Menuwatch: Isibani, Knightsbridge, London

08 November 2022 by

Sharing dishes with a "Nigerian core" form a menu focusing on Africa by way of Knightsbridge

Something about the corn on the cob at West African restaurant Isibani tastes of London's Knightsbridge. It's a simple dish: the organic corn is freshly peeled from its husk, cut into quarters, then deep-fried in pomace oil for five minutes. And yet it somehow feels more glamorous, with its notes of caramelised honey fused with the tangy tartness of Parmesan cheese and sun-dried scotch bonnet.

There's a sophisticated, sweet and spicy twist to all the dishes at Isibani, blending the flavours and familial warmth of homely African cooking with the charms of fine dining. But that's not exactly how Isibani began. The restaurant, tucked away on a back street opposite the side entrance to the Bulgari hotel, between the Harrods and Harvey Nichols department stores, originally launched in August with an elaborate set menu designed by MasterChef: The Professionals semi-finalist Victor Okunowo, who placed more of an emphasis on a small-plate, fusion experience.

However, under Isibani's new head chef Segun Soule, who worked with Okunowo at Leadbelly's bar in London's Canada Water, the aim is to offer something slightly more casual, while retaining what Soule calls the distinctive "wow" of African food.

The menu is inspired by traditional home cooking with a "Nigerian core", with dishes such as Ogbono soup (£21), a Nigerian local bean stew with tenderloin beef paired with rice or fufu (a starchy dough made of pounded yam, plantain or cassava); djollof rice (£9), a best-seller; and the egusi soup (blitzed melon seed cooked in palm oil, flavoured with tomato, pepper, onions, scotch bonnet and spinach, laid on a base of pounded yam), which will be added to the new menu in the coming weeks.

The price point has been lowered to attract a wider customer base, while the addition of à la carte-style sharing plates encourages people to try a variety of foods and experience "how we eat in Africa".

Soule moved to the UK from Lagos, the former capital of Nigeria, in 2002 and has been a professional chef since 2009. He has spent the majority of his career at British fine-dining establishments or gastropubs, but has never cooked traditional Nigerian food for anyone besides his family and friends. He says: "At the back of my mind, when I started off, I was like ‘one day, I'm going to have my own African food [restaurant]'. I don't care if people don't like it, but this is what I want to cook. I want people to try it and give me their feedback."

Segun Soule
Segun Soule

At the same time, he didn't want to immediately overwhelm his guests with unfamiliar spices, ingredients or names of dishes, which is partly why the corn on the cob is served with Parmesan as opposed to the more traditional wara, a cow milk's cheese local to Nigeria.

While the menu undergoes its transition, guests can enjoy fusion dishes such as jerk chicken tacos with smoked mayo, baby gem, pico de gallo, avocado and chimichurri sauce (£18); alongside those that bear stronger West African roots, such as the slow-cooked pulled oxtail served on Ghana tea bread with truffle, pink radish and pickled baby onions (£19).

These are paired with plantain (£8), available steamed, fried or roasted, and with Orijin dark lager, an alcoholic drink mixed with African herbs and fruit extracts that has an almost Coca-Cola-like flavour.

This balancing act between tradition and innovation creates several challenges, but the menu seeks to resolve this with creativity. For example, while the djollof rice is served in a ceramic replica of the calabash or bottle gourd because of difficulties sourcing it in the UK, some of that authenticity is compensated for by selling Coca-Cola and Fanta produced in Nigeria. After all, each country has its own recipe, however slight that difference might be.

Isibani's willingness to adapt while staying true to its cultural essence ties into the restaurant's wider mission of introducing people to the cuisine. "Most people don't know African food," says Soule. "But I believe everybody on earth eats the same food. We all have similar traits, but we call them different names."

He hopes that people will embrace those similarities, while also recognising the unique "wow" of African food. "I want [African cuisine] to be maybe in the next five, 10 years like Chinese or Indian cuisine. When you go to Indian restaurant, you know what you're getting, so there's no reason why we can't do the same. I don't see why we cannot replicate that and take it to somewhere like Knightsbridge and make it popular for everyone. That's what we're trying to achieve."

From the menu

  • Fried yam £9
  • Isi Green bowl – baby spinach, chestnut mushrooms, chayote, French dressing £9
  • Smoked mackerel croquettes, pickled chilli, callaloo chimichurri £19
  • Butternut squash and caramelised shallot – roasted scotch bonnet, sautéed spring onions, plantain gnocchi £17
  • Fishermen's pepper soup – eggplant and spices stew, soft-shell crab, lobster, fish of the day, king prawns £23
  • Plantain tarte tatin – rum syrup, brown butter ice-cream £12
  • Isibani fruit salad – white hibiscus iced tea, mint oil £10

9 Knightsbridge Green, London SW1X 7QL

isibani.com

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