Akara Restaurant - A fascinating West African-Brazilian fusion near Borough Market
Summary of previous chapters: In recent years, African cuisine (or more precisely, West African cuisine - which is mainly Nigeria, Ghana, Senegal, Cameroon, and also a bit of Gambia and Benin) has become one of the most intriguing in London, undergoing a fascinating process - from a simple and "closed" working-class cuisine that was almost inaccessible to other audiences, it is becoming a coveted gourmet cuisine, with its unique ingredients and spicy, special flavors igniting the imagination of Michelin and fine dining enthusiasts alike.
Similar to Afrobeats music, which emerged from Nigeria, managed to establish itself in London's vast Nigerian community and then conquered the whole world, London is also a global leader in fine dining and African food: three out of the world's six only African Michelin restaurants are right here in London.
A few months after we had a intriguing and wonderful meal at Akoko, one of those three African Michelin restaurants (if you want a link to the review, let me know), we visited its sister restaurant, Akara, a relatively new restaurant that opened in the Borough Market area, named after a popular Afro-Brazilian dish called Akara – a sort of fritter made from bean paste, common mainly in West Africa, but also popular in Brazil. I was first exposed to Akara at the stall of a guy from Gambia with whom I started collaborating last year on my Afro-Caribbean food tour in the Brixton neighborhood, and now I was happy to discover a whole fine-dining restaurant based not only on this dish, but on West African dishes with a Brazilian twist.
We started with the akara themselves – two "patties" or dumplings made from beans, one filled with grilled shrimp and the other with crab meat. Now listen up, everyone – the shrimp were simply wow, and left the crab meat in the dust. It was so delicious that if I hadn't known I had several more dishes waiting for me, I would have quickly ordered another. This only strengthens my claim – that when shrimp are high quality and well-prepared – they beat almost any other seafood (yes, even lobster, sorry).
Next up was crispy yam root (made into a sort of gratin) served with shito (a sort of aromatic "schug" from Ghana). This snack was dry, boring, and turned out to be completely superfluous to the meal, although the shito sauce itself was tasty (I know the sauce from Ghanaian workers' restaurants in South London, and the execution was not bad even in comparison to them).
Soy (suya), for those unfamiliar, are spicy skewers particularly popular in Nigeria, usually made of beef (but sometimes chicken or fish), grilled and sprinkled with a powder of hot peppers and crushed peanuts. Here, the version was very similar to the skewers we ate at Akoko, only with "regular" beef pieces instead of beef tongue. The dish was good, but very reminiscent of familiar suya, only in a milder, softer, and juicier version than what you find in the hardcore markets of London's suburbs.
Next up was the pork neck steak on the bone, accompanied by yam cream. Hallelujah. I simply don't remember when I last ate pork this tender and juicy, like some butcher's cut, or when anyone ever managed to extract anything tasty from yam root. For me, this is a dish for which (okay, also for the special rice that came later) it was worth coming to this restaurant. It felt like very tender meat in a velvety sauce, which was rich and delicate in equal measure. 10/10.
Dibi is a Senegalese dish of roasted and spiced lamb, cut into strips or cubes, with garlic, onion, and a little mustard. Here they made a Parisian version of it, and to tell the truth, it was quite successful, with a delicate sauce, and the meat (lamb, not mutton like in the original dish) was incredibly tender. Meanwhile, apart from the crispy hiyam, no dish disappointed.
And then came the fish. It was sea bream with English pepper paste, topped with Senegalese Yassa salad (onion salad with radish and greens). The fish was delicious and tender, and on its own I think I would have savored it, but honestly, alongside the other dishes, it simply became another pleasant dish, because the lamb in yam cream and the rice (here it comes...) that were on the table simply stole the show. Is that fair? I know it's not. Anyway, whole fish cooked well and with interesting seasoning is great - so again - success :)
And here it comes: one of the best rice dishes we have ever eaten in our lives. This is rice with coconut and oyster and chicken broth, in the style of the Efik tribe from southern Nigeria and western Cameroon. The highlight: you eat rice - and feel like you're eating seafood! It's been a long time since I ate such a rich and delightful rice dish, which put Nigerian Jollof rice (red rice with stuffed peppers with good PR;) and sorry to the fans of the dish - but also every paella ever, in its pocket. Most of the juice waited at the bottom, but the moment you mix it - you get a culinary revelation. 20/10.
Upon entering the restaurant, I had my eye on the "Chicken Lagos," and since we were going all out with so many dishes, I put two and two together and said, who knows when I'll be back to this restaurant, so let's go taste what chicken in the style of the bustling capital Lagos is like. I was expecting spicy and kicking chicken, but in reality, the chicken was solid, even somewhat sweet. I wasn't exactly thrilled with the chicken, to say the least, which is also good for this review because otherwise you'd say I only use exaggerated superlatives and it's illogical that everything was delicious to me - so here you go! 6/10.
For dessert, we went with Bofrot, which is a type of Nigerian donut (puff puff) with "milk ice cream." An unclear dessert. Why make a Nigerian donut so minimalistic (when there are already much more interesting versions around the city) accompanied by a rather tasteless ice cream (besides sugar) with a somewhat icy texture. I expected more. We also took guava sorbet, which came with coconut "meringue," which could have been a winner if it were more than a tiny piece, the size of three glued-together matches. The sorbet itself, by the way, was tasty, but overall the dessert section was quite disappointing, but I didn't expect much because Africans are simply not wow in desserts. What we did have, alongside the desserts, was apricot white tea, which was great.
In conclusion, when 7 out of 9 dishes are a hit, it's safe to say that the Nigerian Seafood Rice is a hit, and one of the best restaurants we've eaten at in London in the last year or two! I am very happy with the fascinating African wave sweeping the city, and I look forward to seeing if the Jamaicans will also wake up at some point and create fine-dining versions of the cuisine I love so much. Until then - we will continue to eat and report to you from delicious London :)
