Review: Reggaelicious Kitchen in the Ayrshire village of Kilmaurs

The Herald Scotland

2 days ago

"Since when has there been a Caribbean place in Kilmaurs?" a colleague responded incredulously when informed that Reggaelicious Kitchen would be the subject of this week's review.
In all honesty, until a few moments ago, I had also questioned whether this was the correct address for the business serving traditional Jamaican dishes of ackee and saltfish or jerk jackfruit, which I had read five-star reviews for online.
But here it is, nestled between a car wash and a bus stop, just a short walk away from the train station, with a converted St John's Ambulance used for catering events parked up outside.
Pictured: Reggaelicious Kitchen in the village of Kilmaurs (Image: Newsquest)
That's how it all began for Derrick and Sharon Vaughan, as they decided to transform this quirky vehicle into a street food truck in 2019.
Creating a menu from recipes passed down from Derrick's mother, who had relocated from Jamaica to London as part of the Windrush Generation, the husband-and-wife team then set out to bring a taste of Caribbean sunshine to markets and festivals across Ayrshire and beyond.
A few years later, the duo were ready to set up a brick-and-mortar restaurant in their home village, taking over the unit from a Greek Cafe in late 2023.
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Now confident that we're in the right place, we're greeted at the door by Sharon and led into a small dining room that's bright, colourful...and also totally deserted.
It's not like this all the time, we're assured as we take our seats by the window, but truthfully, I'm thankful for a change of pace from high-end restaurants that must be booked weeks in advance to ensure you secure your dinner.
Though it's BYOB, we stick to soft drinks, toasting new experiences with a Jamaican Ginger Ale and a glucose level spiking 'Caribbean Crush (£2 each)'.
Pictured: Reggaelicious boneless fried chicken strips (Image: Newsquest)
Starters, then. From a choice of either chicken on the bone or tenders coated in the restaurant's own 'Reggaelicious seasoning', we choose the latter (£6) to share. I'm a fan of the gentle spices here, adding a salty, slightly fiery flavour to three chunky strips of chicken. I do, however, have issues with the cooking, suspecting that this has been reheated rather than prepared fresh.
Whether or not this is the case, there's a tough, chewy texture to the meat, which is in some places separating from that all-important crust. It's far from a write-off, however, and straight from the fryer: I reckon this would be a different beast entirely.
With an infectious smile on his face, Derrick visits our table between courses to fill us in on how things work at the Reggaelicious Kitchen. He cooks and delivers takeaway orders to the surrounding areas, but we should be under no illusions - it's Sharon who is the backbone of the whole operation. 'She really keeps everything going,' he says before heading back to join her in the kitchen.
They make quite the team, and even better hosts.
Pictured: Main courses and sides from Reggaelicious Kitchen (Image: Newsquest) Fortunately, we've parked ourselves at one of the restaurant's largest tables, because next arrives a banquet of mains and sides to share.
'Jamaica's national dish' of saltfish and ackee (£10) is a balancing act of firm white fish, rich and intense, mellowed by the West African fruit. It's wonderfully savoury and rounded out by liberal amounts of fresh thyme.
Jerk chicken (£9) is served on the bone, sitting in a bowl of gravy-like sauce rather than prepared with a simple dry rub as I had anticipated. It's ideal for dipping the Jamaican dumpling (£1.50), a heavy scone-like puck of dough that I'm utterly enamoured with. It takes some serious willpower to hold back from ordering a second.
Pictured: Side dishes of Jamaican dumpling, slaw and plantain (Image: Newsquest) Of our three extra sides, the plantain (£2.20) comes out on top with a sticky caramelised outer layer and fibrous flesh still firm inside. Jamaican slaw (£3) has been spiked with a dark purple hue by red cabbage, but fruity jewels of pomegranate, raisin and pineapple shine through. Finally, rice and peas (£2) do the trick in binding the whole lot together as we methodically spoon a little of each dish onto our side plates at a time.
How fun to be introduced to so many new flavours in one go. Although again, there's room for improvement in the cooking of these dishes, which, as it stands, are just a touch too far from a temperature that would showcase them at their best.
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For dessert, there's the choice of Caribbean cakes (£2.20 each) or individual ice cream tubs (Also £2.20 each). We order the Pineapple and Coconut as well as a Jamaican Ginger cake to go, which is less faff than we anticipated as it transpires they are both pre-packed loaf slices.
So off we go, saying our goodbyes to the lovely Sharon and Derrick before making our way back down the motorway to Glasgow, somewhere around only an hour after first arriving in Kilmaurs.
Michelin Stars and fine dining conventions have their place in this world, but so too do the small, family-run businesses like this, which are equally as passionate about their food.
As unexpected as it may be to find traditional Caribbean dishes in a village just outside of Kilmarnock, it really is quite brilliant.
Menu: Starters of fried chicken followed by Jamaican dishes like ackee and saltfish, curry lamb and jerk pork. Desserts are limited to pre-packed cakes and ice cream. 3/5
Service: Husband and wife duo Derrick and Sharon run the show, making us feel welcome and happy to chat about their food. 5/5
Atmosphere: We have the restaurant to ourselves all evening, which takes a while to get used to. I'm sure that on a busier day, this place would have a great buzz. 3/5
Price: Mains sit around the £10 mark, while sides will set you back as little as £1.50 for a dumpling or £2.20 for plantain. 4/5
Food: There are some fantastic flavours to be found here, particularly in the jerk chicken and sweet, sticky plantain. Dishes appear to be reheated to order, which, in this instance, detracts from the quality of cooking. 6/10
Total: 21/30
Reggaelicious Kitchen is located at 19 Townhead, Kilmaurs, East Ayrshire.