Set to launch early next month, Shwen Shwen by Maria Bradford will explore the flavours of Sierra Leone and follows the success of her recently published cookbook Sweet Salone: Recipes from the Heart.
The name, derived from the Krio language, means ‘fancy’, with the restaurant set to ‘redefine fine dining with Bradford’s distinctive take on Afro-fusion cuisine’.
Savoury dishes will include lamb belly, palm oil, African five spice; mackerel, mango and cassava flat bread; king prawns with lemongrass gel; and beef short-rib, groundnut and coconut.
Desserts, meanwhile, will include hibiscus, caramelised white chocolate, fig leaf and pepper; and moringa mille-feuille, benne cake with sheep’s yoghurt ice-cream.
Bradford’s passion for food began in her childhood home in Freetown, Sierra Leone, where she learned to cook alongside her mother and grandmother.
Tucked away on a cobbled alleyway, the site will be ‘elegant and intimate’.
Design details will include tactile surfaces, bespoke hand-painted fabrics, and wallpaper inspired by vintage West African and Sierra Leonean textiles.
Shwen Shwen by Maria Bradford opens its doors on 6 June.