Jikoni

Jikoni means ''kitchen'' in Kiswahili a word that perfectly captures Ravinder Bhogal''s approach to food.Ravinder was born in Kenya to Indian parents; when she moved to London as a child the cooking of her new home collided with a heritage that crossed continents. What materialised was a playful approach to the world''s larder and Ravinder''s recipes do indeed have a rebellious soul. They are lawless concoctions that draw their influences from one tradition and then another - Cauliflower Popcorn with Black Vinegar Dipping Sauce; Spicy Aubergine Salad with Peanuts Herbs and Jaggery Fox Nuts; Skate with Lime Pickle Brown Butter; Tempura Samphire and Nori; Lamb and Aubergine Fatteh; or utterly irresistible Banana Cake accompanied by Miso Butterscotch and Ovaltine Kulfi. These proudly inauthentic recipes are what you might loosely call ''immigrant cuisine'' with evocative stories from a past that illustrates the powerful relationship between food people place and identity. The tastes and smells of this brazen new world are sophisticated welcoming fresh exciting and bold.