It’s fair to say that Trinidadian chef and entrepreneur Brian Danclair has cornered the market in Caribbean food in Brixton Village. No sooner had the owner of Fish, Wings & Tings – a hit since it opened in 2012 – launched his more refined tapas restaurant Danclair’s Kitchen in 2021, he spotted a gap in the Market for plant-based and vegan Caribbean food; and stuffed it with his latest venture, Veg & Tings, which opened opposite Fish, Wings & Tings last year.
All three establishments are in licking distance of each other in Granville Arcade, and there are a few crossovers on the menus. At the more refined, fusion-inclined small plates experience offered by Danclair’s Kitchen, you’ll recognise a few staples from the OG sister restaurant. Take the famous-with-good-reason cod fritters with garlic and lime aioli and the giant, succulent pepper prawns (although here you get not Granny Suzy’s pepper sauce but Mother-in-Law’s sauce, which could blow the head off even the most courageous chilli fiend). And while the seating is less communal and more sedate than at F, W &T, the music inside can err on the loud side.
Prices at the two newer venues (about £30 a head without drinks or service) don’t seem to reflect the smaller portions (the tapas at Danclair’s) or the absence of meat and fish (Veg & Tings). And a £6 side of cassava fries at Danclair’s, while perfectly crisp outside and fluffy in the middle, seems quite pricy at £1 per chip. But overall the menus, ethos and atmos of both the newer venues are well thought out. Caribbean cocktails are £10, and there’s a good selection of beer and wine wine, a rum punch and soft drinks. You’d be wise to choose any of these over a pudding, not Danclair’s strong suit. Or just order an extra savoury plate.
Danclair’s Kitchen 67–68 Granville Arcade (4th Avenue), SW9 8PS, Tel: 020 7733 9800
Fish, Wings & Tings, Unit 3, Brixton Village (Granville Arcade), SW9 8PR, Tel: 020 7737 4888
Veg & Tings, Unit 4, Brixton Village (Granville Arcade) SW9 8PR, Tel: 020 3663 5463
