- Written by Danai Nesta Kupemba
- bbc news
Ayo Adeyemi (left) and Aji Akokomi (right) opened Akoko in 2020
Tender, buttery, spicy beef tongue is one of the dishes you’ll enjoy at this upscale West African restaurant in central London.
The thinly sliced meat is seasoned with Suya, a traditional Hausa spice, then wood-fired and served with a creamy bone marrow emulsion in a ceramic dish inspired by the late famous Nigerian potter Ladi Kwari. .
This is the signature dish of the restaurant Akoko, which just received a Michelin star.
Michelin stars are awarded to restaurants around the world that “deliver culinary excellence,” but only last year, Akoko, with a head chef of West African heritage, received the highly coveted honor. One of the three people who won.
“This is just a bonus,” Akoko’s executive chef Ayo Adeyemi told the BBC.
Around the corner at Akoko in London’s Fitzrovia district, another West African chef is also basking in pride.
Adejoke Bakare made gastronomic history earlier this month when his restaurant Chisuru was awarded a Michelin star.
Adejoke Bakare is a self-taught Nigerian chef whose restaurant Chisuru was awarded a Michelin star at a ceremony in Manchester earlier this month.
She made gastronomic history, becoming the first black woman in Britain and the second in the world to receive the star.
“People can relate to the fact that we share our heritage, and people can put themselves on the table,” she told the BBC about winning the award.
Bakare hopes the certification means Michelin “starts to look at the continent.”
Currently, there is only one Michelin-starred restaurant in Africa, located in Cape Town, South Africa.
The awards are widely considered a barometer of success in the gastronomic world, but have been criticized for being heavily biased towards restaurants with white male chefs and lacking in inclusivity when it comes to African cuisine.
“All we’re looking for is restaurants that propose the best cuisine, regardless of category,” Britain’s Michelin chief inspector, whose identity is a closely guarded secret, told the BBC.
“Our restaurant selection reflects the diversity of cuisine and the evolution of the food scene,” the inspector added.
“Chishuru and Akoko therefore demonstrate the growing diversity of London’s fine dining scene.”
One of Ayo Adeyemi’s creations – Scallops in ayamase stew with plantain chips
Among the traditional West African dishes on Akoko and Chishuru’s menus, jollof rice, egusi soup (made from melon seeds) and moi moi (black-eyed pea puree) are now receiving Michelin taste buds and attention. That’s clear.
This isn’t just limited to British restaurants.
Celebrity chef Molly Sacco’s Paris restaurant Mosquet was awarded a Michelin star within months of opening in 2020. French inspectors praised his successful blend of Malian and Senegalese roots with a Japanese twist.
This was Gallic’s first nod to a restaurant serving a primarily West African menu.
Last year, British actor Will Poulter’s comments went viral criticizing the Michelin system and how cuisines of African origin tend to be underrepresented at the fine-dining level.
The 31-year-old had just starred in the second series of the acclaimed US TV drama The Bear, about a chaotic Chicago sandwich shop run by an award-winning chef.
“There’s massive scrutiny of African-origin foods and black chefs in general,” he says.
“It’s a slow process, but things seem to be getting better,” said Georgiana Viou, a Beninese chef based in France.
“I’ve heard from some people that African food doesn’t make it onto the gastronomic table,” the 46-year-old told the BBC.
However, the restaurant Rouge in Nimes, southern France, where she is the head chef, was awarded a Michelin star last year.
There is a Benoit-influenced Mediterranean menu, introduced through the traditional tomato sauce “dja” served to all diners at the beginning of the meal.
This is Viou’s way of “changing the way we think” about African food.
But seeing Akoko and Chisuru receive Michelin stars for “100% West African cuisine” “sends a strong signal,” she says.
“I have a secret dream of opening more restaurants that serve West African and Benoi cuisine.”
Adeyemi, whose parents grew up in Nigeria, said the growing interest in West African cuisine stems from the region’s growing global cultural dominance.
“This interest connects to food: What is one way to experience someone’s culture? [other] Rather than through food? ” asks the 34-year-old.
He will be serving food at Akoko on his culinary journey through Ghana, Nigeria, Senegal and Gambia.
“We tell journeys and stories through our food, but it’s not just about the food itself,” says the chef.
Akoko’s menu is influenced by the cuisine prepared by Ayo Adeyemi’s mother.
This is a tribute to Aji Akokomi, the founder of Akoko. The 46-year-old Nigerian, who came to the UK in his 20s, brought a West African feel to the restaurant’s design, intending every detail to reflect the food.
A majestic two-tone black and brown Ghanaian drum greets people as they are led to their table.
With large floral centerpieces made of dried palm leaves and African flowers, the restaurant’s rustic mud walls recall the atmosphere of an African village.
For Akokomi, this is all meant to evoke a sense of “Ajospo,” which means community in Nigeria’s Yoruba language, and highlight “all that Africa has to offer.”
Akokomi and Ademayi worked on the menu with their mothers and aunts in mind.
For Adeyami, every spice, ingredient and dish is an ode to his mother, who he says was his “first inspiration.”
He defines West African cuisine through three classic flavors: smoke, heat, and umami.
Many African restaurants in London thrive outside fine dining establishments such as Chuku’s, a Beyoncé favorite in north London, and Enish, the world’s largest Nigerian franchised restaurant with branches in the UK and Dubai.
But the people behind Akoko wanted to push the boundaries of what African cuisine is capable of, opening up new places to eat while staying true to its roots.
“We take inspiration from authentic cuisine and flavors and express it in a unique way,” says Ademey. “Our cuisine is accessible to Western palates and acceptable to African palates.”
Curtis McCullough, Jamaican sous chef at Akoko, welcomes Michelin’s embrace of African cuisine.
“It’s about time,” he says, pausing to cut the fish as the back kitchen buzzes with lunchtime excitement.
The team at Akoko works like a well-oiled machine until the clock strikes noon, smooth African jazz echoing through the restaurant, ready to welcome the first guests of the day.
As wood burns and the in-house sommelier chills Nigerian Guinness, white-clad chefs gather in the stainless steel kitchen for short team meetings. Then everyone claps, the doors open, and the banquet begins.