Bus Stop

I don’t often race off to write a review barely hours after eating, but I really need to tell you all about Bus Stop. Have you heard of Brighton’s latest addition?

Straight in from Barbados, Bus Stop brings Caribbean home cooking and cocktails to the North Laine. We stopped by for lunch, making sure we were extra hungry. And it’s a good thing we did too!

Food

Bus Stop have a small but tantalising menu, consisting of pickings, mains, sides and a soup. After deliberating between three different dishes, I settled on the jerk chicken with sides of macaroni pie and deep fried plaintain. Brandon chose the club sandwich with spicy fries, and our friend Naomi chose the Trini roti with curried lamb.

For £10.50, you get SO much food and it all looks so vibrant. The jerk chicken is well seasoned, succulent and slides off the bone, with the perfect level of heat. As chef Danny put it, “you know it’s there”, but it’s definitely manageable and really tasty! I couldn’t get enough of the crunchy plantain nuggets, dipping them in mango chutney or the homemade hot sauce – which is pretty hot by the way. Just don’t do what Brandon did and shove a spicy chip straight in and put the whole thing in your mouth 😂

The macaroni pie… well I keep thinking about it, even now. Creamy, with a kick of spice and a crunchy top, I feel this Bajan speciality was a winner for all three of us.

The Trini Roti may not look the most impressive, but certainly packs a punch in its flavour. Curried lamb can sometimes be tough, but this was tender and spicy, with the roti making a perfect vessel.

I didn’t try the club, but it was bursting full and looked delicious. Brandon said the chicken had a good kick to it, giving it a great twist, and the fries were really moreish.

Packed with character

Bus Stop is small but vibrant, and absolutely packed with character.  The red  panelled walls are adorned with photos of life back in Barbados and the rainbow LED bar reflects the character of the types of restaurants I imagine you’d find in the Caribbean.

Every member of the team was really engaging, sitting to talk with many of the diners and keen to talk about their food. The atmosphere was chatty and fun, with great music you can’t help but jiggle along to. I say jiggle as you’re mostly too full to do anything else.

Third place?

Without a doubt, Bus Stop is a must! There are so many reasons to visit, and it’s already a place I’m keen to show others. We saw families, friends, couples and single diners all visiting, and it’s easy to see how it can be a third place for so many.

Plus, I need to get back there soon to try out the cheesecake they were tempting us with!

Have you been over to Bus Stop yet?