|
A new
restaurant is bringing a taste of African culture to London. Biazo in
Edgware which has only been open for seven weeks has all the markings
of cool despite its unusual business ethos. The new spot serves up a
rich cuisine reflecting the exoticness of African culture - the
coastlands, deserts and rainforests, but takes a strong stand on
being a family oriented restaurant and refuses to serve alcohol.
The absence of
liquor, wine and beer is the policy of the owners, husband and wife
team, Bola and Kemi Olukoya who are keen to provide a non threatening
alcohol-free environment for guests.
"The
emphasis is on the food we provide and the ambience of the restaurant,"
says Bola Olukoya. "We are a family friendly restaurant and
we want to create an environment that parents can bring their kids
to. Biazo is hip and fresh and we pride ourselves on having a calm
atmosphere that young and old alike can relate to. We have a fully
licensed bar but instead of serving alcohol, we choose to serve
non-alcoholic cocktails and wines."
The 50-seater
restaurant offers authentic African food in a modern African setting
giving people the chance to try something different from the usual
Friday night takeaways. Guests who have never sampled African food
before will find a true taste of Africa in delicacies like the flame
grilled suya (a tasty serving of spicy barbequed beef/goat cooked in
local herbs and spices), the popular jollof rice, a mainstay rice
dish in Nigeria, Senegal and Gambia, deliciously cooked in onions,
tomatoes and pepper sauces or the Edikang-Ikong, a vegetable stew
made with a blend of Pumpkin leaves and water leaves combined with
traditional African spices.
Biazo serves
up more than just heat and spices. Serving lunch and dinner at
affordable prices, Biazo transforms from a vibrant atmosphere during
the day to relaxed evenings with soft lighting, music and visual
delights from around Africa to provide the perfect eating
environment. "We launched Biazo because we felt that there
was no real family oriented African restaurant in Edgware where we're based,"
says Bola Olukoya. "We wanted to create a hip and fresh
restaurant where one could go and have a decent meal. We hope with
Biazo, we've created that hip and fresh restaurant. It really stands
out with regards to the ambience; we believe this is the best African
restaurant in London, if not the UK in terms of ambience and our food."
Bola believes
there's a need to add the African restaurant into the league of top
restaurants and hopes Biazo will make the cut. "There is a
need to have a top quality African restaurant where people from all
cultures can feel free to walk into and not feel intimidated by the
environment or the setting," says Bola. "A place
where they can have a meal and enjoy the ambience, the food and the
music; a place where they can experience a true taste of Africa and
this is what we are looking to provide. We want to put the African
restaurant and culture on the forefront of western culture."
Kemi Olukoya
adds, "The Biazo experience will be truly unique for those
looking for a homely atmosphere in which to dine and enjoy delicious
African food so why not drop by today and judge for yourself?"
|
