A vibrant new restaurant in Stratford blending Afro-Caribbean cuisine with live music
Soul Mama, located in Stratford, offers a unique dining experience with Afro-Caribbean fusion dishes and live music, creating a lively atmosphere perfect for gatherings and celebrations.
Stratford is not my first area of choice when it comes to choosing a spot for a Friday night
dinner, but when we heard about a new restaurant and live music venue curated by a legendary musician YolanDa Brown we knew we had to check it out. Soul Mama is an exciting new opening located on the ground floor of The Gantry Hotel (Curio Collection by Hilton) that offers rich, soulful dishes inspired by the best of Afro-Caribbean fusion.
The food is led by Executive Head Chef Aleandro Brown (The Connaught, Maze Grill, Sketch, The Ritz London), whose inherent passion for Afro-Caribbean cooking fuses the authentic tastes of Africa, the Caribbean and South America. Dishes include sharing plates like braised beef, BBQ chicken and jerk oyster mushroom arepas that are inspired by Venezuelan arepas and doubles from Trinidad, scotch bonnet and mango jerk wings, and larger one pot comfort dishes like thyme-infused braised lamb neck and coconut curry chicken. Of course, live music is also a huge part of the venue, offering an exciting programme of live music across Jazz, Soul, Gospel, Reggae and much more. Soul Mama’s music programme features the likes of Mica Paris, Bill Laurance from Snarky Puppy, jazz legends like YellowJackets, and soul singer and Goldie collaborator Terri Walker, as well as YolanDa of course.
Executive Head Chef Aleandro Brown masterfully combines authentic Afro-Caribbean flavors, delivering exquisite dishes like jerk chicken wings and braised lamb neck, making Soul Mama a must-visit culinary destination.
We booked a table for an eclectic night of live music from Jon Onabowu and his all-star band to experience Soul Mama’s offer to the fullest. With its show lights and dark purple and silver interior, the moment we entered Soul Mama we could feel we were in for a memorable experience. The dining tables were arranged diagonally all facing the focal point of the restaurant to ensure that each guest has a good view of the live music performance that accompanies their dinners. The long tables quickly filled up with big groups and I could instantly see how the venue would be most suitable for birthdays or general friends outings. Or maybe if your Friday after work pint turned into few, and now you are looking for a bite somewhere fun but then you remember you work in Stratford. Don’t stress though as Soul Mama has got you covered.
We arrived around 7 pm which gave us a good hour to catch up over a drink and indulge in the Afro Caribbean dishes before the live show began. We were offered a 3 course meal consisting of starter, main and dessert. For starters we ordered jerk oyster mushroom arepas and jerk chicken wings. Spicy and savoury mushrooms covered in Caribbean salsa and served on a light and fluffy arepa were a perfect two-bite starter, and left me wishing we ordered one more. Our second starter was Mama’s Original jerk chicken wings (marinated for 24 hours) which was a traditional smokey barbecue with a rich, fruity and tangy glaze. It was a delicious mix of citrusy spicy and sweet flavours that covered the tender and juicy wings. For our mains we had a thyme-infused braised lamb neck with butter beans and coriander and jerk salmon fillet with chilli and lemon, both served with rice and peas. The salmon dish was a clear winner for me – perfectly cooked tender pink meat and great seasoning, with a crunchy spicy broccoli stems on a side. Braised lamb neck was flakey and soft and dissolved in the flavoursome sauce. The meat was, however, quite bone-y, so only order this one if you are a seasoned meat eater like my friend who really enjoyed it for that reason. We concluded our meal with two individual cake slices – carrot and orange and chocolate fudge, both served with vanilla and lime chantilly vegan cream. We liked both of them but the portions were quite big so I’d recommend ordering one to share with whoever you’re bringing next to Soul Mama.
Jon Onabowu has been electrifying London’s music scene with his exceptional jazz/fusion artistry, emerging as a rising star over the last three years, so it was no surprise that he gave a great show that night. Overall we really enjoyed our time at Soul Mama and would come back for another music filled dinner!
