Eight years after founding their first South African-inspired restaurant Kudu in Peckham – which spawned two more venues, in Peckham and Nunhead – founders Amy Corbin and chef Patrick Williams have consolidated all three spots into a single Marylebone flagship. “Taking Kudu into central had always been a dream of ours,” Corbin tells Broadsheet. “When the Moxon Street site came up, we couldn’t say no.”
Moving from south to central is a distinct postcode pivot, but there’s a reassuring throughline for the team and Kudu fans alike. “I love the fact we’re going from one neighbourhood to another,” says Corbin. “Marylebone is called a village for a reason, and it’s cool to be a part of the boom the area’s going through.” They’re in excellent company: Angela Hartnett’s Cafe Murano and Claude Bosi’s Josephine have both opened within a six-minute stroll in the last six months.
The menu — the result of nine months of R&D by Williams and his chefs — blends original classics with new dishes, all centred on fire-based cooking from the braai (barbeque), the dining room’s glowing focal point. “People are drifting away from small plates, so we’ve chosen more traditional starters, sharers and sides, so if you want your own [dish], you can have it,” says Corbin.
Beloved Kudu staples like peri-peri tiger prawns and burrata with pineapple, tomato, ginger and shiso, sit alongside newcomers such as harissa-spiced chopped beef, cured sea trout and pork chops with pickled mustard seeds and monkey gland sauce — a tangy, primate-free condiment perfect with barbequed meats. Of course, the famous Kudu bread and its flight of bacon- or shrimp-infused melted butters stays firmly put, but there’s also a new vegetarian-friendly Cape Malay version with curried pickled shallots. For dessert, there’s the impressive Durban Pineapple, which is designed to share between three or more and includes half a pineapple with spiced cardamom crème brulee and coconut sorbet.
Cocktails include the fiery Saffa-Rita (chilli tequila, lime, Cointreau and chakalaka, which is a South African relish) and the Smokey Kudu, which layers Lustau sherry, Suntory Toki, bourbon and Laphroaig, and there’s a wine list cherry picking from South Africa’s terroir. The restaurant’s larger footprint allows for broader service; diners can come by for brunch, lunch, dinner and even Sunday roast grilled on the braai and served with corn bread.
Designing a West End restaurant with South African accents — while steering clear of clichés — was a satisfying challenge for Corbin and Fabled Studio (which has worked on the Noble Rots and Core by Clare Smyth). The richly textured result has rope detailing across the ceiling as a nod to Cape Town’s beachside restaurants; plaster pink walls evoking Cape Town sunsets; and rich oranges and reds to echo soil of the Karoo, a semi-desert region of South Africa.
Bringing the South London era to a close meant risking the tight-knit team they’d built — although 25 of their 27 staff signed on for the move. “A lot of our guys are from South Africa and don’t have family here,” says Corbin. “That family feel has always been central to how we operate, and it makes me so happy that people want to carry on the journey with us.
“This is the result of everything we’ve learned up until now – everything we want to be.”
Kudu
7 Moxon Street, W1U 4EP
020 3393 6330
Hours:
Mon to Fri midday to 3pm, 6pm–10pm
Sat 10am–3pm, 6pm–10pm
Sun 11.30am–3pm, 6pm–9pm
