I recently got the opportunity to head along to The Atrium in Camberley, Surrey to try out their latest addition to the Rolodex of eateries they boast. This time round it was Sugar Dumplin – a Caribbean and rum restaurant. As we arrived and headed towards the sound of steel drums from inside I was instantly transported to warmer climates by this wonderful sound and the outside decor. It was light and colourful as soon as you approached the entrance, on walking inside you were hit with an aroma of what can only be described as home cooking that came from the heart. We were greeted by the happy, bubbly staff and shown to our seats and offered cocktails which we let them choose for us on recommendation of their personal favourites.

We had a range of different meals to try as well as a variety off their cocktail list. From the tiger jerk prawns to the curried goat they had our taste buds dancing all night. There is such a huge variety available it really is a great place to go in a group and all order something different to share between you. The flavour jumping out from each dish was something I haven’t experienced before, it all felt very homely and wholesome like it really had been cooked by the owners grandparents out the back. We met the owner who sat and told us about how the recipes had been passed down through his family. This was his second restaurant in the chain and it has now grown to 4 locations. Hopefully he will continue to open more and more so everyone can have a little bit of Caribbean spice in their life.

My favourite dish of all the ones we trialed was the curried goat, the meat was so tender and it was one of the nicest curries I have had in a long time. The roti bread dipped in the different home made sauces was also lovely, bread and dip is one of my favourite snacks. The best dip of the bunch for me was the barbecue style one. it wasn’t your typical bbq dip it had a bit of oomph and tons of flavour. We also had jerk chicken, rice & peas, hickory smoked wings, ribs, corn & plantain fritters and a whole mix of other tasters.

They have a good choice of cocktails to sample too so even if you just pop in for a drink one night to get a feel of the Caribbean vibe. We were lucky enough to have steel drum players giving us soothing sounds to enjoy our food to. Check out the menu here. You can book online or just try and drop in and hope there is room for you to try this wonderfully uplifting piece of paradise.