Chukus

Nigerian Tapas

274 High Road, Tottenham, N15 4AJ

££

Chukus is the brainchild of brother sister duo Emeka and Ifeyinwa Frederick. London born with Nigerian heritage: they aim to disrupt the food and social scene with their unique concept of Nigerian Tapas. Situated on Tottenham High Road, it’s safe to say that the bright walls and welcoming interior are a welcome escape from the madness outside.

We were greeted at the door by a friendly face who we later realised was one half of the owners. Always nice to see people in their own establishments making sure things are up to scratch and adding to the customer experience. We were shown to our table of 4 – one part of a large table towards the back, divided in half by a covid screen. The number of diners Chukus can cater for is small – probably 20 maximum. This, coupled with the fact that it is only open Thursday-Sunday, means that it is notoriously difficult to secure a table and booking well in advance is essential.

A short but varied list of small plates grace the menu, with a whole section dedicated to veggie/vegan dishes. With 4 of us there, we ordered a large portion of the menu, namely: Plantain crisps (£2.75), Jollof Quinoa (£5.5), Rice Pancakes (£7), Cassava Fries (£5.5), Moi Moi (£7), Egusi Bowl (£9.75), Caramel Kuli Kuli Chicken (£8.5), Beef Ayamase (£9.25), Honey Suya Prawns (£9.5) and Yam & Mackerel Croquettes (£9.5). A highlight for me was definitely the Egusi Bowl: fluffy yam dumplings served with a tricolour of vegetable stews – a dish like none I have ever tried before with a wealth of different flavours like fennel and coriander spiking through. Another highlight was the Caramel Chicken Wings – although potentially slightly overdone, the sweet and spicy flavour on these was indulgent and rich.

The prawns were cooked very well, as were the tender strips of beef, but the dishes as a whole didn’t blow me away. The croquettes, pancakes, fries, moi moi and quinoa didn’t really do that much for me. The croquettes were very dense, as were the cassava fries which lacked crunch. The pancakes were an interesting choice but felt much more like a desert, with a topping of sweet pumpkin-peanut stew. The jollof quinoa was unfortunately just a little lacking in flavour, as was the moi moi: a savoury, steamed pudding made from pureed beans, sweet peppers and onion. Every single dish was undoubtedly executed with style and skill in the way they were prepared and cooked, but I personally felt that the punch of flavour I was expecting just wasn’t there some of the time.

For dessert, we ordered one of the Yam Brownies (£8), and one of the Chin Chin Cheesecakes (£8). Considering the brownie was gluten-free and served with dairy-free ice cream (basically a salad), it still felt really naughty. The cheesecake was a mix of sharp orange and lemon with spicy warm cardamom – a brilliant combination, reminiscent of an Indian lassi. Desserts were a chewy chocolatey and creamy crunchy way to finish the meal on more of a high.

Chukus is based about three core principles: chop, chat and chill. Chop is Nigerian pidgin for eat, chat is for the conversations that Chuku’s hopes its sociable and intimate set up provide, and chill is to signal it’s relaxed and homely atmosphere. On experience, chukus is undoubtedly a laid-back and welcoming vibe, with plenty of chat (so much so that it was pretty hard to hear people most of the time). On the whole, Chuku’s is a really lovely and different dining experience (currently the only Nigerian Tapas restaurant in London), but it didn’t quite live up to the hype for me on this occasion. Given the seasonal menus, I will probably give it another shot come winter and see if it can change my mind.

OVERALL RATING: ***

https://www.chukuslondon.co.uk