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Review by John Kaponi
Mahoe Cafe-Bar
74-82 Queen Victoria Street, Bow Lane,London EC4N 4SJ 0207 489 9895 London is a capital that will "make or break you", and during a recession and directly after the collapse of Northern Rock you would not have thought it was the best time to open a Caribbean style restaurant in the Square Mile, but that’s what the former corporate lawyer Vanessa Hutchinson did with her Italian husband.
"We have only known the recession so we have worked hard to keep the business growing" said Vanessa Hutchinson the owner of Mahoe.
In terms of the food we started with a main course which was cooked swiftly and well, the Jerk Chicken and Jerk Red Snapper both very well seasoned and spicy. The service was good throughout with all the staff attentive to the needs of the customers dining on the evening.
The question is, after Nando's and the Levi Roots phenomenon is their room for a Caribbean style chain to grow in the UK? You would have thought with the rise of the African-Caribbean community in the UK, and through music and fashion there is genuine potential for a Mahoe's to be in every major city of the UK. What it boils down to is the charisma and vision of the owners, and their ability to surive in a very tough environment against established brand names and aggressive marketing.
The meal was finished off with a Mahoe fruit Sunday which went down well after the spicy jerk chicken. Overall the owners should be pleased with the work done so far.
Expect to pay about £25 per head plus service, the atmosphere is very relaxed and is a good place for a lunch or dinner, why not try one of the Mahoe's platters which combine all the favourites dishes of the Caribbean.
3/5 Very Good
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