Impala

You'd be forgiven for thinking that Meedu Saad's Soho restaurant is named after the species of antelope, but in fact it takes its name from the cherry red 1964 Chevrolet Impala that Saad drove around during his summers spent in Egypt. Indeed, Saad's restaurant is a very personal project in many ways, with the former Kiln head chef using the many journeys, conversations and meals of his past, both in Africa and North London where he grew up, to the table. Impala is a restaurant steeped in experiences, of smells and flavours and textures that have left an indelible imprint on Saad's memory.

He's not been shy, either. Impala's menu is capacious and bold and rings the changes with dishes unlikely to have been seen elsewhere. A meal will undoubtedly start with bread from the wood oven, whether it be made from whole grains and bran or honey and olive oil, followed by starters that might include a pastilla of cull yaw with pickled walnuts or pounded white beans with wild herbs. Then follows separate sections for grilled meats and fish and then another more miscellaneous covering rice (pilaf with wild herbs and barberries), pasta (with bird's tongue and spiced oxtail) and salads. 

One dish in particular has captured the imagination from the start, that of duck roasted in molasses with a fig sauce. It's a dish inspired by a lasting memory from Africa that will move with the seasons but will retain its rich, indulgent essence. "When you think back you always tend to remember something fondly and you cook with idealism," says Saad. "Then we did the research and worked out the building blocks of what makes the dish the best it can be."