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!