West African restaurant Akoko to open in October with William Chilila at the helm

British Nigerian Aji Akokimi is to open a restaurant featuring dishes based on the cuisine of West Africa in London’s Fitzrovia in October.

The kitchen at Akoko, which was originally planned to be opened last year, will be led by head chef William JM Chilila, who was a semi-finalist in MasterChef: The Professionals 2018.

He will prepare dishes using the traditional Saharan techniques of smoking, curing and fermenting, including smoked goat served with jollof rice, pounded yam with native lobster egusi, and goat milk ice-cream with uda burnt cream and caramelised Ghanaian cocoa butter.

Designed by René Dekker Design, the walls will be covered in a terracotta clay and art by Niyi Olagunju, while ceramics have been designed by artists such as Andile Dyalvane, Kat Wheeler Ceramics and Jun Rhee.

Former operators at the Berners Street site include Latium restaurant and, most recently, Il Sud, which was open for less than a year.