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20 Reviews
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Food art to stimulate the senses and delight! A totally tasteful lunch
Coming in from the cold there was a very warm welcome. There was a very special cola to have with an excellent rum and order it with the one special large ice cube experience! Calm chefs and a beautiful flow of dishes presented in stylish ceramic settings.The layers of tastes in each course were exciting.
Be the first to ReplyVisual gastronomic treat that costs quite a bomb
Three of us had a birthday dinner at Ikoyi in Londonโs St Jamesโs neighbourhood a few nights ago. Itโs a very small fine dining restaurant with two Michelin stars, helmed by Jeremy Chan, a Chinese-Canadian chef who apparently honed his culinary skills from his teenage years. I understand itโs a place that is usually fully booked, so we were really excited when we managed to reserve a table. Let me say this right at the beginning: as foodies, we truly enjoyed our โomakaseโ dinner. We oooh-ed and ahhh-ed often, because every dish was an explosion of flavours! Highlights were: 1)Smoked Sirloin & Shishito Pepper (everything went so well together, including the crispy little cracker-like cup that reminded me of the Peranakan kueh pie tee) 2)Mussel & Saffron Crรจme Caramel (visually pleasing with a vibrant presentation of ingredients, including a generous helping of caviar, to boot!) 3)Pigeon Suya 4)Turbot & Egusi Miso 5)Native Breed Rib, Roast Cep & Sauerkraut The names of the dishes do not do them justice, as there were actually so many more ingredients and elements in each dish. For instance, I enjoyed the little truffle infused brioche that was also topped with shavings of truffle. There were four desserts, including two main ones - Green Yuzu & Rye Amazake, and Black-Eyed Pea & Caramelised White Chocolate. While the former was a yummy sorbet, we especially liked the latterโฆpartly because it was a dessert that incorporated another generous scoop of caviar and shavings of truffle! The service was professional, with staff giving a running commentary of all the ingredients they had memorised. But it was rather robotic at times and somehow lacked the spontaneity and warmth I am used to even at fine-dining restaurants. (Perhaps staff were trying too hard to remember what they had to say!) The menu was presented to us at the end of the meal, so we could confirm and/or recall what we had consumed! I am glad the birthday girl enjoyed herself immensely. But quite frankly, it would have been better if the VVIP dining area was not quite so near the door, despite the presence of a heavy privacy curtain. Also, while we caught the chef and team in action in their small open concept kitchen, it would have been more memorable to have met the chef after our meal. (The menu they revealed at the end actually had a final paragraph that said: โWe are truly grateful to have your support, which allows us to do what we loveโ.) Including drinks, the bill came to a whopping ยฃ467 per person. (FYI, to make a table reservation, one needs to put down a deposit of ยฃ300 per person.) For the amount spent, itโd better be a very special meal for a very special occasion (for a very special person)!
Be the first to ReplyVery disappointing experience at Ikoyi
Went to dinner at Ikoyi after seeing it featured in many places and had extremely high expectations. Overall, we were very disappointed with the creativity/quality of the food and the level of the service. When considering the price we paid we were expecting something spectacular, and we were very underwhelmed. At one point, we even considered leaving the meal mid-way through because the early courses were that disappointing. The highlights of the meal were the desserts and the meat dishes; although, the meat dishes were again not up to the standard of similarly-priced/rated restaurants. Can also see that a few reviews report back similar feedback over the past year, so maybe something has changed there recently, or maybe just an issue with the current tasting menu. One general warning for potential customers is that many dishes are quite spicy - this didn't bother us though since we like spice.
Be the first to ReplyThey must have got their Michelin Stars from eBay.
I would normally give an experience like this 1 star but I'm going with 2 stars because the food wasn't too bad. However, everything else was awful. Pros: 1. Some of the courses tasted nice - less than half. 2. Some of them were beautiful to look at but bland. Cons: 1. The "seen it before", bare concrete look combined with dull wood, poor lighting and cheap metal makes for a place with zero visual interest and a terrible atmosphere. The other bored and disgruntled customers don't help. 2. The staff were clearly doing YOU a favour by allowing you to pay them to do their job. The slight snottiness was ironically far too front of house for the rubbish they were peddling. 3. The tasting menu was overpriced and underperforming. Quite frankly, 2 of the courses were garbage that I wouldn't have fed my imaginary dog. 4. The wine list of overpriced and poorly curated. 5. We were presented with the bill we hadn't asked for and before we had even finished and told we had 4 minutes to drink up because they wanted to clear the table for the next wave of customers. When we complained, they said, "OK, you can have 10 minutes but you should have been told you were on the clock". When you consider that 10 minutes in a taxi away, you could eat at Alex Dilling's new 2-star Michelin restaurant, with its beautiful interior, crisp white table cloths, fabulous staff and food that feels like it was made by angels, just for you, why would you bother coming here? Rude, boring, overpriced and painfully average. I wouldn't go back if you paid me to eat there. In fact, I'd rather have a Chicken & Mushroom Pot Noodle and some self-loving,
Be the first to Reply4 hours is too long for this.
