After a great meal at The Fat Duck, we decided to stay a bit closer to the city and checked out Ikoyi. The restaurant has been on my list for quite some time. Especially, I’m interested in trying out michelin starred, West African influenced cuisine.
1. Pepper Broth & Seasonal Citrus: after we sat down, the waitress came by with a bowl of hot pepper, citrusy broth. A nice start to the meal.
2. Smoked Sirloin & Coal Roasted Pumpkin: served with a spoonful of caviar. Delicious.
3. Squid, Bone Marrow & Colston Basset: squid was dressed in some sort of XO sauce. Heavy Asian influenced. Another tasty bite
4. Drunken Chicken Toast: a traditional Chinese dish turned into a bite sized toast. Another strong start by Ikoyi
5. Hamachi & Saffron Creme Caramel: The saffron creme caramel on its own was very strong flavored. However, everything together worked.
6. Octopus & Peas, Moin Moin: this was my least favorite dish of the night. It just felt like different things thrown together. The octopus on its own was delicious. I’m not as familiar with Moin Moin, so I couldn’t really comment on it.
7. Sweetbread, Duck & Coffee: I felt like the dish got a bit cold when it came to our table. Overall, it was well flavored. The coffee “sauce” reminded me of Mexican Mole, and was quite an ingenious way to pair with the duck.
8. Plantain, Spiced Efo & Roasted Peanut: The iconic dish from Ikoyi. Maybe my expectation was way high here. It was good. Nothing special. The green sauce worked really well with the plantain. The peanut crumble made this dish sweet, which was a weird sequence in between savory courses.
9. Aged Turbot, Crab Bisque & Egusi Miso. Cep, mushroom bread: A star for the night. Aging fish was new for me, and this was delicious. The mushroom bread was just so unique. It reminded me of a cross between a kouign amann and a chocolate lava cake
10. Native Beef Rib, Smoked Jollof Rice: this went over my head. They used a special beef, well-aged. I just found it to be quite tough. Jollof rice was good.
11. Hibiscus & Fermented Scotch Bonnet: nice palate cleanser. I like the use of the scotch bonnet for a kick.
12. Heirloom Pea & Einkorn: One of my favorite desserts in a while. Not too sweet of an ending which I liked
Service overall was quite good. There’s a slip up here and there, like when the Somm brought us a bottle of wine that was meant for a different table. To me, Ikoyi was singular. I couldn’t really compare it to anything else I’ve had before. A lot of the dishes were very delicious, creative, different. Some I didn’t get. It was pricey, and it’s a great choice for those who want to try something new.
iAnonymous281 on
Looks great. Deciding between this and the clove club for a visit soon but might have to do both
scottielew on
I’m not a world traveler. Been to Europe once. I had the uneducated misconception that London was not a food city! I have learned how wrong I was!! I would love to visit one day…thanks for sharing!
3 Comments
After a great meal at The Fat Duck, we decided to stay a bit closer to the city and checked out Ikoyi. The restaurant has been on my list for quite some time. Especially, I’m interested in trying out michelin starred, West African influenced cuisine.
1. Pepper Broth & Seasonal Citrus: after we sat down, the waitress came by with a bowl of hot pepper, citrusy broth. A nice start to the meal.
2. Smoked Sirloin & Coal Roasted Pumpkin: served with a spoonful of caviar. Delicious.
3. Squid, Bone Marrow & Colston Basset: squid was dressed in some sort of XO sauce. Heavy Asian influenced. Another tasty bite
4. Drunken Chicken Toast: a traditional Chinese dish turned into a bite sized toast. Another strong start by Ikoyi
5. Hamachi & Saffron Creme Caramel: The saffron creme caramel on its own was very strong flavored. However, everything together worked.
6. Octopus & Peas, Moin Moin: this was my least favorite dish of the night. It just felt like different things thrown together. The octopus on its own was delicious. I’m not as familiar with Moin Moin, so I couldn’t really comment on it.
7. Sweetbread, Duck & Coffee: I felt like the dish got a bit cold when it came to our table. Overall, it was well flavored. The coffee “sauce” reminded me of Mexican Mole, and was quite an ingenious way to pair with the duck.
8. Plantain, Spiced Efo & Roasted Peanut: The iconic dish from Ikoyi. Maybe my expectation was way high here. It was good. Nothing special. The green sauce worked really well with the plantain. The peanut crumble made this dish sweet, which was a weird sequence in between savory courses.
9. Aged Turbot, Crab Bisque & Egusi Miso. Cep, mushroom bread: A star for the night. Aging fish was new for me, and this was delicious. The mushroom bread was just so unique. It reminded me of a cross between a kouign amann and a chocolate lava cake
10. Native Beef Rib, Smoked Jollof Rice: this went over my head. They used a special beef, well-aged. I just found it to be quite tough. Jollof rice was good.
11. Hibiscus & Fermented Scotch Bonnet: nice palate cleanser. I like the use of the scotch bonnet for a kick.
12. Heirloom Pea & Einkorn: One of my favorite desserts in a while. Not too sweet of an ending which I liked
Service overall was quite good. There’s a slip up here and there, like when the Somm brought us a bottle of wine that was meant for a different table. To me, Ikoyi was singular. I couldn’t really compare it to anything else I’ve had before. A lot of the dishes were very delicious, creative, different. Some I didn’t get. It was pricey, and it’s a great choice for those who want to try something new.
Looks great. Deciding between this and the clove club for a visit soon but might have to do both
I’m not a world traveler. Been to Europe once. I had the uneducated misconception that London was not a food city! I have learned how wrong I was!! I would love to visit one day…thanks for sharing!