FRESH OFF HIS SUCCESS of the first pop-up kitchen in February last year at the House of Wolf in London with a six-course menu, Bajan chef Jason Howard held another one in June to great reviews. On the menu then was Bajan pudding and souse, salt fish ravioli, West Indian curry goat, pre-dessert of soursop with main dessert of coconut nut haven.
To close off the season he did the last pop-up for the year in November last year, bringing another six-course menu to Central London at the stunning Le Meridian Hotel, Piccadilly Circus over three nights.
“Taste The British Caribbean was the third season on my journey of redefining Caribbean cuisine as we have never seen before, fusing traditional French techniques, with Caribbean flavours to highlight the cuisine as more than just hot and spicy, but complex, sophisticated and elegant.”
Howard is currently a sous chef at the highly acclaimed Connaught in Mayfair and aspires to be one of the world’s top Caribbean chefs.
“I have a clear passion for this style of cuisine and am frustrated that not enough chefs make the most of the exciting flavours and cultural influences that Caribbean food has to offer.”
On the menu Howard had freshly baked Guinness bread and english farmhouse; Amuse – “Queen Victoria’s brown Windsor”, Caribbean “warm” beef consommé. A pre-starter of Kingston to Cullen – smoked Scottish soup with salt fish, squid ink coconut Jasmine rice. The starter was seared Cornish king scallops with Welsh rarebit glaze, parsnip and mango puree, spiced sweet potato, with a Scotch bonnet foam.
Is your mouth watering yet? Well, the main course was Caribbean beef Wellington – beef oxtail, plantain, duxelle, clove jus, and seasoned puff pastry. It was served with curls of vegetables and callaloo puree.
For those who weren’t full there was pre-dessert of duo of rum, Mount Gay rum cake with a Malibu rum cream and dessert was Caribbean Exotic Trifle with jack fruit soursop.
“The reason for the names of the dishes is to make them feel more Caribbean and yet more international but yet everyone can understand what they are,” said Howard.
Jason grew up in Reed Street, St Michael. A past student of St James Secondary, the 32-year-old got into cooking by chance while working as a porter at Tamarind Cove Hotel.
“I fell in love with the food and the job. I then started cross-training to become a commis chef, and within three months I was promoted to that position.
Jason moved to London when he lost everything to a fire in 2009.
“I wanted a fresh start. I was despondent but I couldn’t let that get me down.”
He started working in a Caribbean restaurant named Cottons as a commis chef, a step back as when he left Barbados he was a chef de partie.
“I was in London so I was humble and said let me take this one day at a time. But my skills I learnt in Barbados made me stand out and things started looking up for me.”
Jason used his knowledge of Caribbean cuisine to make his mark in kitchens at the Clerkenwell in Farringdon, then The Chancery in Cursitor Street as a demi chef. He then moved to the First Floor Restaurant in Portobello Road as a chef de partie and within a year he became sous chef.
In 2011 he went on to the Connaught Hotel, which is rated two star Michelin and has made his mark there ever since, getting rave reviews for his recent gastronomic feat.
