Jikoni, St Paul’s: ‘food to relish in every morsel’ – restaurant review

“I’ll have the same as what I had yesterday please,” said a solitary diner on a recent bright Friday.

This new restaurant has only been open a week but it seems it is already attracting returning custom.

Jikoni started out as a mobile venture run by couple Iman and James, with pop-ups and events treating Bristol and Bath-dwellers to a little taste of East Africa from repurposed vans and under tarpaulin.

Now, it has become a restaurant with red-coloured walls, wooden al fresco dining and a little side kitchen.

The cobbled courtyard that Jikoni is tucked into makes for perfect people-watching

Inside the newly-opened restaurant it is fresh, bright and minimal. Today, however, I am dining outside, choosing to soak up the sun and the hustle and bustle of Upper York Street.

Amid the occasional waft of spice and espresso and the bellow of James singing along to jazz, attention soon turns to the menu.

It is mid-morning so I can choose between breakfast and lunch, but everything looks appealing so it’s a tricky decision. In what for years was occupied by the Pear Cafe, the menu looks full of vigour and spice, the latter literally so.

James and Iman, wonderfully attentive, help out and recommend a lunch order of Hawaash Cauliflower (£7.50).

For lovers of more meatier propositions, choose between Awaze Chicken (£8) or Hawaash Salmon (£9). However, it is easy (and, as it turned out, delicious) to be a vegetarian at Jikoni.

Some may quibble over the authenticity of Jikoni’s arancini balls, but these riffs on the Italian classic are delicious in their own right

I am first served a compact Mahargwe Arancini. The spherical morsel is studded with red beans and moist in the middle whilst retaining a saliva-inducing crunch. It is complemented by a side of vivid red relish that leaves a tang of chilli lingering on the lips. Warming and innovative in equal measures, it is great way to start.

As soon as my plate is scraped clean in eagerness, my main dish arrives. Certainly not for the faint-hearted with carbs-galore, the Hawaash Cauliflower (£7.50) is carefully dished out and fits snugly in a bowl. Florets of cauliflower, battered pots and adzuki beans are drizzled with sage oil and chilli sauce, creating a pleasing zesty yet smokey flavour combination.

The star of the dish is the flatbread – warm, pillow-soft rounds that your fork makes light work of tearing into. This is East African food to relish in every morsel.

Perhaps the only duff note is the salad leaves – a bit droopy and lacking crunch when draped in such a myriad of sauces. The service is slightly haphazard too – but these hiccups can be dismissed as teething problems for the new young restaurant.

The traditional mufo sourdough flatbreads are made fresh every day by Iman’s auntie

Jikoni is a modern take on Somali, Ethiopian and Kenyan tastes and traditions, but there’s no doubt it will excite any customer, from those well-versed in East African food to wide-eyed newcomers like me. If you’ve missed out on East African food in your life so far, Jikoni is the perfect place to dive in.

It is a sentiment echoed by the converted new regular, who calls out “see you soon” as he basks in the sunshine and satisfaction of his new go-to lunch, ready to return to Jikoni the next day.

Unit 1, The Coach House, 2 Upper York Street, St Paul’s, BS2 8QN

www.instagram.com/jikoni_eastafrica/

All photos: Betty Woolerton

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