This New Marylebone Restaurant Shows Off The Flavours Of African Cuisine
London is home to some exceptional African restaurants from Stork in Mayfair to Akoko in Fitzrovia. And the newest contender on the block is one of London’s newest openings, Shakara. A restaurant that’s brought the flavours of Nigeria, Ghana and The Gambia to the heart of Marylebone, we visited the new spot for dinner on Friday night and found not just great food – but a party in a restaurant.
With Masterchef: The Professional’s semi-finalist Victor Okunowo at the helm of the kitchen, Shakara is all about experiencing African cuisine through a modern lens. Consultant Executive Chef Ayo Adeyemi, formerly of Michelin-starred West African restaurant Akoko, was involved with curating the menu – so you can expect some great stuff here. Read on to find out more about our experience at Shakara:
What sets it apart
Shakara is a welcome break from restaurants that sometimes feel stuffy and too posh to enjoy your meal – Shakara on the other hand is the kind of place where you can let loose, chat with neighbours on the table next to you or just sing along with the band. The food arrives quickly, but leaves you room to share your favourites and linger at your table while you soak in the party vibe.
Our experience
With dim lights and a shiny disco ball above the bar, Shakara feels like an upbeat, fun spot for dinner and drinks. The earthy tones of the restaurant are soothing and immediately make you feel relaxed and the aesthetic is inspired by the colours of West Africa, with artwork showcasing contemporary African artists. Resident DJs spin afro-house and R&B and bands are a regular feature at the venue, and we were almost sorry to be done with dinner with the band still playing.
What we ordered
Our starters all arrived together and it’s all made to share so we had a great time diving in and trying everything. We ordered the peppered goat croquettes with black garlic – these are perfectly flavoured and literally, melt in your mouth, and the garlic on top is sinfully good. In fact, this might have been my favourite on the menu.
The jerk fried chicken is great finger food and easy to snack on with your drinks too. For a veggie choice, the yam terrine is a crispy, light starter and the parmesan on top gives it a nice nutty taste.
You can’t visit and not order the favourite: jollof rice. It’s one of the most fun (if you can call rice fun?) rice dishes I’ve ever tried and it’s even better with a little hint of the Shakara chilli sauce (I chose the mild one and my partner had the hot one, which was quite spicy).
You can’t visit and not order the favourite: jollof rice.
Mains also arrived in easily shareable plates and we indulged in some great meaty dishes. The lamb chop comes served with shito (a hot black pepper sauce popularly used in Ghanaian cuisine) and the miso celeriac balances the flavours out nicely.
We also had the jerk poussin which comes with hispi cabbage and pimento jus – I can never say no hispi cabbage, I love the way the flavours of cabbage (which is really quite a boring vegetable), become so vibrant and exciting when charred.
To end, even though we really had eaten more than we should have – there was apple crumble served with a playful puree and roasted apple sorbet. After being immersed in all that spice and rich flavours, this was the perfect way to end the meal and cool the palette.
The verdict
We visited on a Friday night and there was a brilliant band playing which really set the mood for a relaxed, fun Friday night out. If you love great music accompanied by food that’s rich and full of flavour, this one’s a great spot. Go for a cosy date night when you want it to lead to some dancing, or get a group together so you can order more food that’s easily shareable and flavourful.
