Decorated with foliage on the pavement outside its Marylebone location, Shakara sets itself apart from the usual brunch haunts with something far more theatrical: a traditional Sunday roast wrapped in an unapologetic celebration of West African flavours. Designed as a space to flaunt, feast, and feel, it’s less “bottomless prosecco and avo toast” and more “pass the Prekese Yorkshire pudding and keep the cocktails coming!”
There’s drama in Shakara’s dining room, but the good kind. Earthy terracotta tiles underfoot and pendant lights overhead warm the space with a grounded, sunbaked glow. Art-lined walls nod to West African cultural heritage without veering into cliché and the crowd is dressed to be seen. Later on, there’s live music on the stage and a very chilled out vibe for a lazy Sunday. Shakara means “to show off” in Nigerian Pidgin, and every detail invites you to do just that.
Shakara’s Bottomless Brunch
The brunch kicks off with so-called “snacks” that arrive looking suspiciously like starters – and better than many mains elsewhere. The yam dish was an instant winner: layered like a potato mille-feuille, crispy and fluffy all at once, served with a rich, spicy ata dindin sauce and mayo in a tiny dish on the side.
Our server Mihir was a delight – charming, switched-on, and genuinely delighted to be part of the experience – but he warned us about not gorging on the yams so that we might have room for dessert! This was a great call, as the meal was substantial, but the yams were so good that my partner took some home for breakfast the next day!
Next came the jerk chicken – not a chargrilled and sauce-slathered bird, but breaded thigh pieces in a spiced coating. Instead of Scotch bonnet heat, there was a tangy green sauce with tamarind and a crunchy garnish of red cabbage. The prawns, too, had their own surprise: fried and resting in a silky, earthy yellow sauce made with egusi (squash seeds), and punctuated with sharp drizzle of lemon gel.
As the bottomless Suya Sours kept coming – peanut and suya pepper on the rim, with a perfect balance of fruity and spicy – we moved on to the show-off mains. The market fish was a classic, with a champagne sauce that nodded to French fine-dining but certainly provided the warm comforting sensation of a good roast. The lamb rack came thick, pink and juicy, served with a peppercorn sauce with just enough spice to make you sit up straighter. So far, Shakara’s showing-off was hitting the mark!
Both were backed by a serious line-up of roast-style trimmings: broccoli, honey-roasted parsnips and carrots, and the much-anticipated prekese Yorkshire pudding. Prekese is also known as Aidan fruit, which is used to spice light soups. I have no idea how they turned this into a Yorkie, but it was well risen and crisp on the outside, the one served with the lamb cleverly stuffed with an extra portion of succulent slow-cooked meat.
Dessert was selected for us by Mihir, who I was by now entirely happy to trust with such responsibility. I would never usually order apple crumble, but this one was a game changer. It features the African star apple, which turned out a little less sweet than crumbles usually are, with an unusual texture and chew from the crumbled chin chin (a West African crunchy snack).
We were also served (despite some protestations about how full we were!) an excellent dense chocolate mousse coated in chocolate and topped with thick caramel and peanuts. It was sweet, as might be expected, but rather unexpectedly, the white chocolate ice cream was light enough to cut through the chocolate. Both of these desserts were creative twists on classics and a smart way to round things off.
Just when we thought we were done, a pornstar martini shot landed on the table. Shakara isn’t subtle about its send-offs. After a delicious brunch, which rolled seamlessly into a hearty Sunday roast with lashings of incredible libations! Whatever you’re up to on a Sunday (or whatever you got up to on Saturday night…), it’s worth heading over to Shakara; this fusion mash-up of Sunday comfort classics and creative cocktails is not to be missed!
Shakara
66 Baker Street
London
W1U 7DJ
United Kingdom
