if a little spicy in weird places), and the cocktails are moreish, but the bright lights shining in our face just made the experience a bit like a nice meal out mixed with a strange form of torture... Bubbas', if you sort out the lighting, we'll be back in the blink of an eye.
So, we fell out of Tulse Hill station and into Bubbas' bar. Itchy was impressed with the range of cocktails - classics such as the Mai Tai were offered alongside newer creations (We particularly liked the Mexican Gigollo... naughty sounding, naughty tasting!) at reasonable prices.
After our cocktails, we were feeling slightly tipsy and pounced on the offer of a "Piccolo piatto misto" (a small mixed platter). Itchy loves sharing, so we enjoyed this one, which was perfect for two. HOWEVER if you plan to try this yourself - BEWARE: there are some little spicy surprises as you navigate the seemingly innocent platter. In fact, every mouthful we took of this platter caused us to have a little weep (we're quite ridiculously sensitive to spice), which slightly marred the experience. So, if you like a bit of spice, go for it... if not, maybe give it a miss.
We consoled our burning tastebuds with a few sips of cocktail and moved on. We couldn't turn down the chance to sample "Deep Fried spiced haddock fillet" cooked in Red Stripe batter with sweet potato chips and mushy peas - the ultimate Caribbean twist on a British classic. The fish was absolutely huge, with a spicy layering inside the batter giving it a slight kick. The chips were a dream come true for Itchy's sweet-potato-addict friend and our only complaint was the lack of sauce to accompany the ginormous fish.
We'd also been recommended the "Boneless braised oxtail" with ratatouille, potato gallete and something called "festival dumpling ball". (Oh how we laughed.) So, we went ahead and ordered it, even though we weren't completely sure what it was. We're happy to announce, it was great. No nasty spice surprises in this one, with the perfect amount of ratatouille to compliment the beautifully cooked oxtail.
Itchy was stuffed at this point, but couldn't refuse a little light dessert. We would have sampled something more exotic, but honestly felt like we couldn't squeeze in any more of ANYTHING at this point... sorbet was the only answer. After Itchy's friend's slightly cheeky request of "We'll have whatever flavour you bring us... although I do really like melon." (wink), we were happy to be served gorgeously fresh melon sorbet. The perfect refreshing end to an exotic evening of culinary delights.
The food is exciting (if a little spicy in weird places), and the cocktails are moreish, but the bright lights shining in our face just made the experience a bit like a nice meal out mixed with a strange form of torture... Bubbas', if you sort out the lighting, we'll be back in the blink of an eye.
Tags
restaurant |
review |
to do |
dinner |
lunch |
cocktail |
London |
