Best Indian restaurant for: A spicy brunch Dish to order: Prawn toast Scotch egg with banana ketchup and pickled cucumbers. A homely spot with a menu that draws upon East Africa and the Middle East as well as Asia, Jikoni has the look of an arty aunt's house with its mix of Indian printed tablecloths, wicker chairs and mismatched china. Sit back, get cosy and enjoy reinvented brunch classics such as tamarind and pineapple glazed bacon with fenugreek waffles and fennel slaw, or poached egg and chilli pickled cauliflower on caramelised pineapple piña colada pancakes.

It is not just mouth-watering food which makes up Jikoni’s USP. Restaurateur Ravinder Bhogal’s mission to forge a greener world for the hospitality industry means Jikoni was the first independent restaurant in the UK to be certified as carbon neutral. The Marylebone kitchen-style diner takes its cues from Ravinder’s early memories of Kenya and offers up a deliciously unique menu which even features impressive vegan and vegetarian offerings. Tuck into sweetcorn and lime leaf fritters, crispy aubergine in a Sichuan caramel with sticky garlic rice; pumpkin and sweetcorn Swahili curry and dhal Dhokli - and all in the knowledge that you have done the environment no harm.

Perhaps the most unconventional of the restaurants listed, Jikoni brands itself as a "no borders kitchen," taking inspiration from the owner's homeland, Kenya; her ancestry, India; her childhood home, London; and the diverse flavors of the Middle East. This results in a surprisingly comprehensive yet eclectic menu featuring vibrant beetroot handvo with whipped feta, messy avocado chaat, and saffron sheermal served with Cornish lamb spiced with ras el hanout. Although inventive, the cookery here is above all homely with inventive flair, which was enough to earn Jikoni a listing on the Michelin guide.

Sunshiny chef Ravinder Bhogal cut her teeth at Michelin-starred Trishna before opening up her own place – a ‘no borders’ kitchen that draws on Indian, African and European cooking to curate its menu. ‘We call ourselves a no borders kitchen because we feel that food is such a powerful language – a language that everyone understands,’ Bhogal told us. Interiors play with pastels and pops of candy colour pattern, Order the Prawn toast Scotch egg with banana ketchup and pickled cucumbers, the cheery fish pie with golden saffron, the hand-dived scallops with congee – really, it’s all good.

With its clashing block-print tablecloths and mis-matched cushions, there is a charming homeliness to Jikoni that’s reminiscent of a big warm hug. It’s both cosy and fun and the restaurant manages to pull off a lot of pink with an elevated playfulness that makes it perfect for both a serious Valentine’s date night or more of a Galentine’s/Palentine’s get-together. Cooking across borders is how Jikoni describes it’s cooking style and the food is full of joy with an inspiring fusion of flavours from South East Asia, the Far East, Middle East and East Africa as well as Britain.

Courtesy of JikoniWhere: MaryleboneAt Ravinder Bhogal’s restaurant Jikoni, which means “kitchen” in Kiswahili, the menu crosses borders between Asian, African, and Middle Eastern cuisines. Presenting itself as a “no borders kitchen” this inclusive ethos extends can be witness in the menu with plenty of vegan and vegetarian options. For a delightful night of unexpected flavours, Jikoni charms.The menu features unique dishes such as soy keema buns, wild mushroom toast with curry Hollandaise, crispy aubergine with Sichuan caramel and moilee with either butternut squash or hake.

Why: The kitsch cuteness overload at Mayfair’s Jikoni is almost unbearable but somehow manages to just strike the right balance of clashing prints. The food of executive chef Ravinder Bhogal is a merry medley of the cuisines of Asia, the Middle East, East Africa and Britain, and so are the interiors. Rich fabrics, ethnic patterns and native artefacts work as pretty Instagram details.Most Instagrammable feature: The sofa seats, stuffed with richly-patterned cushions, pretty tablecloths and intriguing crockery.Where: 19-21 Blandford Street, W1U 3DHBook now: Jikoni

Casually glamorous Jikoni describes itself as a kitchen without borders – and that philosophy applies not only to its culinary influences, but the ingredients themselves. Vegetables are resolutely upgraded from side dish status with hearty, jealousy-inducing mains like the crispy fried aubergine (whose rich Sichuan caramel sauce sets every one of your tastebuds pinging) and the wholesome butternut squash moilee with coconut chutney and lemon rice. And the good news is that every one of their creatively inventive cocktails happens to be vegetarian too…

Ravinder Bhogal's Jikoni is a favourite haunt of pretty much everyone in the food industry – and many more people beyond that. She operates it as ‘a kitchen without borders’, bringing in flavours, ingredients and spices from every corner and the globe and blending them into something truly magical. From South East Asia to the Middle East, via Britain, East Africa and beyond, the menu at Jikoni offers an ever-changing array of delights that enliven the palette and the interiors are just as bright, bold and memorable.

we love Jikoni for its vibrant, playful interiors and warm, intimate atmosphere; it's a feast for both the eyes and the palate, perfect for couples looking to explore bold, globally inspired flavours. Tucked away on Marylebone's Blandford Street, Jikoni, meaning 'kitchen' in Swahili, is the debut restaurant from author and food journalist Ravinder Bhogal. The space is a visual delight, with pink-hued walls, pretty patterns, and comfy wicker seating creating a relaxed yet stylish backdrop for a date night.

