London: October 2020.
Experiencing chef Jeremy Chan’s food was utterly astonishing. In just 9 dishes, he mesmerized us with flavours and sensations we simply weren’t used to. Since that meal, we have been reading his extensive and elaborate recipes in Great British Chefs in awe, trying to understand the concept.
The cuisine
Trying to define Ikoyi is not easy. In very little time they have developed their own paradigm of modern cuisine and even the sector is still wrapping its head around it. Their focus on umami is distinctive, driving every dish, even desserts. The other flavours are there to balance it and accentuate it. Moreover, Chan’s understanding of each ingredient is palpable throughout the tasting menu. Each is treated with respect by showing it at its best and cooked to perfection.
The restaurant employs seasonal British produce and some West African ingredients. Nonetheless, Asian and modern techniques are also used to concentrate and deepen flavours. West African ingredients come into play to bring new unexpected and original flavours. Many of these ingredients are spices, providing novel fragrant aromas and adding heat, which is present in all of the savoury dishes. It feels like haute cuisine had already discovered the great cuisine of Asia and Ikoyi is now opening a new path into Africa.
The ambiance
A stone’s throw away from Piccadilly Circus, Ikoyi is camouflaged around office buildings. As you approach the entrance, the large windows reveal a pleasant ambience and decoration dominated by light beige colours, with a few drops of African art here and there. It feels smart, but easy-going. After leaving our Riesling Spatlese Trocken from Sybille Kuntz with the sommelier, we were quickly welcomed by our first dish.
The plantain caramelised in ginger & kombu makes a great appetiser. The sweet plantain with the nutty aromas produced by the Maillard reaction contrasts with the seaweed savoriness of the glaze. Alongside a touch of heat and the aromatic ginger, it creates an enjoyable harmony of flavours that we had never had together.
Next in line was the Palamós prawn & Habanada pepper. The famous Catalan prawn was perfectly cooked, tender and juicy. It is served whole accompanied by a Habanada chilli oil or butter. This sibling of Habanero peppers possesses the same fruity and floral qualities but comes with a very moderate heat (thus, Haba-nada). Very floral and cinnamony, the sauce provides the perfect level of heat to highlight the delicate flavours of the prawn. We would really like to have the recipe for that oil to make it at home.
The menu continued in the seafood theme with the crab & malted barley roll. A nutty brioche light as air. The brioche melts in the mouth leaving a silky, buttery cushion that is cut by the freshness of the crab and daikon brunoise. The star role is taken by the black mint, which supplements the dish with a layer of intense floral and eucalyptus notes. It reminded us of a very refined version of a lobster roll.
As a last starter, we were served the squash with egusi butter and caviar. In this dish, Jeremy Chan plays with textures by combining caramelised squash (slightly too crunchy for our taste) with a rich creamy and spiced seed butter. This is finished with a spoonful of caviar providing more depth of flavour and a sharp, saline contrast. Best when combined all together in a spoonful.
Lobster, green onions and celeriac velouté was the first of the main dishes that made its way to our table. Similar to the prawn, perfectly cooked, with some bite but tender. Brushed with an oil (or butter) full of umami and a touch of heat. On its side, the celeriac velouté was rich and creamy, accentuated by spices like coriander seed or cumin. Separating the lobster from the velouté, some green onions provide a nice herbal and sweet contrast. Yet again, making this a pattern throughout the menu, once all these components are put together in a spoonful, the resulting combination is simply spectacular.
The last savoury dish is served alongside Ikoyi’s signature jollof rice. For our visit, it was aged Shorthorn rib, lemon drop peppers & peppercorn sauce. And let us tell you plainly, that sauce is delicious, deep in flavours and lusciously rich. The peppercorns give a fruity note that shines in this sauce with the added heat. It feels like Jeremy has brought the traditional green peppercorn sauce to the 21st century. On its own, the beef – tender and juicy – already speaks eloquently in your palate telling tales of umami during its ageing. We had never tried these Peruvian peppers, a surprisingly citric and fruity variety (very much alike Padrón peppers otherwise). When grilled, their smoky aromas complement the 70-day aged Cornish beef gameyer notes. A beautiful interpretation of the French classic that left a mark on us. You might see us attempting to recreate the sauce in the near future.
