What can I say about this place except that you will be saying wow repeatedly! From the decor to the food to the service!!! It’s a must visit for me everytime I visit the UK.
I brought my girlfriend here for her birthday. The service was polite & friendly. We opted for the python & zebra as a starter. Alpaca & bison with love bug salad & coconut rice as a main. Pharoah's treasure and medieval hive rounded up as dessert. All were nicely presented, the zebra and alpaca being the tastiest dishes we felt. Price was a bit in the higher end but not unreasonable. Overall a great dining experience!
For anyone judging- yes, I like to celebrate 1 year dating anniversaries!! (If you couldn’t tell from this blog so far- I’ll find any excuse to go out lol!). Apparently this restaurant was on a list I wrote of top 15 restaurants I want to visit- but for some reason I cant remember it! Clearly my list was well researched because this is one amazing hidden gem in London! There are a lot of photos in this post- but no photo can do it justice, you need to go and check this place out!
“Good afternoon,” said the voice, as I picked up the phone on Friday. “I’m just calling to confirm your reservation tonight.”. “Yes, we’re still on for nine. Two of us.”. “Very good. The password is ‘coconut’.”. And so began our adventure into London’s weirdest and most wonderful watering hole.
Celebrating birthdays is always good fun, when there's food involved it's even better right?
What if you was served an eclectic menu consisting of mealworm, crickets, zebra, buffalo. Crocodile and kangaroo?
Would it still be fun? 😀
Fo sho!
At Archipelago they literally have those in the menu and more, missing a few items, Alpaca being one of them one the night we went, didn't really seem like it was a problem.
Our fantastic waitress, Sasha was amazing!
She really provided us with the entertainment that encompassed the whole dining esoteric.
We was a large group of 9 but that didn't par her at all and every person including the birthday girl received a verbal burn from the aforementioned.
We encouraged her by laughing.
Food was stunningly presented alongside double measures for the spirits and more cocktails that would make Tom Cruise reach for his book.
An Elephant Mud bath seemed to be a fave on our table.
I would definately visit again, not for just the food, but for Sasha as well.
A few weeks ago during my day off from work, I met up with Naz for a long overdue catchup. Zomato had suggested Archipelago for lunch so we headed there after meeting up at the Google Cafe (my favourite blogging spot). For those who are all about crazy experiences and new food, Archipelago is perfect for you. Where else in London are you going to try crickets, bees, zebra, crocodile, kangaroo and python?
A fabulous quirky restaurant which is a hidden gem of London. Expect to find unusual meats such as kangaroo and alpaca cooked to perfection. Read more at www.anomalouslondon.com/eat/world-cuisine/
One of the best culinary experiences of my life, tricky ones but good enough. Vast variety and not a very stereotyped in any way. Gotta have that belly take on to a lot it ain't use to. A very soothing ambience , red , Elance like yet gypsy. Foor a different not an everyday day experience with the company , ambience .this is the place.
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Archipelago I found out means a group of islands (not quite sure how it relates to the restaurant). It's a small quaint eatery which will have your eyes wondering. We got lovely cushy seats in the back corner.
We visited for the lunch menu (12-2pm) which had a variety of items to choose from. They offer a variety of meats from zebra to crocodile (whatever your fancy). We stuck to the safe option, hot smoked salmon for the both of us and sides of smoked chips and Thai coconut rice. We ordered strawberry cocktails (can't remember the name). The presentation was amazing! The food delectable. The salmons were served with slightly wilted seasoned spinach.. Yum yum. Smoked chips! Who would have ever thought, they were so yummy!
The food and drink menu were in a glass bottle and a mini treasure chest and the dessert menu was in a book! We were thinking, 'why have they given us a book to read?!?'
I would recommend this hidden gem. The ambience is lovely and would be great for something unusual.
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If you want a food safari, this is definitely the place to start your exotic journey. The decor is eclectic and a crazy mix of fairytale exotic like opening up a Jumanji board. There are lots of little cute touches in the decor that make it pleasing to the eye, and a good conversation starter. It's warm, small and intimate feeling, and we found the staff to be helpful and attentive without being pushy or hovering. There is only one bathroom stall, but the facilities are clean and decorated in keeping with the main area of the restaurant.
The menu is full of wild, weird, and sometimes surprisingly wonderful creatures to delight your palate.
I'm not sure where else you can order a crunchy warm locust and roasted grub salad, with a zebra strips main course....?
The kangaroo main was delightfully tender and packed full of flavour, combined well with the spices and herbs selected by the chef. I raved about it for weeks.
