Don Qui has been blessed with more than a few pretty decent repasts in his life. Every once in a while one or two have been truly phenomenal. A recent lunch with Duchess at Ikoyi London was one such occasion.

Located in a brutalist building (180 The Strand, at the corner of Surrey St) there is little on the outside to give DonQui any clue of the delights to be found on the inside. 

Ikoyi takes its name from an affluent Lagos suburb but, although influenced by Nigerian spicing, this is a throughly modern British restaurant. Its ever changing set menu is based on seasonal British produce enhanced by West African spices. The interior is comfortably informal with an open kitchen where DonQui is able to observe the chefs preparing his food with a calm, quiet, professionalism — no Gordon Ramsey-like shouty, stress going on here. The front of house team are all friendly, helpful and very knowledgable.

DonQui is more than a little fond of a long leisurely lunch and this is exactly what he gets over the next 3 hours.  Some high-end restaurants seem to go out of their way to show how clever they are rather than concentrating on good honest food. Not so Ikoyi. Here each dish showcases the taste of fresh seasonal produce. The sauces and subtle spicing perfectly enhances the flavours without overpowering or disguising the key ingredients.

Each of the many dishes are utterly delectable, from the opening gola pepper chicken broth through to the excellent Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee at the end (Da Hong Pao tea for Duchess).

The menu is only provided at the end of the meal (see below). As each dish is presented, DonQui’s waiter gives a detailed description.

DonQui does not opt for the wine pairing but helpful waiter gives him very good advice on choosing his wines by the glass.

Is there a favourite dish?

That is hard for DonQui to say. Each dish was so good that he finds it hard to pick a favourite. If pushed he would probably have to go for the dry-aged turbot with tender stem broccoli and an array of delectable sauces.

All diners eat from the same set menu which changes daily dependent on the best produce available. The portions are perfectly sized, with minimal carbohydrates. This allows DonQui to feel perfectly satisfied and not bloated at the end of 10 delightful courses. Allergies and aversions are asked for in advance but vegans and others with similar culinary neuroses would do best to go elsewhere.

Unfortunately Ikoyi is not a place you can just walk into with the hope of getting a table on the day. With two well deserved Michelin stars it is booked up well in advance. Bookings can be made up to two months ahead with new bookings opening on the first of each month. The price is also eyewateringly high although DonQui feels that every penny was very well spent for such a fabulous experience. If he can gather enough shekels together he would very much like to dine there again.