Café Jikoni at V&A East and other tastemakers to book now

Welcome to Café Jikoni, an all-day café and restaurant on the lower ground floor of the V&A East museum in Stratford. This new venture – whose opening marks nearly a decade since founders Ravinder Bhogal and husband Nadeem Lalani Nanjuwany launched Jikoni’s first location in Marylebone – is the latest example of renowned chefs in art spaces, including Giorgio Locatelli at the National Gallery, José Pizarro at the Royal Academy of Arts and Richard Corrigan at the National Portrait Gallery. “It’s the perfect time to partner with one of the greatest institutions in the world,” Bhogal says.

Jikoni is prized for its fusion of immigrant cuisine and cultures – the singer and podcaster Jessie Ware said its prawn-toast scotch egg with banana ketchup is her favourite starter in London – and the menu at Café Jikoni shares the same ethos. “We want our food to speak to the multitude of languages spoken in east London,” says Bhogal. Gallery staples of coffee, sandwiches and cake sit alongside more substantial dishes, all with border-crossing twists: turmeric and ginger chicken pie; yuzu and pandan strawberry iced bun. turmeric and ginger chicken pie; a macaroni dal. The menu was taste-tested by the V&A East Youth Collective, a group of local 18-24-year olds. “The hope is that guests will recognise something that reminds them of home,” Bhogal says.

Café Jikoni’s commitment to community continues on its walls, which feature photographs of local women holding their favourite kitchen implements. And, in a similar vein to Tate Modern’s collaborations with chef Aji Akokomi at the Nigerian Modernism exhibition (until 10 May) and Santiago Lastra at the forthcoming Frida: The Making of an Icon exhibition, Bhogal plans to work collaboratively with the museum and its artists on themed events. “Jikoni has always been about culture.” she says. “Food isn’t just about eating. It’s the conversations that happen around the table.”

jikonilondon.com/cafejikoni

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