Jikoni — Restaurant in London

One of the best lunchtime experiences I have had in London. With the tagline ‘no borders kitchen’, Jikoni extends its Indian-Kenyan influence, taking inspirations from the Far East, the Malay kitchen, to craft food that is not only flavourful and delightful to eat, but also each of the plates is a work of art. Decoration is Earthy and quirky, which had a huge vibe of playfulness. The service is also really well done, the server saw just how much we were loving our meal that he added a free dessert. That was literally the icing on the cake.

And the fascinating thing - their lunch menu is completely vegetarian.

Here was what we had:

Soy Keema Bun Lovely soft bun with a nice curried pea filling with pink pickled onions.

Crisp Kale Chaat (MUST ORDER) Crispy savoury kale mellowed by the amalgamation of yoghurt, tangy date and tamarind chutney and crunchy freshness of pomegranate and onions

Tomatoes and Burrata Lovely tomatoes that is drenched with spiced oil and creamy burrata. Simple but lovely. That spiced oil though, I think it’s made of lime leaves and it takes you to Southeast Asia.

Spiced Cauliflower Mac & Cheese (MUST ORDER) If you’re a Mac n cheese fan, this takes it to the next level. The base of the béchamel is made with saffron, creating a voyage in a classic dish. The Mac and cheese itself is creamy and perfectly cooked without any heaviness that often is correlated with a good one.

Crispy Aubergine (MUST ORDER) How can fried aubergine be this good? It’s like an enhanced version of teriyaki chicken rice bowl. The fritters are coated with Sichuan pepper, which was an explosion of taste and texture. Served on a bed of fragrant garlic rice.

Butternut Squash Pakoras Lovely turmeric rice to scoop up a hearty crispy pakoras and a silky curry that is seasoned with coconut chutney.

Banana Cake with Miso Butterscotch (MUST ORDER) The server told us that people often come to the restaurant just for this. Yes yes, it is worth it. The moist, profound banana cake is coated in a bold miso butterscotch. On top of it, a crunchy, nutty brittle adds a wonderful texture. The Ovaltine kulfi is reminiscent of breakfasts in Southeast Asia. The result of all these individual aspects was pure joy.

Vegan Pear & Saffron Cake A nice cake that has subtle sweetness from pear and the depth from saffron. It is drenched with a smooth oat cream.

Nothing in the menu failed, really. Recommending this place for those occasions when you want a dining experience to...

Ordered the 3 course menu for Lunch at £38:

Starter: Crisp Kale Chaat Main: Crispy Aubergine with Sichuan Caramel Dessert: Banana cake with Miso Butterscotch

Drink: Kenya Chai (£6) Service Charge (13.5%)

Review:

The Chaat had a nice mix of flavour with the yoghurt and tamarind chutney combination. The crisp Kale doesn't have any kale flavour to it as all the other flavours take over within the chaat, it would taste the same with or without it.

The crispy aubergine was a nice surprise and packed a very nice punch with the sichuan caramel. A very simple dish with rice which delivers.

The banana cake with miso butterscotch topped with a kulfi was a very interesting combination of flavours. When tasting it make to have the miso sparingly with each bite otherwise it becomes overpoweringly sweet. Having a bit of kulfi with each bite makes it quite refreshing.

The Kenya Chai was decent, was expecting more masala flavour to come through however it seemed on the weaker side. Also quite pricy for 1 cup of tea.

Overall you get a very nice fusion of flavours across Asia with the menu and a lot of interesting flavours. If you are going for lunch, then the set menu allows you to try a variety of dishes which I would recommend.

It is on the pricier side of places in my opinion so expect to pay at least £40 - 50 per person for lunch and more if you are...

A wonderful experience for the taste buds and the staff is lovely! The eclectic decor is part of the charm, and is the reminder of the many influences of the cuisine: Middle east, African and British.

We had mainly small plates and the grilled aubergine with rice (totally recommend!) as a big one + dessert.

My favorite dish was the Burrata salad: fresh and delicious (burrata, endives, figs, walnuts, fresh cranberries and pomegranate) The trout was very good. The portion was really tiny on that one though... The chickpea chips were interesting and the portion was good, same with the crispy crushed potatoes. I'm not a fan of Scotch eggs but we thought that, in such a place, it could only be good. And it was moist and flavorful. The Banaa cake was soooo good! But if I was to have it again it would be without the sea of salted caramel it was served in: way too sugary and almost overwhelming the taste of the cake. Which also had a scoop of salted caramel ice-cream. I think the cake with the topping is enough.

Just remember it's on the pricey side (given the location, I assume the walls aren't cheap) and you'll be fine. We interacted with different members of the staff and they were all super helpful and professional. We stayed until the last minute (hence the empty room shots haha) and no one made us feel like we were overstaying our welcome....