Located within music and events space UNDR, Marvee’s Food Shop follows the success of Taylor’s first solo venture, The Good Front Room.
Based at central London’s Langham Hotel, the ten-month residency offered an elevated Caribbean dining experience and was launched following his win on Five Star Kitchen: Britain’s Next Great Chef, streamed on Channel 4 and Netflix.
Named in honour of Taylor’s mother, Marveline — affectionately known as Marvee — the new restaurant will draw on the sounds, smells and stories of his childhood, with a nod to the ‘characterful, often chaotic’ Caribbean food shops scattered across London.
With 60 covers across both indoor and outdoor spaces, Marvee’s Food Shop will serve traditional dishes with a creative twist.
Two Caribbean staples — the bammy (a traditional cassava bread) and the Jamaican festival (a deep-fried sweet bread) — take centre stage, both reimagined in waffle form. Guests can customise these waffle-based dishes with toppings such as jerk chicken, crispy spiced banana blossom, or boneless curry goat, offering what the chef describes as a ‘Dom Taylor twist’.
The menu also includes a variety of Jamaican patties with fillings like callaloo, beef, saltfish, and chicken, served alongside an eclectic selection of dipping sauces — including a rich and savoury oxtail gravy.
A diverse range of sharing sides rounds out the offering, featuring dishes such as roast pineapple and heirloom tomato chow, lime, chilli and maple plantain, and spicy pumpkin rice.
For dessert, diners can choose from the likes of ‘Old Skool Cake and Custard’ as well as a roasted plantain and molasses soft serve.
To drink, Marvee’s Food Shop will offer a rotating selection of juices, including vegan-friendly pineapple punch, peanut punch, and carrot juice, alongside UNDR’s house selection of cocktails, wines and beers.
Designed to ‘spark feelings of comfort and familiarity’ the restaurant’s interiors will reflect the vibrant colours and nostalgic patterns found in Caribbean homes and takeaway shops of the 1980s and ’90s.
“Marvee’s Food Shop is something I’ve been dreaming about for years,” says Taylor. “It’s the kind of place I’ve always wanted to create — one that brings together the food memories that shaped me. From childhood days in Jamaica to watching the women in my family work their magic in the kitchen, and of course, everything I’ve learned from my mum, Marvee. She’s the heart of this project, and she’ll always have a seat in the restaurant.”
“Every project I’ve done has been rooted in love for Caribbean heritage and flavour — and this is no different. But I want to be clear: this isn’t The Good Front Room. That’s its own thing, and there’s more to come on that at a later date. Marvee’s is a different vibe. More relaxed, more everyday. It’s another way for me to keep challenging the stereotypes around Caribbean food in the UK. I can’t wait to open the doors and welcome the community — old friends and new.”
