UK music venue to offer West African street food in latest collab

Swingin’ soul and retro music venue, The Night Owl has partnered with West African food suppliers Plantain to offer high quality street food for when the dancing demands a break.

The venue has won many fans in recent years with its packed programme of events and is now adding fresh dining options to its Finsbury Park HQ.

Plantain Kitchen offers the perfect partnership. Founded in 2019 by Toby Oladokun, the street food brand finds a gap in the market for West African cuisine which was previously under-represented around the area. This fits with The Night Owl’s ethos of spinning original vinyl featuring racially diverse and eclectic musical genres at its weekly club nights.

The vendor offers a pop-up service on-site around the nightclub’s events and offers visitors the chance to enjoy some quality food whilst soaking up the atmosphere. Its menu is primarily a takeaway format with some seating available.

Plantain Kitchen aims to capture the energy of West Africa, presenting simple, deeply flavourful dishes with style and panache. The cuisine places an emphasis on fresh, nutritious dishes with a signature selection of jollof rice bowls, burgers and desserts including traditional West African hot doughnuts.

Another standout dish is the Suya honey fried chicken. Suya is a classic west African rub made from from peanuts, ginger and chillies which is mixed with honey to give the chicken a sweet and spicy finish.

Vegan diners are also well accommodated for with dedicated variations of their trademark dishes. Plantain Kitchen was recently labelled “Vegan Food at its Best” by the Vegan Review.

The plantain – a tropical fruit variety of the banana – from which the kitchen derives its name, features heavily in the cooking, offering an exotic, totally unique twist on the now ubiquitous street food experience.

The venture started out as a joint effort between Toby and his mother Sika in marketplaces across London before finding wider acclaim on online food delivery company, Deliveroo. The kitchen was nominated for the ‘Best Newcomer’ award in 2020.

The Night Owl’s endorsement now offers the company exposure to an even broader audience. Arith Liyange, CEO and founder of The Night Owl said: “Since opening for us in early December, Toby and his team have cooked up a storm with his winning mix of Western African fayre.

“This new dining option brings something completely different to the area and slots in seamlessly around our current drinking and dancing offering.”