Luke Traynor soaks up the flavours of the West Indies without leaving Aigburth at Ragga's
CARIBBEAN restaurants are something of a rarity in Liverpool. It’s a surprising fact, given the longstanding Afro-Caribbean community settled in Toxteth, Granby and parts of Wavertree.
Yet, while Chinese, Indian, Thai, Mexican, and a whole host of European eateries abound in the city, West Indian cuisine is disappointingly lacking.
Apart from a Caribbean haunt on Lodge Lane, and the two Raggas cafe/restaurants on Lark Lane and Smithdown Road, there’s quite clearly a gap in the market.
The Aigburth Raggas premises is seeking to redress this balance.
This cafe-cum-diner has been open for 11 months now, ensconced in the middle of Lark Lane, south Liverpool’s bohemian melting pot of nightlife.
The place certainly stands out, its exterior bedecked with the strident black, green and yellow Jamaican flag.
Raggas is a small venue, offering just six tables, plus a window bench seat which could fit up to four people.
It was an early Saturday evening when we visited and we were the first dining guests, although takeaway customers frequently popped in and out.
There’s definitely a Jamaican buzz about the place, reggae rhythms bark out from a stereo behind the counter, perhaps a touch loud for diners looking for an intimate chat, but this heady hubbub is how they do things at dinner time in the Caribbean.
Framed photographs on the walls namecheck the usual West Indian icons: Bob Marley, Toots and The Maytals and, bringing us right up to date, the Jamaican speedster Usain Bolt.
As soon as we were seated, our focus immediately switched to the menu which requires some careful reading, after all concoctions like Brown Stew Tilapia and Oxtail, Caribbean gravy, butterbeans and boiled dumplings are not the most common restaurant choices.
It was certainly an assault on the mind for these diners, largely oblivious to many of the delights that are staple fare on the balmy islands off the coast of the Gulf of Mexico.
The food is all very reasonably priced too, with main courses at around £7, starters at £3, and sides just £1.
The menu also offers the very practical advice of ordering half main portions for 50% of the price, meaning ambitious eaters can operate a tapas-style approach, pooling four or five dishes in the centre of the table, even between one couple.
Sadly for us, the sweet potato soup was only being made later in the night, they explained, so, keen to experiment, to start we chose the jerk barbecue chicken wings which came covered with a very pungent and rich scotch bonnet sauce that should not be taken lightly, and patties filled with lamb, chicken and vegetables.
