So Princes Square isn’t exactly where you’d expect to find a beach shack rum bar, but if you venture up to the top floor of this increasingly restaurant-packed space you will find a Caribbean paradise waiting for you in the corner. Ladies and gents, I give you Sugar Dumpling!
I mean, there aren’t many places in Glasgow City Centre with Curried Goat and more than 40 different types of rum on the menu. Yes, that’s right, more than 40. So from the off you can already tell that what was supposed to be a food review of Sugar Dumpling is more of a food and drink (ehem, rum) review, with interiors, obv.
Before Sugar came to town, there wasn’t much Caribbean cuisine on offer in Glasgow. Well, you could buy a can of Lilt and some Reggae Reggae sauce but that was about it. Sugar Dumplin certainly is fun, you could even say it was more beach party than restaurant. Frist up before you even look at the menu was a straight up tester of their house rum. I’m a ‘rum hand’ as they say in Scotland, so this was a jam I could definitely sing to.
From sipping on one of their incredible cocktails or trying out their extensive food menu, Sugar Dumpling is a great place to sit back, take a load off and have some R&R. The atmosphere was created with the ridiculously kitsch interior and what i like to call ‘background reggae’ getting you in the mood. We were seated at the front of the restaurant but upon investigating the back we got a swatch of their very own wooden shack’s, I half expected someone to walk past playing a steel drum! It seemed no matter where you looked inside you saw something new. I took a bit of a shining to their Dr Pepper and Lilt crates and various neon signs dotted around the room. Then I found out they had Ting….
Round the corner from the main area of the restaurant was a cool open kitchen, while the back of the restaurant was super fresh with a middle island bar. I loved the fact the staff uniform was nothing other than our very own Abandon Ship Apparel shirts! Way to keep it local guys!
It was amazing to see such an interesting restaurant arrive in Princes Square especially amongst the sea of chains and retailers. The sense of theatre was topped off when the lovely waitress came over with pretty much the whole menu for us to try, the incredible smell of the Carribean all but hit me square in the face. Yum.
The portion sizes were really great and I’m always a fan of eating family style with friends. After lunch I had to waddle home, a little merry, but having been well fed – and definitely well watered. I’ll definetely be going back for second helpings of the chicken wings, veg tempura, coconut rice and – sorry to say this but – CHPS! Also, if I find out that you have been and didn’t order a can of Ting, I would take it as a personal insult. Almost as good as Irn Bru, almost. So, in the words of Sam Cooke, Sugar Dumplin’ you’re ma baby I love you in every way! Have you tried the taste of Glasgow’s Carribean yet?
