Randomness Guide to London Menu

British and Caribbean cafe in Thornton Heath.

It's quite small, seating just 10 people at wood-effect formica-topped tables. The floor is grey tiles and the walls a combination of cream above and cheerful turquoise below. There's an open kitchen at the back, behind a glass counter displaying pre-cooked foods such as peppered prawns, fried chicken, and callaloo. Condiments including ketchup and chilli sauce sit in plastic baskets on the tables.

Kake visited on a Tuesday morning in October 2017. I was the only eat-in customer at 10:30am, but several others came in for takeaway while I was there. A Christian talk show was playing on a flatscreen when I arrived, with the sound on. They later put on a CD of Christian music, quite loud (they asked me if it was too loud, though, and I got the impression they'd have happily turned it down if I'd said yes). Service was friendly and welcoming.

They have a British and a West Indian menu, both including breakfast options, and I chose a West Indian breakfast consisting of fried egg, fried dumpling, ackee with saltfish, fried plantain, and baked beans (£6) photo. Tea (90p) came in a large mug with the teabag left in.

The egg was offered as well-done or sunny-side-up, and I chose the latter; it came with a very nicely crispy white and a fully-set centre, though was a little greasy. The plantain was also a little greasy, but fine aside from that. The ackee with saltfish was quite salty, but this worked well in context. Unfortunately the dumpling was over-microwaved and very hard. The baked beans were great, cooked with onions, scotch bonnets, and red and green peppers for extra flavour and texture.

Accessibility: A step to get in. No obvious customer toilet.

See also:

• Photos of the menu as of October 2017: West Indian menu, fish Friday menu