Randomness Guide to London Menu

Guyanese cafe and takeaway in Herne Hill.

It's very small, tucked inside an end unit next to a railway bridge. There's room for just one table inside, but they put a couple more outside under an awning when the weather allows.

Kake and Bec visited on a Friday lunchtime in August 2018. We arrived after their official opening time, but still had to wait because they'd worked late the night before and hence weren't quite ready to open. Also, despite the extensive menu on their website, only three main dishes were available at that time: lamb, chicken, and chickpeas, all with the option of being served in a roti or with rice and peas.

We both went for rotis; Bec's was filled with chickpeas, spinach, and potato (usually £6), and Kake's with chicken and potato curry (usually £7) photo. The roti itself was good: tender, flaky, flexible, and non-greasy. The chicken and potato curry was very flavourful, with the chicken cooked to a "pulled" consistency. Home-made scotch bonnet sauce (an optional addition) provided both heat and flavour. The roti weren't folded up wrap-style, but rather served on plates with cutlery.

Service was very friendly and welcoming; they were happy to put out chairs and a table for us to wait outside while they got ready to open, and they insisted on giving us a discount on our food to make up for having to wait.

Kake's verdict: My favourite Caribbean-style roti (as in the bread itself) is still the one from Roti Masters in Croydon, since they do it dhal puri style with split peas inside the dough. I'd certainly come back to Umana Yana if I was in the area though, and I'd really like to try more of the menu.

Accessibility: A tiny step to get in, more of a ridge really. It's very small inside, and there's no customer toilet.

See also:

• Chowhound thread
• Beth Blogs article on the owner
• Eating The World review
• It Ends With Dovi review