Recently launched Akoko in Fitzrovia is excited to welcome guests back from tomorrow, Wednesday 19 May, with a bold and vibrant new ten course tasting menu; the most ambitious the restaurant has ever seen.
Akoko, which opened on 25 September last year, brings Londoners a taste of West Africa, combining local ingredients with vivid aromas and spices. One of the most anticipated openings of 2020, the restaurant offers a unique window into the cuisine of West Africa in a stylish and relaxed setting.
Founder, British Nigerian Aji Akokomi, has taken inspiration from family recipes and his travels across West Africa. Akoko pays homage to Akokomi’s culinary heritage by using recipes passed down through generations and traditional cooking techniques of smoking, curing and fermenting to maximise the flavours and textures of the ingredients. Akoko, which translates to ‘time’ and also ’the first’ in Yoruba, takes Londoners on a journey that celebrates the richness, vibrancy and diversity of the Saharan region in a progressive and elevated way.
The team showcases a forward-thinking menu combining high quality produce from African and British suppliers, with an emphasis on seasonality and sustainability. The exciting new summer menu is more adventurous than the last and will feature distinctive flavoursome ingredients such as Ogiri (melon seed miso), Iru (also known as ‘Dawadawa’ - fermented locust beans), Fonio (a nutritious grain native to Senegal) and Suya spice (using house made Kulikuli and bouillon powder, ginger, chilli) in dishes such as Dry-aged beef egusi or Melon seed stew, Charcoal grilled suya lamb belly and a Gambian take on grilled Oysters.
The wine list by sommeliers Honey Spencer (previously of Sager & Wilde, Noma Mexico and Australia, and Nuala) and her business partner Ania Smelskaya (Silo) has an emphasis on organic and sustainable wines from off-the-beaten-track regions such as Georgia and Wales.
The cocktail menu has been cultivated to champion West African flavours within recognisable, classic serves. The new list includes drinks such as the Negroni with cacao nib infused Campari, and an Old Fashioned which uses both bourbon and dark rum, washed with plantain cooked in brown butter. Lovers of long drinks can choose from a Tamarind Gin & Tonic, using home-made tonic water, and a Scotch Bonnet Soda paired with vodka.