My crocodile in vine leaves starter was pleasant enough, but somewhat underwhelming. A decent crab salad would have been as good.
Definitely somewhere to go for a meal to talk about, but not for the feint hearted. If you want to play it safe this is not the place for you. Put aside your doubts and go in with a gung ho attitude as if you were a foodie Scott approaching the Rosa Ice Shelf.
They have a decent cocktail menu for anyone needing a little Dutch courage before the adventure of ordering.
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For those who are all about crazy experiences and new food, Archipelago is perfect for you. Where else in London are you going to try crickets, bees, zebra, crocodile, kangaroo and python?
It doesn’t feel like a restaurant in London and the atmosphere is really laid back. I could picture myself at some mama’s house somewhere in Africa. Every detail from the menu to the decor is so authentic.
To me it didn’t really matter what is tasted like as long as I gained the bragging rights, but the food was as nice as the experience. With the way they cook the dishes and the flavours used, you wouldn’t think its such exotic meat.
We ordered sweet chilli zebra burger with black garlic mayonnaise and a sharing platter for two. Zhug marinaded kangaroo skewer, Spicy crocodile bites, Mexican spiced belly pork, Jerked alpaca stew and Thai salad. You can add bugs to the salad normally but they had ran out of bugs by 2pm. The only dish I wasn’t a big fan of was the crocodile. The pork, alpaca and kangaroo were delicious.
The dessert choices were presented in yet another unique menu. We chose the Medieval Hive to share. The platter may look small but trust me it is filling. I wouldn't recommend the dessert because the flavours just didn’t blend well in my opinion. The texture of the sauce and the crackers didn’t seem quite right either.
Archipelago is definitely worth a visit. It’s a great place to take a date because the restaurant is fun, interesting and memorable. You don’t visit just for the food, but for the experience. The restaurant is not cheap but not overly expensive.
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You will not find another restaurant like Archipelago! The most unique decor and full of unusual furniture. Very interesting character.
I chose to go with the lunch sharing platter. This consisted of the following; Zhug marinaded kangaroo skewer
Spicy crocodile bites
Mexican spiced belly pork
Jerked alpaca stew
Mashed potato
Thai salad
The crocodile was wonderful and had a kinda chicken with more intense flavour kind of vibe.
The belly pork was cooked perfectly and had lovely crispy skin that melted in my mouth. I ate this with the Thai salad and mashed potato, which really add some more texture to this part of the platter.
The kangaroo had some deep, intense flavour but felt very tough. This is the first time I have ever ate Kangaroo, but I would have preferred the meat to be cooked much more rare.
Finally the jerked alpaca stew!!!! Wow!!!!!! What a kick!!!!! It is like lamb with a kick of spice to wake you up on a Monday afternoon, but delicately melting in your mouth. What a lovely thing!!!! I would happily eat this dish on its own and would continue until it was the last food I ate!!!!
Overall, Archipelago is a wonderful restaurant. Interesting decor, brilliant service, unusual but amazing food. Absolutely worth a try for the curious and adventurous types.
#LoveFood
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What an adventurous Tuesday I just had. With the miserable weather outside I felt like doing something crazy and what else than trying some eclectic and exotic restaurant to brighten my day.
We went there for lunch and because I was a bit late my friend ordered some starters to surprise me. Hence, we had crocodile, kangaroo and alpaca mini burgers. I didn't know what to do, suddenly I lost my courage in trying all this wild creatures which were seating on my plate. Eventually, I had to try it and for my surprise everything was interesting and pretty tasty.
For main I had the confit duck salad, I was scared to be too gutsy and my friend ordered the lovebugs with some crunchy worms and some salad. I've tried the bugs and the taste it was just crunchy. He seemed to be loving everything as he wiped the plate clean :p
The service was really good. Very attentive waiters.
Atmosphere pretty unique to make everything real with palms and peacocks feathers and all sorts of statues all around the restaurant.
Only after I left I read about the meat that is ethically sourced. Next time if I go back I definitely want to try the zebra steak.
If you want something different you must try this place.
Don't Believe In Jet Lag - Blogger
+3.5
Once again, we’ll have to thank Zomato for this one.
Every meal should be a new adventure. This cosy little restaurant in Fritzrovia, full of travel souvenirs, offers an unusual menu: camel burger, fried crocodile bites, kangaroo skewers, ants and other bugs. Ordering chicken breast or smoked salmon (which are also on the menu) would be a waste.
