BY the time I sat down to eat at Jam Delish, I had experienced its myriad make-up: screams of joviality from the kitchen, an effervescent conversation with Jordan (co-owner), and the synchronous metamorphosis of Angel. Jam Delish is perched just off Liverpool Road, an island of curiosity: out of the way of prying eyes, and yet bold enough to catch one’s attention.

Inside, the windows are opaque, affording a feeling of safety comparable to kicking one’s feet under the covers. You can see out, but no one can see in – a small luxury in a city where privacy is rare. Low light tumbled off the bar where Hibiscus Royales and Rum Punches were being alchemised with a surgeon’s precision. I ordered the former while waiting for my colleague, entranced by the fizzing sorrel phosphorescence, casting red bubble-shadows across the table. Floral, tart, and mildly tannic – like a Negroni’s younger brother – setting the tone for a restaurant that has coalesced comfort and refinement.

Jordan had told me how the restaurant’s fêted journey began with a soft launch in December 2022 – one press release, and a sudden flurry of both media and customer attention, with Grace Dent and the Evening Standard at the door. In a matter of days, queues stretched round the corner. “Tuesday felt like Friday,” he said, with a mix of pride and a twinge of trauma in his voice. None of the original team came from hospitality. They were growing synergistically with the business; the stoves stoked their success.

As I sat beneath the restaurant’s jovial soundtrack – a mix of reggae classics bouncing out of the speakers – it came to me Jam Delish is a restaurant that defies the logic of vegan restaurants. With London’s plant-based eateries performing acrobatics and shuffling meat on and off menus, Jam Delish stands proud. Trends and gimmicks have died, head chef Nathan’s cooking stands as a testament to the practice that good flavour prevails over dietary politics.

Jordan maintains that “Many of our customers aren’t vegan”. Some travel from as far as Birmingham, others are of regular status. The restaurant’s most compelling value is that it evades categorisation. It slips solely vegan and Jamaican status, landing in its own arena entirely.

The aubergine, crowned by thinly sliced onions and peppers, was brought to our table by beaming staff – the spices held an almost Christmassy amalgamation, sweetness and spice had been engineered to a perfect matrimony. The “fish” cakes had a chewiness that satisfied one’s more childish nature, topped with a mango and habanero sauce, which cut through the richness like a ginger palate cleanser between sushi.

Then the jerk oyster mushrooms were singed to sweetness, with hints of liquorice and crunchy whole spices. The curry “goat” – distinctly paneer-like in texture, deep and rusty in colour – may be the dish that encapsulates Jam Delish. It gestured toward Caribbean credence, but trumps mimicry. It was a dish unto itself. The sauce soaked properly into the rice, which seemed good enough to gorge on alone.

Nathan, who joined in 2022, deserves all the credit he gets: decades of experience lending the dishes an exactitude and visual flair that is lauded across Instagram.

The menu acknowledges the food of Jamaica, Guyana, Barbados, Trinidad – a collage of Caribbean cuisine. “People from the Islands tell us they feel represented.” Jordan said, and you can tell why: the Pholourie, the Bajan “fish” cakes, the rotis. It is a tapestry, stitched together with wisdom.

All of this began during Covid lockdown, when Jordan and his sister Chyna were cooking from a dark kitchen, their mother aiding with prep. Then came markets, pop-ups, the residency in Soho, and finally Angel: the place where Jam Delish transcended its ambitions and became a pioneer of vegan cuisine.

Jam Delish is not just a vegan restaurant, it’s a response to the belief that plant-based dining has dwindled. It is predominantly flavour-oriented, and an absolute joy to experience. A place where the service is as important as the food and as inventive as the concept, and as generous as Jordan’s faith in it.

Angel has a vibrant restaurant scene but Jam Delish stands alone in its own rarefied atmosphere.

Jam Delish
1 Tolpuddle Street
N1 0XT
07957 439777
jamdelish@outlook.com
jamdelish.co.uk
https://www.instagram.com/jam.delish/