Overview
Restaurant Views: 1,173
Awards
- MICHELIN Guide
- OAD
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European Restaurants 2020, #76
Chef
Jeremy Chan
Cuisine
Creative
Foodle Reviews
Posting about this meal brought back so much memories. It was quite an adventure for me to get there, and back to Paris the next day on the 7am train for another lunch at Arpege (to eat double the desserts I missed in the lunch the same day as Ikoyi due to time rush to train to London š) .
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But it was worth the hassle. The meal was sensational. Full of originality, full of bold flavors, layers of umami, contrast of textures. It was beyond my expectation. I could finally try the whole tasting... More
Posting about this meal brought back so much memories. It was quite an adventure for me to get there, and back to Paris the next day on the 7am train for another lunch at Arpege (to eat double the desserts I missed in the lunch the same day as Ikoyi due to time rush to train to London š) .
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But it was worth the hassle. The meal was sensational. Full of originality, full of bold flavors, layers of umami, contrast of textures. It was beyond my expectation. I could finally try the whole tasting menu at @ikoyi_london, not as a collaboration or pop up. Even compare to my first visit during which we did a la carte, Ikoyi and Jeremyās cooking has changed so much. It is more liberal, not fixated on just Western African flavors. It embraced a mix of techniques and concepts from different culinary cultures, blended together intelligently to make a kind of cuisine unique to Ikoyi.
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The direction is more clear, identity more visible. It is broader yet more focused. More creative yet more controlled. Right now the most original kind of cooking by young chefs is probably here. I admire him even more.
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After all these years of travelling I sometimes still do silly things. I listened to my heart, and I had no regrets. Probably regret it more if I did not come.
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Thank you so much for my 3 most wonderful friends to do crazy things with me. You guys are the best.
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A night I will never forget ā¤ļøš #littlemeg_best2019
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Thank you Michelle you made this happen ā£ļø
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#london #littlemeg_london #littlemeg_ikoyi #ikoyi #ikoyilondon #food #foodstagram #foodies #foodpics #lefooding @lefooding #instafood #instagramers #yummy #amazing #gourmet #iphonesia #photooftheday #bestoftheday #igdaily #gastroart #gastronogram @theartofplating @gastroart @gastronogram #love #originality #identity #cultures Less
So after you got all these beautiful boxes of ingredients (or got yours from supermarkets), what do you do with them? Obviously you cook.
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For home cooking, @ikoyi_london chef @jeremychanikoyi is posting recipes similar to what @taksekin is doing. Ingredients and instructions all written in a way that is meant to be followed without too much difficulty even during lockdown and help others to cook real food.
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Well, he had me at chicken rice šš š„ā¤ļøšš... More
So after you got all these beautiful boxes of ingredients (or got yours from supermarkets), what do you do with them? Obviously you cook.
_
For home cooking, @ikoyi_london chef @jeremychanikoyi is posting recipes similar to what @taksekin is doing. Ingredients and instructions all written in a way that is meant to be followed without too much difficulty even during lockdown and help others to cook real food.
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Well, he had me at chicken rice šš š„ā¤ļøšš #covid19 #fightcovid19 #littlemeg_fightcovid19 #recipes #homecooking #littlemeg_london #littlemeg_ikoyi #food #foodpics #lifesaver #sunshine #jeremychan #london #chicken #rice #porkchops #pork #pasta Less
I am around two months in arrears in terms of posting meals, but I had a lunch yesterday in āthatā London that has prompted me to forget about posting my meals at Mugaritz or El Celar de Can Rocca or indeed the insanely good 3am kebab from āBig Johnāsā in Aylesbury that I woke up next to this morning.
Iāve been to Ikoyi a few times now and it was a restaurant that it seemed (from my point of view) that there was a certain buzz about. I mean, show me another West African restaurant with... More
I am around two months in arrears in terms of posting meals, but I had a lunch yesterday in āthatā London that has prompted me to forget about posting my meals at Mugaritz or El Celar de Can Rocca or indeed the insanely good 3am kebab from āBig Johnāsā in Aylesbury that I woke up next to this morning.
Iāve been to Ikoyi a few times now and it was a restaurant that it seemed (from my point of view) that there was a certain buzz about. I mean, show me another West African restaurant with a Michelin star in London....or the UK for that matter. Or Europe? If you can, Iāll go there.
Jeremy Chan and IrĆ© Hassan-Odukale cornered the market for soon to be Michelin star West African food in the centre of London. All well and good. The foodies and press were all over it for a time. And rightly so. They may well still be, but I havenāt heard a peep.
I decided to go for lunch yesterday very last minute. I was in bed in Aylesbury at 10am just flicking through the Internet as you do. Iād posted the day before about a very mediocre Ā£55 steak Iād had at āļøāļøThe Hand & Flowers the previous day and someone suggested that I come and try the beef at Ikoyi.
This is what prompted me to jump out of bed, shower off the kebab remnants and hop on the train into town and have one of the tastiest lunches Iāve had in quite a while.
It really is a rare skill to be able to produce a tasting menu where 90% of the dishes are spot on delicious. The type of plates that you wolf down and canāt get enough of. This is speaking from someone who, for better or worse, actively travels the world in search of good food. So Iāve had a lot of lunchesš¤·š¼āāļø
This was a great lunch.
It seems that Jeremy Chan and the team are really buzzing now. I see him travelling and doing collaborations, and this seems to have had a very positive impact on the menu at Ikoyi.
