I've not eaten much West African or Brazilian cooking before, so I can’t exactly tell you the difference between a Nigerian akara osu and a Brazilian acaraje.
So, my assessment of the reimagined akara on offer at the eponymous restaurant in Borough Market is going to be about as nuanced as a seagull assessing the relative merits of French fries compared to triple cooked chips.
All I can say is that these deep-fried black bean fritters are bloody tasty and so too is the rest of Akara’s West African and Brazilian cooking. Thankfully, their menu also includes a helpful glossary to provide a primer of dish components like kokoro yaji and noir yassa.
Owned by restaurateur Aji Akokomi, Akara holds a Michelin Bib Gourmand whilst its sibling restaurant Akoko holds a Michelin star. Located in a cavernous, converted railway arch with huge bifold doors, Akara is a cool and airy space to spend a summer’s evening.
We were catching up with a group of friends and so ordered a load of dishes to share. We focused on Akara’s snacks and small plates, but eye-catching larger plate include grilled pork feijoada (£24) and cod fillet moqueqa (£24). Whilst I was lost in conversation, Akara’s spice and texture packed cooking couldn’t help but draw my attention back with each mouthful.
On the booze front, we kicked off with a pair of excellent cocktails - a fruity and boozy Akojo (£13) made with Planteray coconut and pineapple rums and a citrus packed Caiprinha (£13). We followed it up with a bottle of super fruity Jumi-Juma Moldovan Chardonnay-Riesling (£45) and schooners of Lost and Grounded Keller Pils (£6).
Bowls of crisps were both great – green plantain lengths (£5) with an aubergine sauce and spiced cassava chips (£6) with kelewele spice topped cashew sauce.
My favourite of the picky bits, however, were a quartet of soft and airy sinasir rice pancakes (£5) which were accompanied by nutty black bean hummus with a deceptive chilli kick.
Akara, the restaurant’s headline dish, were most definitely worth naming the restaurant after. Golden, crisp and fluffy crumbed, the savoury black-eyed bean fritters were stuffed with a variety of fillings, including sweet barbecue prawn (£12) and shreds of slow cooked beef short rib (£12). They were excellent dipped in a savoury Senegalese hot sauce.
It’s saying something when the rice is the standout dish of a meal. But Akara’s efike rice (£8) was so good that it could also appropriately be named epic rice. Served in a striking cauldron with an equally impressive wooden spoon, the fluffy fried grains were turbocharged with the decadent umami-intensity of coconut, shellfish and chicken broth.
Smoky chicken alata skewers (£20 for two) with a sticky, sweet and fiery scotch bonnet glaze were superb. And so too was garnish of crisp seeds and crushed chicken skin.
Nuggets of yielding, slow-cooked lamb dibi (£14) were accompanied by a tangy mustard onion sauce.
Tender barbecued aubergine (£14), meanwhile, was crowned with crispy kale and paired with a slightly sweet carrot sauce and a vibrant Senegalese green herb and chilli rof paste.
Blushing pink and char-kissed flat iron steak (£14) was good but arguably the weakest link in the meal as I did find a few bits a little too chewy. Accompanied by kulikuli yaji, a spicy Nigerian peanut powder, it certainly wasn’t short of flavour.
For dessert, a squidgy warm plantain cake (£9) was accompanied by milk ice cream and smoked butter sauce. Combining toasty caramel and sweet fruit notes, it was an excellent sticky toffee pudding and banana bread hybrid.
With its reasonably priced spiced-laden cooking, cool setting and friendly service, Akara is exactly my kind of restaurant. It’s another big win for Borough Market’s excellent restaurant scene and it’s certainly given me the taste to try more West African and Brazilian cooking.
The Details:
Address - Akara, Arch 208, 18 Stoney Street, Borough Market, London SE1 9AD
Telephone - 0203 8615190