Jikoni, which means kitchen in Swahili, is a strong contender for one of London's prettiest restaurants, adorned with wicker chairs, colourful cushions and mismatched lampshades borrowed from vibrant saris and pot plants. The menu is equally beguiling and features a melting-pot of influences from Asia, the Middle East, east Africa and the UK. Expect mash-up dishes like prawn-toast scotch eggs, Ovaltine and shepherd’s pie, and roasted scallops with congee rice porridge.

Marylebone neighbourhood restaurant Jikoni's new brunch menu offers classic breakfast dishes with playful twists in founder Ravinder Bhogal’s ‘no borders’ style. Highlights include Goan sausage roll with pineapple ketchup, buckwheat and pumpkin dosa with red chilli garlic and coconut chutney, and bacon and gruyere bread and butter pudding with pul biber maple syrup – easily the most decadent bacon butty in London. 19-21 Blandford Street, W1U 3DJ, visit jikonilondon.com

Ravinder Bhogal’s Jikoni — now, astonishingly, eight years old — remains as stylish as ever, and still a spot to be seen in. Its basic premise, that it is a “no boarders” kitchen, means that food is deliriously cross-cultural, with dishes that draw from across South Asia, the Far East, the Middle East, East Africa and here in the UK. Marylebone feels like a village and this feels its perfect village restaurant; cosy, inviting, familiar and yet not at the same time.

Jikoni – which translates as ‘kitchen’ in Kiswahili – is the debut restaurant from Ravinder Bhogal, who worked as a food writer, TV presenter and chef before being talent spotted by none other than Gordon Ramsay. The Blandford Street restaurant reflects Bhogal’s mixed heritage, drawing on flavours from Britain, East Africa, the Middle East and Asia. This results in an eclectic, unique menu packed with spice, with a prime focus on plant-based cooking.

While not vegan or even vegetarian, Jikoni's ethos of 'cooking across borders' applies to dietary preferences as well. Each menu features several dishes that accommodate a vegan diet without compromising on the rich colour, texture, and flavour for which the carbon-neutral restaurant has become known. In particular, the set lunch menu spotlights ingredients from Jikoni's biodynamic farm partner, Waltham Farm.

It’s also worth stopping in at Jikoni, which chef Ravinder Bhogal opened in Marylebone in 2016. It’s one of the few female-owned Indian restaurants in London, and Bhogal pulls her inspiration not just from regional Indian cooking but also the African diaspora, serving a cup of Kenyan-style chai with dishes like paan madeleines, the buttery cookies infused with the flavor of the post-meal betel-leaf treat.

Comfortable, colourful and dotted with personal references, Jikoni is a restaurant to settle into and take your time. Dishes cross national boundaries and make their own unique place in global cuisine. Small plates include sweet potato bhel, as well as a choice of quail Scotch eggs, one of which is prawn toast with banana ketchup and pickled cucumber.

19-21 Blandford Street, Marylebone, London W1U 3DH +44 20 7034 1988. Located in Marylebone Village, Jikoni focuses on mixed heritage cooking, combining flavours from Asia, the Middle East, East Africa and Britain. Born in Kenya, to Indian parents, Ravinder Bhogal’s food brings elements from a variety of cultures and methods.

Ravinder Bhogal's Jikoni has garnered much praise and the same can be said for the restaurant's delivery service, Comfort and Joy. It's all about delivering sustainable, vegetarian meals across London - with meal boxes that change on a bi-weekly basis. Follow them on Instagram: @comfortandjoybyjikoni

Jikoni offers inventive and delicious vegetarian dishes inspired by the world. Their variety includes dishes from the East, Middle East, South Asia, East Africa, and Britain. As a vegan, if you love to change your taste buds and try different dishes frequently, then no other place is best for you.

This basic, cozy eatery with Asian influences and flattering low lighting. Jikoni is considered one of the best Indian restaurants in London by critics and foodies. A colorful Indian drape, a framed ‘He is the Cow’ plaque, and even the coat hanger in the spice-scented washroom have rhino heads.

#FLODown: Jikoni, the brainchild of food writer Ravinder Bhogal, is a mixed heritage restaurant situated in Marylebone. It artfully intertwines influences from Asia, The Middle East, East Africa, and Britain. This charming restaurant presents an enticing array of vegan and vegetarian options.

Marylebone's Jikoni is an Indian restaurant that celebrates maternal figures and time-honoured family recipes. The space is colourful and decorative with lots of patterns and textures layered on top of each other. It feels cosy and welcoming.