Set underneath Camden’s landmark restaurant Giglamesh, Shaka Zulu clearly picks up the baton where they left off, with no holds barred in the mission to upstage them. Set underground over two huge floors it is reputed to have set it’s investors back to the tune of between £5-£7m.
Making our way down the elevator into this restaurant was like entering a Hollywood film set, with intricate carvings adorning every wall and monster size warrior statues, water-features and animals making this an experience that beckons belief.
With such great expectations already mounted, I was certainly thankful that their budget had also made provision for appointing a similarly impressive chef. The menu consisted of an inspirationally crafted array of South-African themed dishes with plenty of game, plus the welcome addition of some great seafood and an extensive wine list, which clearly pays homage to the regions wines, with even their house wine being something to boast about.
To get a feel for just how special this place is, how many restaurants can you name that serve Springbok, Ostrich, Kudu or Boerewors with monkey gland sauce? Don’t worry if you’re not so experimentally inclined as we went for the comparably tame yet equally exquisite following options; starters of…
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Spiced prawns with ginger, curry leaves, tomato, coriander & peri peri served with coriander shoots & salt.
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Rooibus tea smoked salmon with pickled cucumber, horseradish, pea shoots & soda bread.
We then joined forces for a ‘Bunny Chow’, which was a Durban style chicken curry and hands down one of the best chicken dishes I have ever tasted, before rounding things off with an in hindsight overtly indulgent chocolate trifle desert.
If you’re looking for a restaurant that impresses, then this is definitely it, whether as escapist fun for the kids, to wow corporate clients or simply just for an indulgent experience to be cherished.
Reviewed by Sam Bryan-Merrett
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Shaka Zulu
Stables Market
Camden
London, NW1
Tel: 020 3376 9911
www.shaka-zulu.com
