“The akara is iconic. You’re pretty much not allowed to change it.”

Nigerian-born chef and restaurateur Aji Akokomi is the founder of Akoko and Akara, two modern West African restaurants in London. Until the end of December, Akokomi partners with Tate Modern on an exclusive menu inspired by Nigerian Modernism, the gallery’s landmark exhibition of modern art in Nigeria in the mid-20th Century, which runs until 10 May 2026. Here, Akokomi tells us about collaborating with Tate, how art has inspired him, and why the akara is the must-try dish.

By Hilary Armstrong

Congratulations on the amazing collaboration with Tate Modern. How did it come about?

“I’m such a huge fan of Tate. My family and I go to all their exhibitions so to be asked to be involved in a Nigerian exhibition is such an honour. We’re very happy. Tate contacted us about creating a showcase for the whole of Black History Month and a dinner for 240 collectors of African art and key artists. The dinner for the preview last week was chefs from Akoko and chefs from Akara, doing dishes from both restaurants. It was literally supposed to be 100 people but it grew to 240 so we had to cap it there. Just plating took hours. The way we plate it, the plates themselves, are part of the storytelling. The response was phenomenal, really beautiful”.

Have you always been interested in the connection between food and art?

“When we were thinking about Akoko, we wanted a place that would look and feel like an African-inspired space. One of the first things I did when I was thinking about Akoko was go to Tate and look at the African art. For our plates, our ceramics, we were inspired by Nigerian potter and ceramicist Ladi Kwali, whose work is in the exhibition as well. My favourite artworks in the exhibition are by Ladi Kwali, Ben Enwonwu, and some new young artists that are coming up. We’ve been very busy with the logistics of the collaboration so one of the weekends when we’re less busy, I’ll go and look again and see if there’s anything I can afford!”

Have you got your chefs working at Tate?

“What we’ve done, we’ve written down the detailed recipes, and then gone there to train them. For the first week, we’ll be there to train then and after that they’ll be good to go. What we will do is supply the key components such as the sauces. It’s a collaborative effort.”

What have you got on the menu?

“There’s going to be our plantain crisp and aubergine, our Lagos chicken, our plantain cake and guava sorbet and, the most important thing, the akara. The akara is really important; it’s culturally significant. That’s why I wanted it to be there. The akara signifies the influence on African cuisine in the world, in the Americas, in Brazil. It shows how that dish, not just the technique, the ingredients, has travelled to Brazil and the world over. Akara is a black-eyed bean cake, made of black-eyed beans ground into a dough with water, onions, and salt, then fried. If you go to Brazil, you would see that exact dish. You’re pretty much not allowed to change it; it’s iconic. The Brazilian women sold akara in order to buy freedom. I was inspired by the story of the first entrepreneurs in Bahia selling akara to buy their freedom. It’s such a beautiful story, I wanted to bring it to London, hence Akara.”

On The Menu

Jollof Bloody Mary 

Crispy Plantain, Aubergine Yassa Sauce

BBQ Prawn Akara, Sosu Kaani

Lagos Chicken (BBQ Poussin), Green Pepper Sauce, Crispy Skin

Guava Sorbet and Pineapple Sauce

Akokomi’s menu will be available at Tate Modern’s 6th floor dining room from 12:00 to 15:00 until the end of December. The menu costs £36 for two courses and a snack (reminder: CODE members get 25% off food) or it’s £56 as a package with an exhibition ticket. Reservations recommended.