Cottons Caribbean Restaurant & Rum Shack (Bar, Restaurant)

Top 10 things you need to know about Cottons Vauxhall:
 
1) When the sun beams over London, escape the hectic pavements. Find a spot in the shade of one of Cottons’ thatched parasols along the river Thames. Sip a cool, fruity cocktail as you listen to the gentle bobble of the waves and the laidback Caribbean soundtrack.
 
2) But there’s another reason to visit this Caribbean restaurant and rum shack in Vauxhall on one of London’s 300-plus chillier days: the generous portions of rich, warming food and the rum (some of the food is even spiced with rum!)
 
3) There's rum everywhere! The 63% rum cocktail, Reggae Rum Punch; the Pineapple Storm fruity mix, created with a hint of rum by the bar team; straight up smooth and sweet rums; starters of rum-marinated pork; and rum-flavoured mousses for dessert.
 
4) Choose from one of only 250 varieties of rum – we say “only" because it’s remarkably one of the smallest selections of rum across the Cottons restaurant group in London. But it's in this branch that you'll find the quality, special and limited-edition rums, catering to the upmarket residential area which surrounds the restaurant.
 
5) Accompany your rum with hearty dishes of tender marinated meats or seafood mixes topped by thick sauces with a kick – polite knife-and-fork etiquette and light-coloured shirts are therefore actively discouraged.
 
6) Although this is still a very small London chain, it is a chain nevertheless, and the food does lack that earthiness that you’d expect from a more authentic, family-run style eatery. But the flavours, heat and depth expected of a Caribbean menu are all there.
 
7) And with portions so rich and substantial, make it through a full three-course lunch or dinner and even the staff here will be impressed at your scoffing prowess and dedication.
 
8) As you dig in, enjoy the surrounding buzz of chatter as well as easy-going reggae music, which picks up on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights as a DJ plays sing-along chart and RnB hits. Do you hear a bell? That’s one of the barmen, clad in a Hawaiian shirt, ringing his appreciation for the current song on the deck from his shack bar, which lines the side of the colourful restaurant.
 
9) The service at Cottons Vauxhall matches the atmosphere. It’s warm, friendly, knowledgeable, but definitely chilled, following the Caribbean relaxed attitude towards time. So take a break from the rush of London life and sit back, because every little thing gonna be all right.
 
10) Finish off with dessert or a drink under the colourful strings of light on the outdoor terrace, flanked by calm buildings and the river Thames; you can see the London Eye and Battersea Power Station from here. Close your eyes and imagine yourself by the sea on a warm Caribbean night – even if you are wearing a few extra layers....read more