Nothing to be afraid of: food was delicious. We even chewed on a baby bee and it didn’t sting.
A great place for dinner with friends or with a date, to get wasted and play truth or dare. We already know what the dare is.
The restaurant gives you a password on reservation which you require to tell upon arrival.
The restaurant is unusual and we felt the same from the very beginning.The starters were surprisingly good but the mains were disappointing.One of the dishes arrived cold and the other was not spicy as promised.The staff is respectable.The prices are also decent.The ambiance is lovely.
It is a very unusual restaurant with people who are looking for a different dining experience. The ambiance includes relics from around the world. The menu offers a variety of food which ranges from zebra, crocodile, kangaroo, insects and scorpion. We went ahead with ordering the zebra, which was an absolute delight. The place is pricey, which is understandable and surely worth the food.
This place always comes to my mind when i want to try some unconventional and different cuisines than the usual ones. They have some amazing vegetarian and fish dishes on their menu. All the dishes that i have tried here are pretty unusual and mouth watering delicious. Highly recommend it!
This place has a very quirky and unique feel to itself. It is not easy to book a table for a party of ten in the city, but I am glad I came across this. The menus were rolled up like a treasure map, and everything from the decor to menu spread indicated a very international and eclectic theme. I ordered the zebra for myself, which tasted a little like beef jerky, but was very tender and mild in flavour. I also tried the alpaca, and though it was delicious, I would have preferred it with a bit of rice. Afterwards, we were served some innovative food choices. The love bug salad with worms and locusts tasted nice, and the chocolate covered locusts were also nice, but I loved the caramelized worms. The dessert had a bee, which was interesting, but not something I'd really try, This place is very unique and entertaining. It is a place everybody should try out at least once.
This place holds a special place for me as this was the location where my partner proposed. It is the perfect place to go if you want to have a mix of dishes from around the globe in the menu. I believe this is a must visit restaurant with a cool decor like that of a treasure map.
A quirky item on the menu- Chocolate covered scorpions!
My meal here was one that will always remain memorable. The interiors of the place gave the restaurant a great atmosphere. The dishes were done up and presented beautifully. The flavors in the food were great. The service was amazing, with staff which was very attentive and efficient.
Right from the start of the meal until the end, was an experience to remember.
this place has a very unusual setting and a haphazard feel to it but it definitely makes for an interesting dining experience. The food is delicious too. We ordered a lot of food and everything was so perfectly cooked and freshly prepared. The place has a personality of it's own.
I have been to this restaurant on my birthday and had a nice experience.the ambiance is comfortable and chic.The food is delicious and The portions are adequate except for desserts that are tiny.The service was quick and the staff is attentive.The prices are decent.I shall like to visit again.
I sampled a number of dishes here, such as the crocodile, bees etc along with lamb. All of it was delicious and had some brilliant flavors. And I must add, it was presented beautifully. However the only disappointing bit of my meal as one particular salad. It was very average and there was nothing to it. The dessert too was great.
The service was also brilliant with very helpful and fun staff. Our waitress was very amusing and kept us entertained.
It is one of the prime restaurants if you want to celebrate a special occasion. The food has always been brilliant and the interiors are top notch. The atmosphere is always lively there and you may have to wait for a little while to get a table. Overall, my experience has always been positive considering the quality of food served in this restaurant.
While n a gourmet trip around London, I happened to stumble upon this brilliant place. We tried everything possible from camel to even the locust. No complains at all! The staff ran through the dishes very effectively and I was very impressed by the training they were given by the management. The quirky and fun interiors make this place even more interesting. Please try the caramelised meal worms as they are sublime!
This place was a joy to eat at. The decor is superb. The chairs have a very throne like appeal to them. In my opinion, the presentation of the dishes was amazing and very detailed. The service from the start of calling us, on the day of the reservation until the very end was impeccable.
A very special and enjoyable place!
Went to this place in a group for a special treat for an exotic evening and it did not disappoint in any manner to be anything below that! We had one of the most delicious and delighting supper. Coming to our orders, crocodile steak, chocolate covered scorpion and the fabulous digestive selections they offer, we tasted everything we could get to grab!
I came here on a special occasion here and had a brilliant time. The restaurant is done up beautifully and very exquisitely. The ambiance is great in all aspects! Each table has a lot of touches adding to the appeal of the place. I must say they have a terribly exotic menu and it is not for the faint hearted. The dishes we ordered as starers were outstanding and the zebra meat was delicious. They had some good wines available which were quite well priced, however, avoid the pricey cocktails.
