I feel immense pressure to reinvent myself, says superstar UK chef

Jeremy Chan of London sensation Ikoyi will plan menus on the fly at the Melbourne Food & Wine Festival. But that’s just the way this polyglot philosopher likes it.

Plantain, spiced efo and roasted peanut at Ikoyi – food based on Nigerian ingredients with many a twist. Irina Boersma

Necia WildenContributor

Mar 10, 2023 – 8.00am

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Until chef Jeremy Chan gained his second Michelin star, his London restaurant Ikoyi – based loosely on Nigerian ingredients – was largely empty. Two years on, it’s one of only two British restaurants on the World’s 50 Best List, charges £300 ($534) a head for dinner and is booked out months in advance.

He spoke to Life & Leisure ahead of his star turn at the 10-day Melbourne Food & Wine Festival, kicking off on March 24.