I urge those that havenāt been to go, but most of all I urge those that went a couple of years ago to go back. Itās much more confident now. I know some found it maybe mediocre before, but the menu I had yesterday was exceptional. (And no I wasnāt comped to write this) Less
Absolutely brilliant meal at @ikoyi_london. Many, many great dishes, but that fried chicken... my god. Bonus points for not messing around with the spice.
Wild rice & Fonio
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Another visit to the fantastic āļøIkoyi in London to try their new(ish) tasting menu format. Needless to say that it was of course fantastic with the usual vibrant flavours and interesting use of ingredients. .
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Michelin Guide - āļø OAD list - 117 (2019)
W50Best- .
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#achefabroad #itravelforfood #foodie #foodies #foodporn #foodpic #foodpics #finedining #michelindining... More
Wild rice & Fonio
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Another visit to the fantastic āļøIkoyi in London to try their new(ish) tasting menu format. Needless to say that it was of course fantastic with the usual vibrant flavours and interesting use of ingredients. .
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Michelin Guide - āļø OAD list - 117 (2019)
W50Best- .
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#achefabroad #itravelforfood #foodie #foodies #foodporn #foodpic #foodpics #finedining #michelindining #eats #instafoodie #michelinstar #oad #worlds50bestrestaurants #worlds50best #eater #iphonexsmax #michelinguide #foodlepro #influencer #influencers #culinaryworld #ikoyi #plantain #scotchbonnet #ikoyilondon #eaterlondon #eaterlondon #londonfoodies #londoneats #westafricanfood Less
Ikoyi opened in mid-2017 and gained a Michelin star in the 2019 Michelin guide. Ā The cuisine uses African ingredients and puts a modern twist on them with British produce through its āblindā menus (no menus provided, just the option of how many courses and allergens /intolerances checked). Ā My lunch here was a set 3-course menu of savouries for Ā£35 with an additional dessert course offered at the end for Ā£8.50, meaning Ā£43.50 for four courses; therefore a set lunch with dessert and coffee... More
Ikoyi opened in mid-2017 and gained a Michelin star in the 2019 Michelin guide. Ā The cuisine uses African ingredients and puts a modern twist on them with British produce through its āblindā menus (no menus provided, just the option of how many courses and allergens /intolerances checked). Ā My lunch here was a set 3-course menu of savouries for Ā£35 with an additional dessert course offered at the end for Ā£8.50, meaning Ā£43.50 for four courses; therefore a set lunch with dessert and coffee plus service charge will cost in the region of Ā£53. Ā This is quite expensive bearing in mind I thought the portion sizes were small and I left hungry, however, the skill and handling of spices I thought was very good here. Ā A cosy restaurant in St Jamesās market and well worth a drop in.
The meal started with smoked plantain with raspberry powder and scotch bonnet (chilli peppers). Ā This packed a fair punch but the cooked down bananas of the plantain and other parts worked nicely together. Ā Next up was malted barley bread with mushroom stuffing, turnip tops pumpkin seeds and egusi sauceĀ (made from egusi seeds). Ā This was another lovely collection of flavours and a pleasant change from the norm.
The meal started with smoked plantain with raspberry powder and scotch bonnet (chilli peppers). Ā This packed a fair punch but the cooked down bananas of the plantain and other parts worked nicely together. Ā Next up was malted barley bread with mushroom stuffing, turnip tops pumpkin seeds and egusi sauceĀ (made from egusi seeds). Ā This was another lovely collection of flavours and a pleasant change from the norm.
Lamb saddle came with hibiscus, miso coffee and fried shiso. Ā The lamb was tender and with reasonably good flavour and again, the combination of fermented parts and shiso had no real negatives. Ā A side of the signature smoked ājollofā rice with a crab custard. Ā There are a huge number of spices that go into this (along with the other dishes) but the overarching flavour of the jollof rice is of spiced tomato and garlic. Ā This rice was actually very good on its own as a dish and another well-done dish.Ā Roasted walnut ice cream with coffee oil with white chocolate with crumbsĀ was a pleasant way to finish off the meal. Ā
Jeremy Chan, who has worked formerly atĀ NomaĀ is the mastermind behind this unique and innovative restaurant, in league with his African business partner. Ā The result is definitely a pleasing one here and there is much effort that has gone in to design of each dish. Ā This was good on the eye and the flavours were all hitting the right valves, but the main negative here is that I left still hungry. Ā This is the cardinal sin of some restaurants, especially expensive ones which I would class this as. Ā Itās also the main reason that prevents people wanting to take the plunge into fine dining in my opinion. Ā That said, I would happily come back here; I think the thing to do is put a long session in the books, save up a bit more and accept more money is needed to be thrown at it. Ā
https://major-foodie.com/ikoyi-st-jamess/
https://instagram.com/richardbagnold Less
The plantains at Ikoyi were my intro to West African food. Ikoyi restaurant uses British ingredients, putting their own modern twist into bringing Nigerian flavors, techniques and spice combinations to London.
CHEF: Jeremy Chan
āØ2018 OAD Top 100+ European Gourmet Casual No. 73
FULL ALBUM: https://www.flickr.com/photos/loustejskal/albums/72157690708744610
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Address
1 St James's Market, St. James's, London SW1Y 4AH, UK
Hours
Tuesday: 12:00 ā 3:00 PM, 6:00 ā 11:00 PM
Wednesday: 12:00 ā 3:00 PM, 6:00 ā 11:00 PM
Thursday: 12:00 ā 3:00 PM, 6:00 ā 11:00 PM
Friday: 12:00 ā 3:00 PM, 6:00 ā 11:00 PM
Saturday: 12:00 ā 3:00 PM, 6:00 ā 11:00 PM
Sunday: Closed
Phone
+44 20 3583 4660