Ikoyi: The MICHELIN Guide Inspectors Give Their Verdict

"There’s something quite thrilling about this place; named after a suburb of Lagos, it channels West African flavours alongside wider influences into a bold, exciting style London has seldom seen. Founded by former school friends Iré Hassan-Odukale and Jeremy Chan (who runs the kitchen), it earned one MICHELIN Star in 2018, two in 2022, and has recently moved to swish new premises on the Strand. The room looks like the bridge of a space‑age vessel, with lighting that cocoons you from the outside and a single spotlight above each table casting a warm, seductive glow on every enticing dish. The experience is a surprise tasting of around 14 courses—some just a mouthful, others more substantial—and you leave with a copy of the menu to relive the many delicious morsels. In a world of pigeon-holing, the cooking feels defiantly unique and uncategorisable, yet it’s anchored by intent, an instinctive grasp of ingredients, strong technique and complementary flavours. We stopped on the way out to gawp at the produce ageing in glass cabinets by the door—cuts of Wagyu, whole turbot, pigeon and mullet—which underlines the primacy of great ingredients here. Pacing is judged superbly: our visit lasted three hours and fifteen minutes; any longer and conversation would have started to flag, any shorter and we’d have felt rushed. Early snack-like courses included seabass with green strawberry—the only dish presented by a chef—and a delicious, one-bite fermented rice with ‘drunken’ squid topped with a single chanterelle." - The MICHELIN Guide UK Editorial Team