Ikoyi

On the one side, Jeremy Chan. Born in England, this chef’s backstory in professional kitchens is far from traditional. In the company of his father, a Chinese lawyer, and his mother, a Canadian ballet teacher, he travelled throughout Europe, having lived in the USA and Hong Kong. Thus, his early years, until adulthood, were spent absorbing the ever-changing world around him. The one constant in all of this was food. After graduating in Languages and Philosophy from Princeton, in the USA, he returned to Europe to work in finance. Frustrated by the lack of enthusiasm he had for his job, he began to read everything he could find about chefs and gastronomy. The more he read, the more immersed and passionate he became. And when he was transferred to London, he knew immediately the direction his career would take. The world of finance was left by the wayside. But it was only through a chance conversation with his childhood friend, Iré Hassan-Odukale, that the spark around African-inspired food was lit for him.
On the other side, Iré Hassan-Odukale. Born in the bustling coastal city of Lagos, Nigeria, his childhood and part of his youth was spent with close relatives, always with the rich food culture of Western Nigeria as a backdrop. Until he moved to England at 16, where he met Jeremy Chan and graduated in Political Economics from the London School of Economics. After graduating, he followed in his family’s footsteps and started working in insurance, where he stayed for six years before becoming an underwriter.

«Spent hours in the British Library and even travelled to Lagos»

But his passion for food was never far away and, with no formal training, he started working with some friends, who were launching businesses. The experience led him to think about the possibility of his own restaurant. A meeting of mindsets that was born in said conversation with his friend and flatmate Jeremy Chan.
Together, they began in-depth research to understand the ingredients and seasonings of Ikoyi’s future menu, which had marked part of Iré’s childhood. They spent hours at the British Library and even travelled to Lagos. When they returned, Jeremy set about developing dishes, using Iré to understand the flavour profiles. What began as odyssey of two friends through a world rich in produce, bold in flavour, resulted in the creation of a stylish and balanced cuisine that surprises the senses.

«Ikoyi is an ever-evolving cosmopolitan and contemporary restaurant»

Today, Ikoyi is a cosmopolitan and contemporary restaurant in constant evolution. With powerful and bold dishes, they celebrate the best of hyper-seasonal British produce, combined with an extensive array of global ingredients, where there is no shortage of spices. The complexity of the cuisine is celebrated with a small but concise wine list.
Ikoyi is stood in the heart of St James’s Market, a two-minute walk from famed Piccadilly Circus.