Ikoyi. London. 13th of August 2021

We visited Ikoyi for lunch. The lunch set menu is composed of five pretty abundant courses, while at dinner they serve a more sophisticated longer tasting menu. I still have to try that one.

Ikoyi, which was founded by the chef Jeremy Chan and his business partner Iré Hassan-Odukale, builds its own spice-based cuisine around British micro-seasonality: vegetables slowly grown for flavour, sustainable, line-caught fish and aged native beef which are prepared using a vast collection of spices with a focus on sub-Saharan West Africa. The team explores ingredients such as Grains of Selim, a smoky peppercorn with the scent of eucalyptus, plantains and scotch bonnet chillies, which they ferment, burn and pickle, so as you may imagine, most of the dishes have some spiciness in them. But the spiciness is not so strong and is beautifully balanced with other flavours.

I have throughout my life eaten a wide range of dishes around the globe, but at Ikoyi I have experienced completely new explosive flavours that can’t be compared to anything else I have ever tried. If you haven’t visited yet, get ready for the adventure!

 

The welcome

 

Plantain caramelised in ginger and kelp

 

To enjoy with lunch, we took a bottle of Vitovska by Cotar (Slovenian Karst)

 

Maitake, Australian truffles and caramelised spinach

 

Noire de Bigorre pork and yeaster Bearnaise

 

Smoked Jollof rice

 

Field pea, fig leaf and blackcurrant

 

The sweet ending

 

If you want to spice up your palate exploring something truly new and beautifully cooked, you have to visit Ikoyi!

Andreja Lajh

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