West African cuisine is having its moment in London, thanks to Ikoyi at St James’s Market. Named after a cosmopolitan neighbourhood in Lagos, the restaurant’s vibrant, eclectic menu includes wild Nigerian tiger prawn with Banga bisque; lamb rib with asun relish; and jollof rice with smoked bone marrow. Subtle new Nordic references abound – the caviar is marinated in roasted kelp oil, and dishware is by Danish ceramicists KH Würtz – reflecting head chef and co-owner Jeremy Chan’s previous stint at Noma.
Local firm Studio Ashby has populated the street-level space with bespoke elm tables, modernist seating, earthenware pendant lights, and an ochre banquette, while striking black-and-white terrazzo underfoot. The result is an intimate, contemporary space, best admired from the six-seat bar while sipping an African-inflected cocktail designed by Max and Noel Venning, the brains behind London drinking den, Three Sheets.
INFORMATION
Website
ADDRESS
1 St James’s Market
PHOTOGRAPHY
Thea Lovstad
-
Bar Spero, in Washington DC, nods to the playful nature of Spanish cuisineBar Spero is a Spanish seafood bar and grill designed by Streetsense and led by chef Johnny Spero
-
Colourful card game wins Design Museum’s Design Ventura competitionAnnual design competition Design Ventura was won by students from The Piggott School, who created a fun I Spy-inspired card game
-
Tour a Chilean pavilion perched on the coast: a sanctuary for sleep and star-gazingAlgarrobo-based architecture studio Whale! has designed a Chilean pavilion for rest and relaxation, overlooking a nature reserve on the Pacific coast
-
Crispin at Studio Voltaire, in Clapham, is a feast for all the sensesNew restaurant Crispin at Studio Voltaire is the latest opening from the brains behind Bistro Freddie and Bar Crispin, with interiors by Jermaine Gallacher
-
Step inside Juno Omakase, London’s smallest counter dining experienceJuno Omakase, inside Los Mochis Notting Hill, offers a one-of-a-kind tasting menu in which Tokyo meets Tulum
-
Revel in 007 glamour at Raffles London at The OWORaffles London at The OWO opens its doors after a majestic six-year restoration
-
Rent British musician Imogen Holst’s home via Modernist EstatesDiscover Imogen Holst’s home, designed by H.T. Cadbury Brown, in the seaside town of Aldeburgh, Suffolk
-
Mimosa at The Langham brings French Riviera flavour to LondonMimosa, the new restaurant at The Langham hotel, London, boasts a menu and interiors infused with Riviera style
-
Mayfair’s Murano offers beautiful design and incisively cooked foodAngela Hartnett’s Murano celebrates 15 years of Italian supremacy in London with a fresh look by Fabled Studio
-
Dine amid old-school glamour at The Dover in London’s MayfairThe Dover, founded by Martin Kuczmarski and designed by Quincoces-Dragò & Partners, is where 1970s Brooklyn meets classic Italian charm
-
Morchella, in Clerkenwell, serves Mediterranean classics and Old World wineMorchella restaurant and wine bar brings finely crafted cosy chic to a former bank near Exmouth Market, London