The 4 hours is way tooo long, Iโve been to many other restaurants which also takes 3-5 hours for a dining experience but this one in Ikoyi is hard to keep being patient and enjoyable. In the end we almost want to ask for the bill and skip the final dessert which takes 20+ min to be served after the first dessert. If you fancy caviar then this is a place for you, but if you are interested in African cuisine thereโs better options in London for sure.
Be the first to Replyabsolutely outstanding
been here for a dinner, and from the door the magic starts. great and warm welcome from all the staff, always smiling and so professional. they`ve been always kind and helpful, and we had a lots of questions! Lorenzo and Ilenya (i hope to remember the names) they been over the top, outstanding service. about the food, there is a lots to say but i thing "unforgettable" is the right word. the best culinary experience of my life, i am in restaurants and hotel from 15years. really really well done Chef Jeremy, I hope to meet you next time. well done guys, keep going
Be the first to ReplyArrogant manager ruined our memories of what was once a wonderful and warm place
My wife and I have been regulars at this wonderful place for the last 3 years. We live in the US and we factor in this place when we visit and book our flights. However, unfortunately, as they have gained in recognition, some of their staff have become very arrogant and rude. Case in point. We called them from abroad to make reservations and even then the manager, the lady on the phone, was exceptionally rude and arrogant. To make sure we did not call at a busy time, we called in the morning, before they opened. We had a few questions. She barely registered any interest in helping us and kept cutting us off. When we attempted to ask about what they are likely to serve (due to concerns over allergies to certain kinds of food), she got annoyed and told us off saying 'you need not visit us if you have concerns' and abruptly hung up! When this place barely had any people during the pandemic, we visited it regularly. But clearly, when their business has picked up, this lady behaves like she is doing people a favor in being courteous. So we figured why spend so many $$$$ to be told off by a prickly manager on the phone! Just awful. The lady on the phone should not be taking out her personal problems on people who are politely calling from abroad to enquire and even planning their trip around a visit to this restaurant. By the way, none of this takes away from the wait staff at the hotel. And the chefs. They are all absolutely brilliant. Just the prickly manager who staffs the phone and acts as a gatekeeper.
Be the first to ReplyOver rated
The restaurant now highly over rated. 300ยฃ the tasting menu really doesnโt worth it. The value proposition sub Sahara and Japan is nowhere to be found. They should refocus
Be the first to ReplyMy worst Michelin restaurant, EVER!
It was my worst experience in a Michelin restaurant. (Look at their response. They always reply the same response for the bad review. They always ask to email them for further discuss. They copy and paste for the reply. No service mind at all. They donโt deserve for Michelin stars!!!!) I arrived at 12 pm and had lunch. After two hours, I still did not have my main dish and I asked the server to expedite my dish because I had to leave after 20 minutes due to my medical appointment. At that time, I already finished my fish before main dish. The server came and asked me if I would have the pre-desert before main dish. I thought she suggested it to have a pre-desert while we were waiting for the main to expedite my meal. But I realized she cancelled all my main dishes. Who can think the time between two dishes in course menu would take more than 20 minute. I understand there might be miscommunication but she never apologized. No one apologized. It seems no one in the restaurant care about us. I am very disappointed about their service. I didnโt have main dish for meal for ยฃ300 per person. It took 2 and half hours for lunch. Who would think the meal takes more than 3 hours for lunch? I have been hundreds Michelin restaurants all over the world but this was the worst ever. I would never recommend this restaurant. Their food was not even impressive either. This meal doesnโt worth for ยฃ300 per person.
Be the first to ReplyStrong flavors, tasty food
Very strong and unusual flavors, but quite tasty. The chef is particularly fond of different peppercorns. Hubby and I had the tasting menu and favorites were the Orkney scallop and benne moin moin & pine nut dishes. Dinner + 1 drink each came out to around 600 pounds. The atmosphere is pretty casual and most diners we're dressed comfortably.
Be the first to ReplyA very different Michelin dinner
Incredibly tasty and unusual flavours. The cooking is exceptionally refined and the african influences shines through in dish after dish. There were a couple of dishes I felt were on the menu due to style rather than flavour (looking at you plantain) but it was all in all very good. Wine list is incredibly expensive, even for a michelin restaurant.
