50 Best today announces the winner of the American Express One To Watch Award 2021 as London’s Ikoyi

Jeremy Chan

Jeremy Chan

Chef Patron 15th September 2021
Jeremy Chan

Jeremy Chan

Chef Patron

50 Best today announces the winner of the American Express One To Watch Award 2021 as London’s Ikoyi

Co-founded by childhood friends Jeremy Chan and Iré Hassan-Odukale, the award recognises a restaurant considered to be a rising star on the global dining scene and aims to recognise and celebrate gastronomic excellence and innovation. 


The restaurant was developed after an initial conversation Chan and Hassan-Odukale had that ignited a spark around the possibilities of African-inspired food. 

A period of intensive research ensued and what ultimately emerged was a series of new dishes with unique international flavour profiles and a desire to forge a new culinary narrative. 

Since opening in 2017, Ikoyi has distinguished itself for its bold use of flavour, introducing new and original ingredient combinations and presenting them with indefinable style. 

The foundation of their dishes is a vast collection of global spices with a focus on sub-Saharan West Africa, which have been meticulously sourced, resulting in menus that surprise the senses with a balance of heat and umami. 

This cosmopolitan and contemporary restaurant is in constant evolution, building its own spice-based cuisine around British micro-seasonality. 

Chef Jeremy Chan says: “We are extremely humbled by the recognition on the global stage and proud of our small, hard-working team. We are also grateful to our producers, without whom this success would not be possible.” 

The award seeks to recognise and celebrate the outstanding emerging culinary talent and fresh experiences. Previous winners include Lido 84, from Gardone Riviera, Italy, in 2019; SingleThread, California, US in 2018; Disfrutar, Barcelona, Spain in 2017 and Den, Tokyo, Japan in 2016.

In these challenging times…

The Staff Canteen team are taking a different approach to keeping our website independent and delivering content free from commercial influence. Our Editorial team have a critical role to play in informing and supporting our audience in a balanced way. We would never put up a paywall  – The Staff Canteen is open to all and we want to keep bringing you the content you want; more from younger chefs, more on mental health, more tips and industry knowledge, more recipes and more videos. We need your support right now, more than ever, to keep The Staff Canteen active. Without your financial contributions this would not be possible.

Over the last 16 years, The Staff Canteen has built what has become the go-to platform for chefs and hospitality professionals. As members and visitors, your daily support has made The Staff Canteen what it is today. Our features and videos from the world’s biggest name chefs are something we are proud of. We have over 560,000 followers across Facebook, X, Instagram, YouTube and other social channels, each connecting with chefs across the world. Our editorial and social media team are creating and delivering engaging content every day, to support you and the whole sector - we want to do more for you.

A single coffee is more than £2, a beer is £4.50 and a large glass of wine can be £6 or more.

Support The Staff Canteen from as little as £1 today. Thank you.