Bankside, West African - Restaurant Guide

2023 Review: African cuisine has come a long way in London since Calabash – the capital’s first African restaurant in the basement of the former Africa Centre in Covent Garden – opened in 1964. On the site of the new Africa Centre, in a repurposed Southwark office block, this Summer 2022 50-seater is run by Ghanaian-British restaurateur Akwasi Brenya-Mensa. Named after a form of plantain pancake, it aims to reflect the spirit of busy African roadside ‘chop bars’. On the menu: omo tuo nkatenkwan sesame (mashed rice with groundnut, peanut soup); and buttermilk chicken burger topped with shito chilli, citrus yogurt and basil oil.

“Sophisticated and moreish West African food” – “lots of chilli heat, use of peanuts, onions, coconut and less familiar flavours” – is on the menu at this Borough Yards railway arch, the “amazing second restaurant of Akoko’s Aji Akokomi” (and “at a really great price” compared with his Fitzrovia flagship). “There’s some Brazilian influence” to the “scrumptious West African cooking” – and the “eponymous akara fritters aren’t even the best bit”, with “beef suya, lamb dibi and BBQ cod collar” taking the honours with their “strong, punchy tastes”. Top Tip – “dazzling Negronis, but not for the faint-hearted, and an interesting wine list: Moldova Chardonnay/Riesling anyone?”.