Be the first to ReplyThe food was incredible
The food was the best I've ever experienced, so many new combinations to me and my friends, including strawberry vinegar jelly and pistachio oil and caviar... Everything was cooked and presented impeccably. There were about 14 courses in all and we were all struggling to finish each towards the end. The only disappointment was the service. We've been fortunate to dine at several Michelin rated and starred restaurants and they all come with a certain level of service and care which Ikoyi completely lacked. It was almost like you were at pizza express... It really was the only thing that let it down. For the price you're paying overall, it was borderline embarrassingly lazy.
Be the first to ReplySuperb
An inspired and inspiring meal. You could call this fusion if you want but I just think of it as a modern British eating place with different influences to the norm in London.
Squid crepe with scotch bonnet sauce and red shiso leaf was wonderful. The crab infused rice was another highlight as was the red mullet with forest mushrooms but the key here was that there were no lowlights. Everything was well thought out, distinctly flavoured and expertly cooked.
At ยฃ60 the lunch menu is not just reasonable, it's arguably cheap.
I have seen a couple of nonsensical reviews here downgrading the restaurant because of the ignorance of the reviewer. Shame on them and shame on the site for accepting rubbish from mean-spirited people who know nothing about food.
African inspired fine-dining
The ambience is a mix of African and new Nordic. Friendly atmosphere, professional service. Food was tasty and portions beautiful. The food is African inspired or African fusion - ingredients were partly African, partly very classical European (truffle, caviar) We took the wine pairing to go with the menu, and it was one of the highest quality wine pairings we have had. If you like fine-dining and want to taste something different, then this is for you:)
If you want to have a look to our dinner experience, watch our video on London restaurants in Youtube: Susa and Masa around the World
Sort out the coffee, but keep up the great work!
An absolutely delicious and fascinating meal. Excellent wine pairing - very intelligently matched. The only reason for four instead of five stars is the coffee situation: no hot milk with any coffee, so cappuccinos or lattes were out of the question. And filter coffee with cold milk was offered at ยฃ8 for a medium or ยฃ16 for a large. When the rest of the meal was such excellent value this was a real string in the tail at the end of the meal.
Great service, wonderful menu though.
One of my all time favourite London food experiences
There are so many highly ranked restaurants in London and weโve been to a fair few but Ikoyi stands out as one of my all time favourites. Innovative, unusual taste combinations (I was initially attracted by the promise of west African flavours) - make it an experience youโre likely to get elsewhere. Staff are friendly and attentive, ambience is down to Earth and understated, dishes are served with aesthetic flair. Itโs not cheap but itโs well worth the price (which I donโt always say as there are a few restaurants that ride on a chefโs name and reputation but donโt always deliver). I highly recommend Ikoyi and canโt wait to go back.
Be the first to ReplySuperb
Four of us visited on a Monday evening. To be honest we weren't sure what to expect from an African fusion restaurant!
However, we needn't have worried, each course of the tasting menu was superb, amazing textures and flavours - and very decent portions too!
The staff were also really friendly and informative....
All in all a wonderful experience - it was a pleasure to be eating out again!
Simply outstanding for vegans
My wife and I are vegans and we were a bit hesitant to go here because we did not know what to expect. But the food and service were simply A+. Out of 13 courses, 12 were unique, delightful, snd super tasteful. The desert of wild rice ice cream was stunning. The salads. The mushroom dishes. The Australian winter truffles heavenly snd with several generous portions. The chef here is insane! I never knew food could be made this way. The wait staff were super friendly, warm, snd helpful. We know so many Michelin star restaurants in London and we count this along our top 3 favorites for vegetarians.
My wife and I came here with two guests and we are leaving the restaurant with that rare satisfaction that we experienced art in food form.
Different; Unusual
My friend took me to Ikoyi as a treat for my birthday.
The service was faultless from the welcomeโs to the goodbyes. Staff were genuinely attentive, friendly and helpful, patiently explaining questions about the menu.
Lovely atmosphere with soft jazz music playing in the background, not crowded and moderate lighting.
For tastebuds like mine that likes to experiment and out new things and love good food, I was impressed and satisfied with the offerings.
We had the spinach, plantain, Jollof rice, chicken, fish (John Dory) and dessert.
My only comment is for the restaurant to consider cutting up the chicken or provide carving knives for cutting in order to preserve the dignity of diners or avoid wastage.
Itโs not easy to navigate a whole leg of tough with an ordinary table knife and fork.
Overall, an excellent experience and Iโll definitely return.
Well done!๐๐ฝ๐๐ฝ
Best restaurant in London!
Jeremy Chan is a wizard of flavors. I had one of the most incredible meal there, both delicious and very well presented in a very warm environment. Unique feelings there. Plantains, smoked jollof rice with crab zabaione, delicious beef and dessert. I will be back very soon.
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