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Akoko

London, Fitzrovia - West African - Restaurant - ££££

Overall Rating: Very Good

Uniqueness:Does the establishment stand out in the context of the local area? Very Good

Deliciousness:How delicious is the food? Very Good

Warmth:How warm is the service and the hospitality in general? Very Good

Strength of recommendation:How enthusiastically and widely would you recommend the establishment? Very Good

* Head chef Ayo Adeyemi has left and been replaced by Alain Ducasse alumnus Mutaro Balde. Watch for a new review coming soon.* Judging by our most recent lunchtime visit, this Fitzrovia hot spot is a restaurant on the up and up. We found the warm terracotta-toned dining room almost full to capacity, with diners occupying the well-spaced tables and thronging the comfortable counter. The £55 lunch menu is appealing, but most opt for the full tasting deal (competitively priced at £120 at the time of writing), with the option of tatale (Ghanaian plantain pancakes) with goat cashew cream and Exmoor caviar available for a supplementary £35. With chef Ayo Adeyemi at the helm, the cooking is overtly complex although the concept as a whole is straightforward: West African flavours, British ingredients. Kick off with a pair of terrific openers: waina (a fermented rice pancake) with chicken liver and Senegalese yassa, followed by a deep-fried oyster with a Gambia...

* Head chef Ayo Adeyemi has left and been replaced by Alain Ducasse alumnus Mutaro Balde. Watch for a new review coming soon.*

Judging by our most recent lunchtime visit, this Fitzrovia hot spot is a restaurant on the up and up. We found the warm terracotta-toned dining room almost full to capacity, with diners occupying the well-spaced tables and thronging the comfortable counter. The £55 lunch menu is appealing, but most opt for the full tasting deal (competitively priced at £120 at the time of writing), with the option of tatale (Ghanaian plantain pancakes) with goat cashew cream and Exmoor caviar available for a supplementary £35. With chef Ayo Adeyemi at the helm, the cooking is overtly complex although the concept as a whole is straightforward: West African flavours, British ingredients. Kick off with a pair of terrific openers: waina (a fermented rice pancake) with chicken liver and Senegalese yassa, followed by a deep-fried oyster with a Gambian red pepper relish. Every dish has something exciting it wants to share with us. Seared mackerel, blackened on top, but fashionably near-raw underneath, comes with Afro-Brazilian vatapa sauce and dense cubes of moi moi (steamed bean pudding), while monkfish with grilled maitake mushrooms is paired with a fresh, fruity 'sosu kaani' chilli sauce. Meat cookery is a strength, the benefits of the charcoal grill in the open kitchen highlighted in a skewer of ox tongue suya. That said, while the dishes were individually praiseworthy, the tasting menu overall lacked a little range – smoky flavours and smooth emulsions dominated. An icy clementine and goat's milk palate cleanser arrived just at the right time during our meal. The wine selection, in service to the food, wanders from Kent to Austria and on to South Africa and beyond, with a good range by the glass. A final word about the front-of-house team, who are friendly, knowledgeable and enthusiastic.

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VENUE DETAILS

21 Berners Street
Fitzrovia
W1T 3LPGB

020 7323 0593

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OTHER INFORMATION

Counter seating, Wheelchair access, Credit card required

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