MasterChef semi-finalist to head up new West African restaurant Isibani

Victor Okunowo, a semi-finalist on MasterChef: The Professionals in 2020, is to head up the kitchen at a new West African restaurant in London’s Knightsbridge.

The 26-year-old will be head chef at Isibani, which means "bring the light" in Zulu. A press announcement described the restaurant as "a love letter to West African cuisine".

Okunowo, who is a Nigerian-born Londoner, will join from Peckham's West African cuisine-focused restaurant, Talking Drum. He has also worked at a variety of restaurants in the capital, including the Wolseley and Chiltern Firehouse.

From its opening next month, Isibani will seat 60 covers spread over two floors and a roof terrace. Typical dishes will include mackerel, iru, apple and celery tartlet; and jollof rice, grilled broccoli and fermented scotch bonnet.

The chef said he is "really excited" for the role and to be "bringing West African cooking to Knightsbridge".

He added: "The menu is a very personal one and draws inspiration from my childhood and the flavours I grew up eating in Nigeria. I want it to be a fun place where people can enjoy great food, wine, and company."

Isibani has been founded by Anthony Douglas Chuka and Abdul Malik Abubakar, who want to honour their mother’s Ibo Nigerian heritage "and her love for fine dining with an African twist" through its food.

The restaurant will open at 9 Knightsbridge Green, London SW1X 7QL - just around the corner from the Buglari Hotel - on 11 July.