You may have seen Victor Okunowo cooking on MasterChef: The Professionals back in 2020 or tasted his food at Talking Drum in Peckham, but if not you’ll now find him taking up the Head Chef role at new West African restaurant Isibani, co-founded by Anthony Douglas Chuka and Abdul Malik Abubakar. Opening this July, Isibani (meaning ‘bring the light’ in Zulu) will have plenty of the glitz you’d expect from a Knightsbridge address plus plenty of the geometric patterns and bold colours found in Nigerian design.
The two-floor space will offer a fine dining experience in the main restaurant and a more relaxed menu upstairs and on the roof terrace, with the food drawing inspo from Nigerian recipes that Victor grew up with. You can expect dishes like mackerel with iru and apple & celery tartlet; jerk poussin taco with pimento mayo, heritage tomatoes and escabeche; smoked monkfish fillet with charred okra, kachumbari and brown shrimp; jollof rice with grilled broccoli and fermented scotch bonnet; chicken kiev with offal nkowbi, onions and peach; pap panna cotta with tamarind and baobab sorbet; and mascarpone rice pudding with banana and super malt ice cream. Sounds like Isibani is going to be a strong addition to London’s West African restaurant scene. And if you get in there during the soft launch period running from 19th July – 2nd August, you can get an 8-course tasting menu for just £25!
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Put the kettle on!
Opens Tues 19th July 2022
9 Knightsbridge Green, London, SW1X 7QL
isibani.com