Ikoyi

Heat With Manners

4 of 5

Ikoyi moved to the Strand and kept its nerve. Jeremy Chan cooks high quality produce from the British Isles and marries it to spices from around the world. That is how Michelin puts it, and it explains why the plate in front of you can feel both strange and familiar. Two Michelin stars sit on the door at 180 Strand, and the kitchen is still the kind that makes you sit up.

The signature order has a few names worth knowing. Aged turbot comes with egusi miso, which is a pairing I would never have invented and now cannot unthink. Suya, the West African street skewer spiced with ground peanut, arrives with creamed peas, a combination that is somehow both cheeky and calm. The smoked jollof rice is presented with a bit of theater, and I will happily forgive theater when the rice underneath is that good. Spice here is a seasoning, not a stunt, so do not expect your lips to go numb.

It is serious money and it is open on a tight schedule, dinners at the start of the week, lunches toward the end, so plan ahead. Book directly. If you want a restaurant that proves London cooking can be about heat and fat and smoke without losing its manners, this is the table.

Order this: Aged turbot with egusi miso, Suya with creamed peas, The smoked jollof rice
The damage: $$$$
Go: Monday or Tuesday evening, or a Wednesday to Friday lunch
Find it: 180 Strand, London WC2R 1EA