Evening Standard
David Ellis dined out at a new West African spot whose name apparently means ‘to pose or show off’ in Nigerian slang, and with a kitchen headed by former Talking Drum and Isibani chef Victor Okunowo. Complete with disco ball, house music played at party volumes and guests dressed up to the nines, Shakara is at least partly a nightclub – “And why not? It’s a night out, not a church service.”
His meal started with “an initial swagger of brilliance” – croquettes of peppered goat meat and smoked marrow that were “as rich as the neighbourhood” and a take on hummus inspired by waakye, a Ghanaian dish of black-eyed beans – but then “sighed into a slump of mediocrity”, with disappointing main dishes matched by inefficient service.
For all the talent in the kitchen, David felt, “There is a bit to be done before the food matches the evident pride in it.”
David Ellis - 2025-02-23
