The Upcoming
  • Cinema & Tv
    • Movie reviews
    • Film festivals
      • Berlin
      • Tribeca
      • Sundance London
      • Cannes
      • Locarno
      • Venice
      • London
      • Toronto
    • Show reviews
  • Music
    • Live music
  • Food & Drinks
    • News & Features
    • Restaurant & bar reviews
    • Interviews & Recipes
  • Theatre
  • Art
  • Travel & Lifestyle
  • Literature
  • Fashion & Beauty
    • Accessories
    • Beauty
    • News & Features
    • Shopping & Trends
    • Tips & How-tos
    • Fashion weeks
      • London Fashion Week
      • London Fashion Week Men’s
      • New York Fashion Week
      • Milan Fashion Week
      • Paris Fashion Week
      • Haute Couture
  • Join us
    • Editorial unit
    • Our writers
    • Join the team
    • Join the mailing list
    • Support us
    • Contact us
  • Competitions
  • Facebook

  • Twitter

  • Instagram

  • YouTube

  • RSS

CultureFood & DrinksRestaurant & bar reviews

Shaka Zulu in Camden

Shaka Zulu in Camden | Restaurant review
7 June 2013
Niki Shakallis
Avatar
Niki Shakallis
7 June 2013

On entering the sprawling domain of Shaka Zulu – the most famous of all African kings and the namesake of one of Camden’s most lavish venues – one is ushered through a surreal gateway: an escalator nestled within walls of breathtaking mosaics, offering a clue to the grandeur still to come.

Downstairs is an extravagant, exaggerated Africa where opulence and brashness abound. The multi-million pound venue that is Shaka Zulu extends across two floors, housing a bar, restaurant and nightclub. Ornate wooden carvings line the walls, guarded by statues of spear-wielding warriors. Animal sculptures protect the stairways while a fire-eater dances seductively around tribal print furnishings. This is the unexpected home of London’s newest champagne and oyster bar. Shaka Zulu is better known for serving exotic South African game.

At the bar Fine de Claire Oysters, refined in the clay beds (”claires”) of Southwest France, lie majestically on ice-sculpted sea shells, close to jars of intriguing looking sauces. Of the Christian De Montaille champagne cocktails on offer, I opt for a Zwelithini made with lemon, sugar and melon puree. Named after the Zulu King who blessed the venue’s opening in 2010, it’s refreshingly delicate and can’t overpower the natural flavour of the oysters. Topped with a single squeeze of lime juice, it’s fresh, salty and sweet: exquisite!

The sauces are generally pleasing, although superfluous for oysters this good. Bright yellow Tobiko is dotted with fish roe marinated in cider ”vinnegar” and extra virgin olive oil. Mild and tangy without being too sharp, it redresses the saltiness of the oyster. Smoked Chilli Jelly made with chipotles and ”jelepenos” is the standout star: thick, with a ketchup-like appearance, it’s wonderfully earthy and smoky. The Elderflower and Wasabi Dressing, billed as slightly sweet yet ”hot and powerful” is disappointingly tame, with the merest hint of elderflower. The Inferno Hot Sauce, made with jolokia naga chillis, tomato juice and spices, burns as the ultimate, fired-up Bloody Mary, while the Red Wine and Shallot Dressing intensifies the sweetness of the oyster and provides a welcome crunch.

Don’t attempt to finish off with an Oyster Shot if you can’t take the heat. The spicy Oyster and reposado tequila slammer set the mouth alight – I had to douse the fire with The Aduna Body Doc, a creamy coconut cocktail incorporating superfruit, baobab.

With champagne and oyster bars springing up in the most accessible yet pedestrian of places, it’s satisfying to see Shaka Zulu reinstating the ”foods of the gods” in a fittingly extravagant home. You can always enjoy the champagne if oysters aren’t your thing, and the experience of descending through the portal into deepest, darkest Africa is definitely worth a trip to Camden. Perhaps take a pair of binoculars to really maximise the safari experience?

Food: 15/20
Drinks: 15/20
Service: 20/20
Shaka Zulu: 50/60

Niki Shakallis
Photos: Bartek Odias

To book a table at Shaka Zulu, Stables Market, Chalk Farm Road, Camden, NW1 8AB, call 020 3376 9911 or visit here.

Related Itemsreview

More in Food & Drinks

Parisian bar Little Red Door to take over Adam Handling’s Eve Bar on 7 July

Food Desk
Read More

50 Next: London chef Santiago Lastra recognised in Bilbao as one of the 50 young people shaping the future of gastronomy

Food Desk
Read More

Taste of London 2022 at Regent’s Park: Creativity in gastronomy is alive and kicking

Ashiana Pradhan
Read More

Adam Handling’s Eve Bar launches new cocktail menu

Food Desk
Read More

Hotly anticipated Pan-African restaurant Tatale to open on 14 July

Food Desk
Read More

Taste of London returns to Regent’s Park next week

Food Desk
Read More

Paul Ivić takes vegetarian sensation Tian Bistro to Croatia for a summer-long pop-up

Filippo L'Astorina, the Editor
Read More

50 Best announce collaborative dinners in London: Where and how to book

Food Desk
Read More

Nightjar in Soho: “A retro, clandestine style”

Cristiana Ferrauti
Read More
Scroll for more
Tap
  • Popular

  • Latest

  • TOP PICKS

  • Ed Sheeran at Wembley Stadium
    ★★★★★
    Live music
  • Eagles bring a nostalgia-laden evening to the BST Festival in Hyde Park
    ★★★★★
    Live music
  • Africa Fashion at the V&A
    ★★★★★
    Art
  • “He used to spit at the audience, roll on the ground, he did, in fact, hump that plastic dog – he was the original punk rocker”: Baz Luhrman, Tom Hanks, Austin Butler, Olivia DeJonge and Alton Mason on Elvis
    Cinema & Tv
  • The Princess
    ★★★★★
    Movie review
  • Eric Ravilious: Drawn to War
    ★★★★★
    Movie review
  • Beauty and the Beast: The Musical at London Palladium
    ★★★★★
    Theatre
  • The Terminal List
    ★★★★★
    amazon
  • Baymax!
    ★★★★★
    disney
  • St Vincent at the Hammersmith Apollo
    ★★★★★
    Live music
  • Beauty and the Beast: The Musical at London Palladium
    ★★★★★
    Theatre
  • St Vincent at the Hammersmith Apollo
    ★★★★★
    Live music
  • Netflix Walking Tour: From Bridgerton to The Crown, a free walking tour through the filming locations
    Cinema & Tv
  • Africa Fashion at the V&A
    ★★★★★
    Art
  • Minions: The Rise of Gru
    ★★★★★
    Movie review
The Upcoming
Pages
  • Contact us
  • Join mailing list
  • Join us
  • Our London food map
  • Our writers
  • Support us
  • What, when, why
With the support from:
International driving license

Copyright © 2011-2020 FL Media

Strange Interlude at the Lyttelton | Theatre review
The Royal Academy Summer Exhibition ǀ Exhibition review