Any customer at Ikoyi will notice during their visit sudden gusts of a pleasantly smoky scent. These actually come from the aforementioned smoked jollof rice, aged sheep kebab & crab custard being served. A beautiful ceramic tagine-like pot is opened releasing the smoke and revealing green nasturtium leaves and the sheep kebab. Underneath, a creamy crab custard that looked like a hollandaise sauce covering a rice that seemed almost stir fried, very grainy and extremely caramelised. The extensive recipe available in Great British Chefs (@gbchefs) illustrates the complexity of aromas in this dish. Rich, spicy and with an incredible depth of flavour, it matched well with the crab custard, creating a very comforting result and an interesting accompaniment to the beef. It might not be a traditional take on jollof rice, but employing the original elements of the West African original Jeremy Chan elevates the recipe to something better and unique.
However, the great surprise of evening was perpetrated by the roasted cep ice cream & coffee oil. Javier’s initial reaction: WOW. We fell in love after the first spoonful of the mushroom ice cream. Just perfect in every dimension.
A dish of this calibre requires a methodical analysis. Let us go from bottom to top. As a foundation we find a crocant of white chocolate that has been roasted, then pulverised and frozen to provide texture. A delicately shaped quenelle of the porcini ice cream follows on top. The ice cream has the texture and sweetness that one would expect (light, perfectly creamy) with the touch of umami and woodsy flavours of porcini. A cavity carefully placed on top of the quenelle holds the coffee and uda oil, which tastes like a good cup of espresso transformed into oil. Initially acidic, slightly bitter in the middle of the palate and sweet at the finish. Although we are not sure about this, the ice cream didn’t taste like it contained any dairy. That is why the addition of coffee oil achieves a perfectly balance of bitterness, sweetness and creaminess. It essentially covers every taste in the right quantity. The overall combination just makes you mouth salivate. Certainly the best dessert that we have tried this year. The concept is very seasonal and well-thought through in terms of flavours and textures despite the addition of mushrooms in desserts being pretty quaint. Funny enough, umami in desserts is relatively fashionable right now. In fact, it is easier to find chocolate and miso in a restaurant’s menu than turbot.
Alongside the mushroom ice cream, we are served a benne seed, miso & chocolate chip cookie. A light mignardise, but at the same time buttery, soft and chewy in its centre, with crunchy and caramelised edges. Benne seeds are similar to sesame seeds but their flavour is more pronounced and bitter. Jeremy Chan combines them with 66% chocolate and a touch of miso, which once again forms an impeccable harmony of flavours. It was such a comforting experience, that now we keep spare cookies in the freezer ready to be baked any time!
These nine dishes are a show of Ikoyi’s mastery of umami. A key element underlying throughout the whole experience is the presentation. The crockery from Owen Walls is stunning, rustic but delicate and with numerous homages to African pottery and art. On the other hand, the food composition and use of colours is minimalist and tries to be shocking or enigmatic. A prelude to the original flavours about to be experienced. In this regard, the seasonality of ingredients fortunately implies an ever changing menu and new discoveries awaiting in each visit. We cannot wait to be back.
Some conclusions
Ikoyi’s dishes brilliantly capture the essence of umami. With their dedication to seasonal ingredients, diners can expect new discoveries awaiting in each visit. We’re genuinely excited to return.
We also felt that a crucial part of this experience is transmitted through the presentation of the dishes. The crockery from Owen Walls is stunning, rustic but delicate and with numerous homages to African art and pottery. In contrast, the food composition and use of colours is minimalist and tries to be shocking or enigmatic, hinting at the distinct flavors that are to follow.