Akoko - A culinary journey into depth, richness vibrancy and diversity of West African cuisine • The RLTY

What: Akoko

In a nutshell: West African flavours with British ingredients

Summing it all up: Akoko is the first project from last year’s Masterchef: The Professionals finalist William JM Chilila. He'll be opening this West-African influenced restaurant in Fitzrovia

The low-down

If you watched Masterchef: The Professionals last year you may remember finalist William JM Chilila, who is behind a new West African restaurant opening on Berners Street this autumn. Called Akoko, which means ’time’ and also ’the first’ in Yoruba, the restaurant is going to use West African spices and flavours with British ingredients to create a fairly refined take on the region’s cuisine.

Akoko’s menu is to include modern interpretations of several West African classics such as:

Smoked goat served with jollof rice
Pounded Yam with native lobster egusi
Beef suya
Quail yassa
Goat milk ice cream with uda burnt cream and caramelised Ghanaian cocoa butter

Chilila will be in charge of the kitchen, and he's previously been at The Orrery and Galvin at Windows. The wine list meanwhile, will be curated by the new consultancy by Sommelier Honey Spencer (Nuala and Bastarda) called "Spencer & Smelskaya" so that should be well worth your attention.

The interiors will carry a West African flavour too, with contemporary African art by Niyi Olagunju and bespoke ceramics inspired by the legendary West African 1960s ‘Queen of Pottery’, Ladi Kwali.