BARBS, Britain’s first Bajan fast-casual restaurant, has launched Rum Stop Fry-Day, a new weekly Friday night fish fry and rum party at Queen of Hoxton in Shoreditch, inspired by one of Barbados’ most famous food and nightlife traditions.
Every Friday from 5pm on Queen of Hoxton’s newly refitted ground floor, the event combines Bajan fish and seafood specials, bottomless Mount Gay rum punch and live DJ sets, with food and 90 minutes of bottomless cocktails available from £33 per person.
The new Friday night concept takes its inspiration from Oistins, the fishing town on Barbados’ south coast famous for its weekly fish fry, where crowds gather every Friday for freshly cooked seafood, rum, music and dancing.
BARBS is recreating the experience in East London, with DJ Leigh of the Carnival Angels providing the carnival soundtrack from 5pm, followed by classic house and party tunes from 9.30pm, turning the restaurant into a late-night Friday destination.
A new seafood-focused Friday menu has also been introduced for the launch, led by steamed yellowtail snapper with pumpkin and okra, rice and peas and Bajan pepper sauce (£27). Cooked fresh to order, the dish is joined by fried red bream served with rice and peas, gravy and hot pepper, or seasoned fries and BARBS’ signature Fancy Sauce (£18).
Also returning exclusively for Fridays is the BFF (BARBS Fried Fish Burger), featuring fried red bream, Fancy Sauce, soused cucumber and crispy onions (£15).
Other new Friday specials include shrimp curry roti with sweet prawns cooked in a potato curry (£14), BFC Prawns – five jumbo fried prawns with Fancy Sauce (£13) – and garlic pepper butter prawns (£14). BARBS’ regular menu, including Bajan fishcakes, wings and BFC tenders, will also be available.
To accompany the food, BARBS has introduced a 90-minute bottomless rum punch offer for £20 per person with any main course, using Mount Gay rum from Barbados.
The bar will also serve a selection of Bajan-inspired cocktails, including the Sweet Girl, made with guava jelly, rum and ginger ale (£13) and named after co-founder Nicc Wright’s grandmother’s childhood nickname; the Bathsheba hibiscus mojito (£12); and a Mauby Old Fashioned made with traditional Bajan mauby syrup (£13).
Nicc Wright, co-founder of BARBS, said:
“Oistins on a Friday night is one of the best experiences you can have in Barbados. It’s all about freshly cooked fish, rum punch, music and everyone coming together to celebrate the start of the weekend.
“We’ve launched Rum Stop Fry-Day to bring that same experience to Shoreditch. We want people to come straight from work, eat proper Bajan food, enjoy a few rum punches and stay for the music. It’s a fish fry, a rum shop and a Friday night party all rolled into one.
“There’s nothing else quite like it in London, and we’re excited to bring a little piece of Barbados’ Friday night culture to the city.”
Rum Stop Fry-Day takes place every Friday from 5pm at BARBS, Queen of Hoxton, 1 Curtain Road, Shoreditch, London EC2A 3JX.
Bookings: eatbarbs.com/book