The staff here is great and very helpful with doubts, regarding the menu.
A must visit!
I went to this place last night. and thoroughly enjoyed it. They have a quirky and unique setting and it is conducive to all kinds of meetings. The service was also helpful and friendly, and although we did not taste the wine, we absolutely loved the special mocktails that they served us. I ordered the Crocodile, followed by the Kangaroo and the meal was sumptuous and delicious. I recommend this place to everybody.
This is a small place with an interesting ambiance which comprises of dark walls, trinkets, Buddha's and treasures from around the world. The service is good, with friendly and hospitable staff. The food is delicious, interesting and of good quality. All the dishes we ordered were served well and tasted great. In terms of reservations, a password is given to enter the restaurant if you book in advance, but I think there is asking for card details before hand is absolutely not required.
It is one of the good restaurants that I visited recently. I had the Zebra, however, it was overshadowed, by the chilli potatoes that I ordered as the side dish. I also had rabbit and plantains with chocolate sauce which I found to be pretty average, however, their coffee was absolutely brilliant.
The restaurant has a very distinct and quirky appeal to it! It has some very innovative dishes and the decor complements this with its own quirk. The interiors are marked with some African masks and carvings. The dark wood chairs had bright patterned cushions thrown. The menus were placed on the table, rolled up!
This place is really suitable for a romantic lunch or dinner. The food menu is really varied and simply amazing. The Zebra Steak is simply delicious, as well as the kangaroo and just about anything I've tried here so far. There's a large wine menu from about 19£ to 150£ or so.. The staff is prompt and welcoming. If you like alcohol try the Doctor Special for digestive and choose your your cure : Absinthe with Snake, Peri peri Gin, Vanilla Tequila and more.
Quite eccentric and original. We decided to go there and have a different experience. Indeed, this restaurant is very exotic and they serve zebra burgers, crocodile.. etc. I had a crocodile burger before in Miami, which was fine and tasted similar to chicken. So, we felt ready to organize a dinner at Archipelago.
The place uses low lights, which I am not a big fan of.. especially when it regards this kind of food. Anyway, the staff was nice and atmosphere fine. I ordered some crocodile bites and mushrooms as a side dish. The combination was tasty and quite good. However, I felt as the crocodile wasn't enough tender.
Overall, it was a nice and different experience. Prices are okay.
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I made reservations about a week before and a day before our visit I got a call to give me a password. The mystery began there and lasted till we stepped out of the restaurant after our meal.
I can't deny that I was left a little disillusioned as soon as we entered the place. The seating area with our table seemed a little crammed to me, but once we were settled, I was too involved in the rest of the experience to bother about space issues.
The menu is wild in every sense of the word - croc meat, kangaroo, locusts, python - didn't I tell you - WILD! I have been to restaurants that serve exotic meat, but what was unique about Archipelago for me is that every meal is like a makeover for the meat. its not just a meat fest; there are several other aspects that add to the overall experience. Like the croc meat - it came wrapped in vine leaves, had some sweet honey poached plums and lovely pickled samphire.
We had croc and blue cheese parfait for starters, alpaca and chicken for mains, Ottomon Bake, Vietnamese coffee and "A visit from the Doctor" for dessert. The blue cheese and chicken were sober choices but even those were an experience with the plating, the various textures and yummy flavors. Must, Must, Must call for a "Visit from the Doctor" for dessert - you'll know why once you order *wink wink*. Let's leave some mystery here, shall we?
Drinks are nice - strongly, strongly recommend the Amarula-based cocktail - a charmer that took me back to my holidays in Kenya.
Archipelago is not a place you can just walk into if you are hungry - its more than just food; its an adventure.
A big thanks to Zomato for a voucher to this place - it came out of nowhere and was a lovely surprise!
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My original feedback for Archipelago was summed up in just one word... Interesting...and I think that point remains today! The interior is atmospheric, romantic and also very dark, to the point of encouraging a quick short kip over my dinner, it’s atmospheric, crammed to the rafters with little curios and eccentricities. Are these genuine or replicas I cannot tell? I actually would have like some sort of subtle signage telling me what I was looking at but perhaps that’s one step too close to looking like a museum exhibit.
The food is for the adventurous, crocodile, zebra, python and locusts vie for your attention in amongst the more usual suspects of lamb and chicken. I confess, we’re not feeling particularly crazy, it’s been a long week and what I am after is a gentle meal to see me through the night and refresh me to face the rest of the week!
