Kaieteur Kitchen

Walking up the stairs to Kaieteur Kitchen, you should have one concern and one concern only: is there enough room in the fridge for everything? The homely Guyanese restaurant in Elephant and Castle is a restaurant where one visit does not equate to one plate of food. You may come for a mutton lunch but you will also leave with an oxtail dinner. But it’s not just owner and head chef Faye Gomes’ cooking that has people coming back again and again, it’s her heartwarming hospitality too. Customers soon become regulars at Kaieteur Kitchen, so expect competition for seating in the evening.

There’s a takeaway counter on one side and a small, canteen-ish dining room with plastic seats on the other, but all of this restaurant's personality is found in person and on the plate. Given its location inside the vaguely Wayfair.co.uk development that is Castle Square, it’s surprising to find something so full of heart and care as Kaieteur Kitchen versus, say, sourdough pizza via a conveyor belt. Once sat and waiting for your food, you can often hear familiar faces greeted like family at the counter next door. Some aren’t even getting food, they just want to say hello. This is all thanks to Gomes. She is a natural chef, mother figure, and friend. Leave it to her and everything you eat will be fantastic. Leave it to her and you could find extra roti and a side of okra in your bag. Leave it to her and you may well never leave.

photo credit: Aleksandra Boruch

Staple dishes like curry chicken are delicious enough but the weekly changing specials are must-orders. If you’re in the area, it’s worth popping in to see if fried chicken is on the menu. Whether you’ve just eaten or have something ready at home—Kaieteur’s crunching fried chicken is non-negotiable. Another is Gomes’ pepper pot which is a slow-cooked meaty puddle of brown deliciousness. The meat is so tender it gives up before your plate is put down, and the sauce is so rich that leaving even a drop is a crime. For this reason, roti is a must. 

Kaieteur feels less like a restaurant and more like a neighbour’s kitchen you intend to overstay your welcome in. One who will let you bring booze if you want, but will turf you out by 8pm. This isn't a late one, it’s more of a family one. At least, everyone who walks through Kaieteur Kitchen’s doors is treated that way.

Food Rundown

photo credit: Aleksandra Boruch

Coconut Lamb With Spinach Rice

This coconut curry gets sweetness from flecks of coconut and softly stewed peppers. The lamb is pink and tender and it makes for a mild, cuddly stew that you’ll want a trough of. You’re going to be happy with anything on the side, be it okra, spinach rice, or a candy-ish serving of stewed pumpkin.

Pepper Pot

Pepper pot is the Guyanese national dish and, quite frankly, it makes us look at mushy peas in shame. There are all manner of cuts in this stew—beef, oxtail, lamb—and it all falls apart in the deepest of brown sauces that’s full of cassava, cinnamon, and cloves. Get it with spinach rice—it’s the perfect nutty and slightly bitter foil to this layered, warming, treat of a dish.

photo credit: Aleksandra Boruch

Fried Chicken

There’s no lack of excellent varieties of fried chicken in London—especially in Elephant and Castle—and Kaieteur Kitchen’s is another. The golden fried pieces are served on and off the bone, with a crunching batter and a subtle hint of peppery seasoning. Ask for some scotch bonnet and mango chilli sauce on the side.

Oxtail Stew With Plantain

A meaty stew that brings the deeply savoury and ladle-worthy flavours of a hotpot to mind more than the lightly spiced Caribbean cooking of oxtail, this is a satisfying plate to dig into. Gnawing is part of the pleasure here—the oxtail’s tender flesh is on the bone and, when you fancy a break, pop a wedge of sweet plantain into your mouth. An age-old perfect combination.

photo credit: Aleksandra Boruch

Roti

More floury and dense than other varieties of roti, this flatbread is made to mop and is an essential part of any order.