Set to open next month, the project follows the success of a 10-month residency of the same name at central London’s Langham Hotel, which launched after Taylor’s win on Five Star Kitchen: Britain’s Next Great Chef, streamed on Channel 4 and Netflix.
The Good Front Room will occupy the ground floor of Thomas Tower, next to Dalston Junction station.
The 80-cover restaurant is described as a relaxed, colourful and buzzy space, featuring floor-to-ceiling windows and an outdoor area spilling on to Dalston Square for sundowners and alfresco dining during the summer months.
The menu will feature small plates such as the Coco Stack Slider, Irish ‘Proper’ Chips with maple, lime and chilli-glazed plantain, and Taylor’s signature rum and raisin pork belly strips, alongside takes on Jamaican favourites including ackee and saltfish cake and escovitch wild hake.
Larger dishes will include short rib brown stew and whole jerk chicken, while desserts will feature sweet potato sticky toffee pudding with vanilla bean custard and mango sorbet soft serve with sorrel and ginger jelly.
Drinks will include The Good Front Room’s signature rum punch — a spicy, fruity blend of Wray & Nephew, Kraken Dark Rum, ginger, pimento, pineapple, lime and cherry syrup — alongside a selection of bespoke cocktails, Red Stripe beer and Dragon Stout.
“The Good Front Room is inspired by my great-aunt Myrtle and the sacred front rooms found in so many Caribbean homes — spaces kept for special guests and layered with pride and memory,” says Taylor.
“As a grandchild of the Windrush generation, I feel a responsibility to carry the torch and keep our stories, recipes and traditions alive. Doing this now feels like the right moment to build something entirely my own, rooted in where I come from and led with intention.”
Last year, Taylor closed Marvee’s Food Shop after four months of trading, citing “unforeseen circumstances”. The casual dining concept was based within Ladbroke Grove music and events space UNDR and sought to playfully reimagine the Caribbean takeaway experience.
Named in honour of Taylor’s mother, Marveline — affectionately known as Marvee — the concept drew on the sounds, smells and stories of his childhood, with a nod to the “characterful, often chaotic” Caribbean food shops found across London.