Toots was hankering to relive our recent trip to the Caribbean and Sugar Dumplin’ in the city’s swanky Princes Square promised an authentic experience.

It was oppressively hot that night which contributed to the nostalgia of our week holed up in Barbados.

The restaurant was so warm and airless that Toots had to ask staff to open the sash window next to our table for fear her painstakingly applied make up would run off her face.

I was feeling the heat too and ordered a virgin pina colada – the Buick was parked up outside.

Toots’ eyes lit up when she saw that many of the cocktails were only four bucks that night.

She was spoilt for choice but eventually settled on a whisky-based concoction with a bite which bar staff had named ginger dew.

The restaurant was spacious, defying the impression given by the narrow entrance from the top floor of Princes Square.

There were only six tables taken that night, which was fortunate for the staff. With only one behind the bar and one waiting tables it was a hard shift.

But they were friendly enough and did their level best to keep customers happy.

As we sipped our cocktails we looked over the menu, one of those throwaway A3 sheets of paper which seems to double as a table mat.

The chefs had certainly come up with all the Caribbean buzzwords but there wasn’t a huge range of options, despite inspiration for the cuisine being drawn from more than a dozen island nations.

To start, I selected the Bajan swordfish and salt fish cakes with pickled cucumber and watermelon.

I had visions of tasty white meat smothered in breadcrumbs but for some reason they were deep fried.

There was more batter than swordfish so I had to plough through them with the help of four dips that had been provided earlier.

Meanwhile Toots was tackling the jerk marinated tiger prawns served on a bed of salad with a splash of rum glaze.

It looked like an arduous task from where I was sitting and far too much of the garnish was ending up on her once pristine white blouse.

“This is going everywhere,” she pined when yet another globule of sticky rum sauce shot up in the air as she attempted to unpeel the prawns.

Three napkins later she had removed the remnants of her starter from her red talons and we were ready for the mains.

Toots had selected marinated jerk chicken wrapped in roti bread, which was basically a wrap.

She was far more interested in the side orders.

The sweet potato fries were tasty and the macaroni cheese with a Bajan take was also good, but it has to be said that it was no different to any other macaroni cheese on offer in the city.

As she tucked in I took on the curried goat, a dish I had enjoyed in Barbados.

As a main course it was passable but it didn’t have the stamp of the Caribbean that I expected.

The rice and peas tasted bland and pieces of the slow cooked goat were few and far between. I counted three chunks of meat in the stingy dish.

Underwhelmed by the starters and mains we had high hopes that a desert would rescue the dining experience but it was not to be.

The ice cream and sorbet we ordered was well on its way to returning to liquid form.

It was a hot day, sure, but we expected better.

Sugar Dumplin’ is trying hard and the overworked staff can’t faulted but more must be done if they want to attract lovers of the authentic Caribbean experience.

Sugar dumplin’

Princes Square

48 Buchanan Street

Glasgow

G1 3JN

T: 0141 248 2255

E: ps@sugardumplin.co.uk

Starters

Jerk marinated tiger prawns cooked on the grill and sat on a bed of salad with a splash of rum glaze - £7.95

Bajan sword fish and salt fish cakes with pickled cucumber and watermelon - £5.95

Mains

Slow cooked, curry goat off the bone with mixed pepper, potato and carrots, served with rice ‘n’ peas - £11.95

Marinated jerk chicken wrapped in roti bread with mixed leaf and craven sauce, served with rice ‘n’ peas and sweet potato fries - £6.95

Bajan macaroni and cheese - £3.25

Deserts

Rum and raisin and coconut ice cream - £2.20

Lime, mint and ginger sorbet - £4.50

Drinks

Virgin pina colada - £3.95

Ginger dew - £3.95

Apple juice – £2

Total – £52.95

Food: Average

Atmosphere: Good

Service: Good