One year after the opening of Ikoyi, the high-end Nigerian restaurant founded by longtime friends Iré Hassan-Odukale and Jeremy Chan based in London, was named as one of six fine dining spots in the buzzy UK hub to earn a Michelin star at the Michelin Guide UK 2019 awards, Evening Standard reports
Michelin stars are a rating system used by the Michelin guide to rank restaurants on their quality. The guide was originally developed in 1900 to show English drivers where local amenities such as restaurants and mechanics were. The rating system was first introduced in 1926 as a single star, with the second and third stars introduced in 1933. One star means “a very good restaurant”; two stars mean “excellent cooking that is worth a detour “, and three stars mean “special cuisine that is worth a special journey “.
Chan talks about creating Ikoyi’s “own cuisine,” where West African food is not elevated, but whose ingredients are selected to stock what he calls the restaurant’s “flavour pantry.” Ikoyi’s cuisine, he says, has been developed by analysing the flavour and aesthetics of those ingredients as “artefacts” — where they are shown great respect and where the kitchen applies an open-mindedness to culture. This, he says, “goes deeper than doing a play on a specific cuisine.”
The restaurant boasts of meals such as Rare Breed Lamb Ribs with Asun Relish (£7.5, N3600), Octopus Pepper Soup with Coastal Herbs (£11, N5300) and Wild Nigerian Tiger Prawn, with Banga Bisque and Corn Grits (£27, N13000).
The star is a big deal as it means African cuisine is being recognized more on the global stage and in coming years, restaurants based in Africa can also have a piece of the Michelin glory.
A first in the world happened yesterday when @MichelinGuideUK awarded @IkoyiLondon the first EVER ⭐️ michelin for a Nigerian restaurant. Ire, Jeremy and team thank you for being the shining light on Nigerian and West African gastronomy. #Proud #NaijaBoy pic.twitter.com/czgU5ntpDv
— Bunmi (@BunmiKajola) October 2, 2018
To all you pipu that abused @IkoyiLondon‘s moi moi/plantain. 😂😂😂😂
They got their first Michellin star today.
Nigeria to the world 🚀🚀🚀 pic.twitter.com/OWch88qI6m
— Dr Ola Brown (Orekunrin) (@NaijaFlyingDr) October 2, 2018
