Caribbean cuisine is becoming increasingly popular, seeing a boom in new restaurants opening but how do you know your callaloo from your cassava and your ackee from your saltfish?

Here Aisha Jade who writes a food blog called: Di Carpean Foodie (www.dicaripeanfoodie.com) helps you navigate a Caribbean menu. She has reviewed Yah–So, a Jamaican inspired restaurant in Thornton Heath and found exquisite exterior and interior designs as well great food.

To drink I had a mango madness mocktail (non-alcoholic cocktail). Extremely rich in colour and exotically mixed, it gave a sharp kick of multiple fruity flavours that could be tasted simultaneously. I mean I love anything to do with mangoes, who doesn’t?

Furthermore, a glance at the food menu had me intrigued. I liked that they put their own spin on traditional European foods. 

For example, the bruschetta of ackee, sun blushed plum tomato and avocado. Bruschetta being from Italy, and ackee being native to West Africa but heavily consumed in Jamaica, this dish was unusual but did not fail to deliver.

As a calamari lover, my face lit up with pure glee when I saw that they served it! Crispy on the outside and soft inside it was made well but could have been hotter in temperature. 

Nevertheless, the dipping sauce made the calamari even more tasty. Those who eat calamari often know that the sauce is very important, if it’s not right it could ruin the dish completely. 

An exciting “Ital but vital salad” had me curious when I saw the ingredients. Who would have thought that pumpkin, beetroot and pine nuts could make such a powerful mix? 

It was tangy from the beetroot, slightly sweet from the pumpkin and a roasted flavour was given off from the pine nuts. 

A unique taste which I was super impressed by! Although it’s a vegan dish I would still suggest it for non-vegans.

Finally, dessert. A chocolate brownie with rum sauce beautifully embellished with cream and a physalis fruit. The brownie was soft and good-tasting, but the rum sauce, for me, was too strong.

Nevertheless, the cream was a nice addition to the meal and went well with the brownie, it also helped balance out the rum sauce!

Ultimately, I was highly impressed by most of the dishes that I had to taste at Yah-So. I believe it will do very well and I will visit soon to give an updated review! Stay tuned!