Chef Joké Bakare Debut Restaurant Will Bring Her Vision of West African Cuisine to Brixton

A new restaurant from award-winning chef Adejoké ‘Joké’ Bakare will open in Brixton Village this month. Nigerian-born Bakare will open Chishuru on Thursday 27 August, with the aim of showcasing the best of classic and modern West African cuisine.

The opening comes off the back of the chef’s victory in the amateur category at last year’s Brixton Kitchen competition, which awarded chef Budgie Montoya a six-month residency for his Filipino restaurant Sarap at the same location. Before then, Bakare, who also works with a property management company in north London, ran Chishuru as a supperclub. It has always been her aim, she says, to “preserve the heart of her region’s food while making it more accessible to people unfamiliar with the spices and ingredients.” With the restaurant, she says she hopes to create a true, authentic self with the food she grew up with, without diluting her culture.

“Winning for me was a major step towards fulfilling my dream of introducing my vision of West African cuisine to the London food scene,” Bakare said. “The feedback Chishuru has received so far has been wonderful. I’m so glad to be able to bring pleasure with my food, and introduce the cuisine of our region to more people.”

The seasonal menu will feature snacks like waina — fermented rice balls, served with squash, peanut, and tamarind sauce; and ekuru — ground black beans and toasted egusi seed flour, served with pumpkin seed pesto.

The grill section will feature whole snapper, benne (sesame) chicken, mutton skewers and beef suya, the grill preparation which adds yaji to finish. Main courses will include goat ayamase: slow cooked shoulder with spiced green sauce; alongside groundnut soup with chargrilled cauliflower in spiced peanut butter sauce.

The dessert menu will baobab (a tart fruit) mousse with peanut ice cream, malted millet and sorghum molasses granola; and gullisuwa, a fried sweet bread, served with kulikuli nut crumb and yoghurt ice cream.

The 25-cover Chishuru will serve only a set menu: priced at £28 for four courses, with a two- course lunch menu for £15.