Chishuru collaborates with Carlsberg on exclusive tasting menu

Adejoké Bakare, the chef behind Michelin-starred restaurant Chishuru in London, has teamed up with Carlsberg to create a five-course tasting menu, designed to showcase the pairing capabilities of its new Fonio beer. 

Brewed in collaboration with Brooklyn Brewery, Fonio is the first beer in the world to use drought-resistant fonio grains without any bittering hops or barley. The resulting product, brewed in the Carlsberg Research Laboratory, is clean with soft aromas of apricot, white peach and melon. 

To celebrate the ancient grain and pay homage to its West African roots, the pairing menu at Chishuru features a chicken wing glazed with Fonio beer and stuffed with chicken breast, spinach, uda, uziza and served with scotch bonnet sauce; goat tartare with sour cream, fonio and mushroom shitto; and the restaurant's famous fonio ice cream. The menu will be available to the public via a bookable experience on Tuesday, 6 August. 

Brewing for Impact 

The partnership forms part of Brooklyn's 'Brewing for Impact' campaign, launched by brewmaster, Garett Oliver, to celebrate 30 years with the brewery. Its aim is to spotlight the ancient West African grain, which has thrived in the region for over 5,000 years and is widely used in its cuisine due to being drought-resistant and able to survive in poor soil. 

The Fonio bottle was designed by Kevin Bongang, a commercial muralist, designer and painter born in Cameroon. It features his vibrant signature style, awash with colour, swirling lines and whimsical imagery. 

Discussing the menu, Bakare says: "I love fonio and so I was thrilled to put together a menu based around it. Pairing our food with a Fonio beer – and even using that beer in one of the dishes – was a joy. The beer itself is fruity but with a hint of bitterness, making it as versatile as fonio itself when it comes to menu creation.

"Fonio is a hrardy crop and a little goes a long way – so it is brilliant to see the crop be put on the world's stage, especially as this could crucially create valuable second incomes for fonio farmers."

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