A new collaboration between Jikoni and Fortnum & Mason will launch next month, bringing a dedicated scotch egg bar, a chai afternoon tea and a limited edition gin.
Jikoni founders Ravinder Bhogal and Nadeem Lalani Nanjuwany, who opened their Marylebone restaurant in 2016, will oversee a week of events and experiences at the Piccadilly department store in May.
A £100-ticket launch party will see a DJ set from the award-winning musician Nitin Sawhney, before a Sunday afternoon with Meera Syal and Sanjeev Baskar, the comics behind the legendary BBC show Goodness Gracious Me. Their later series, the Kumars at No. 42, was famously the Queen’s favourite TV show.
Enjoyably, the restaurant’s much-loved scotch eggs, including quail’s egg in prawn meat with banana ketchup, and a venison version with smoked beetroot raita, will be available in the centre of town for the first time.
Bhogal has also co-designed a special window display, telling the stories of immigration and cross-cultural journeys. The campaign aims to highlight how “cooking, hospitality and food has the power to dissolve cultural barriers and celebrate the richly diverse fabric of modern Britain”, said an announcement.
“At Jikoni, we cook without borders and represent pluralism through our food,” said the restaurateurs.
“In a divided world, it has always been our gentle activism to bring people together through maternal cooking and inclusive hospitality.
“The team at Fortnum & Mason has always had an energetic enthusiasm and engagement with the breadth of Britain's cultural diversity and food scene and our collaboration feels like a dose of optimism — a meeting of minds and kindred spirits.”
Fortnum’s CEO Tom Athron added: “We are so proud to be partnering with Ravinder, Nadeem and the brilliant team at Jikoni. Their personal, cross-cultural approach to food and hospitality resonates with Fortnum’s long-standing belief in the joy of food to bring people together.
“This collaboration is a celebration of creativity, community and culture.”
Here’s what’s happening in full
- Jikoni scotch egg bar in the restaurant, May 9-16, and in the Food Hall until June 6 – a menu of scotch eggs, including a special spiced summer pea with saffron aioli and pickled chillies, at £11.50 each.
- High chai, May 17 – a one-off afternoon tea featuring crispy chickpea panisse, gin and beetroot cured salmon on rye, and Bombay potato and cheddar stuffed buns, £80 per person.
- Civilised Sunday, May 18 – BAFTA winners Meerya Syal and Sanjeev Baskar host an intimate conversation about their backgrounds, career and heritage alongside a feast from Ravinder and Nadeem, £60 per person .
- Jikoni masterclass, May 15 – Jikoni’s head of bar, Jade Harman, will host a cocktail masterclass, showcasing how spices and lesser-known ingredients are used to fine effect in the restaurant’s drinks, £50 per person.
- Collaboration gin, from May 9 until stocks last – a one-off gin between Fortnum’s head distiller, Jade and Ravinder, infused with a blend of spices, curry leaves, mango and citrus.
Jikoni x Fortnum & Mason will take place between May 9-18 at 181 Piccadilly, W1A 1ER, fortnumandmason.com; to book tickets to the launch party, visit eventbrite.co.uk
