Please note, Cottons in Clerkenwell has now closed. Time Out Food editors, February 2019.
Stepping into Cottons is like stepping into a colonial-era Caribbean – all crisp white tablecloths and heavy furniture, warmly lit by dappled red and blue from the stained glass in the big windows. It’s a perfect spot for romantic dining, and all around us couples looked lovingly into each other’s eyes – probably to avoid accidentally looking into their neighbours’ eyes, so tightly packed are the tables.
Cottons is to be applauded for trying to add a touch of panache to down-home Caribbean cooking, but it does it too poorly to deserve more than a limp clap. A generously sized platter of jerk chicken wings, jerk pork ribs, fried plantain and deep-fried salt cod fritters had deep, layered flavours, but was smothered in a bland barbecue sauce. The same sauce returned for an unwelcome encore smothering spatchcocked slow-roasted jerk chicken – a dry, flavourless piece of meat. Oxtail stew with butter beans, a Jamaican classic, was better: rich with a full, satisfying flavour.
Seeing our neighbours send back a chocolate fondant so overcooked that it was a dry, solid block, we decided to skip pudding. At these prices, the food should be much better.