Friend S opts for the Blue cheese parfait, smoked pear and oat cakes, the parfait could use a stronger blue cheese flavour as this was far too mild. I branched out a little with the zebra jerky and a portion large enough to count as a main came out to greet me! Having no idea what zebra is supposed to taste like, it’s hard to offer objective criticism, but I quite like it. It’s kind of spongey and chewy, the flavour I’m detecting is really from the crispy batter but it’s not in any way strong or gamey.
I wish we’d had the space to enjoy the cocktails as they looked fantastic but it’s a work night so they offered to make us some very delicious fruit punch cocktails instead, which were very refreshing!
For mains, we’ve erred back on the side of the cautious, I’ve opted for Ethiopian dice, which is Lamb served with Dukkah and sweet potato. The sweet potato cake is in some form of a rough mash and I think I’d have preferred it a bit more smoothly done. The lamb portion again was huge and I could not fight my way through all of it!
The massaman chicken served two ways was also pronounced a success, it lacked the complexities of a curry you might find in a good Thai restaurant, but it was very eat-able.
We declined offers of dessert as portions here are huge, but we left very content!
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I highly and massively recommend this restaurant. It was the weirdest experience that I've ever had in an eating environment. I felt a little adventurous so I thought about trying something new. The neighbourhood was not very reassuring at night because it was deserted, but it felt safe. The decor depicts a treasure hunt/ safari theme. The menu is in a treasure map format, and the table decor follows the theme. It is really nice and cosy. We had crocodile and zebra for starters. They were both really tasty, although it can get kind of weird when you start thinking that it's a crocodile you're eating, but it was fun. I then decided I wanted to stick with what I know, so I order the duck for main, it was good, but a bit too heavy. My friend had the kangaroo, it tasted different, but good. While we were waiting for our main, we were watching a demonstration that the waitress was giving to the table next to ours. They had a desert called "a visit from the doctor". If you order that, you'll have the waitress showing and describing about 10 "magic potions", one is good for back aches, one for headaches, etc, and one had a dead snake in it! And then you get to choose to drink one. It was fun to watch but we definitely weren't brave enough to try it, maybe next time. Instead, we ordered the Pharaoh's treasure, which was just okay. We spent about £40 per person, and we left feeling we discovered something new.
Ever wanted to walk a mile in Bear Grylls shoes? This is the place for you, just make sure you are ready to go on a culinary safari, although the warm eclectic ambience sprinkles a bit of contrast.
For the starters its always a good idea kick off with the croc wraps, fried crickets and the python carpaccio ( for which you might want to call them before hand for availability).
I had the jerked alpaca for main and that really filled me up, but I did sneak in a mouthful of the lovebug salad which was well, crunchy! Cant wait to explore the rest of the menu in the future.
Word of advice: Definitely not a (surprise) first date restaurant.
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Our polite waiter: “What would you like for dessert?”
Me: “I’ll have some Locusts please”
Now that’s a sentence I thought I’d never say.
Archipelago is a place you visit to feel adventurous, exotic and nearly invincible. One bite of the vine leaves-covered crocodile meat and you’re hooked and proud of your carnivorous self. You’ve seen it all on Animal Planet before and the entire concept of man against the beast is very clear to you but it is also quite far fetched for us London dwelling, tube riding, fried chicken eating selves to imagine that zebras, pythons and crickets are all eaten in other parts of the world.
Step into Archipelago and you are instantly whisked away to a foreign land, which is almost non-existent. The décor is a mix of African art, Moroccan chairs and ornate lamps while soothing Indian classical music plays in the background. Just a quick look at the menu on Zomato will tell you that you can expect some Love bugs in your salad, maybe a Zebra on your plate (who had no plans on traveling to London) and perhaps a Python for your pleasure.
The best part about a meal here is not just the fact that they offer exotic meat, but every dish is crafted with such care and intuition that you are blown away by something quite unexpected. For instance, not only was the crocodile starter I had absolutely delicious but even the pickled samphire it came with had me quite literally licking my lips and surprised by the innovation in pairing the dish.
In a nutshell: Archipelago doesn’t disappoint – not in food, service or even the price
As I'm not the most adventurous eater, I was understandably quite nervous about dining here. The menu seemed to consist of things I either didn't realise you could eat, or things that I hadn't heard of before. Luckily, the waiter was extremely helpful and keen to explain any questions we had about the menu. We shared the crocodile dish to start, which was unlike any meat I had tried before. For main I tried the Kangaroo skewers. The food was lovely and the presentation was 5/5! The cocktails were strong, but not quite up to the high standard of the food in my opinion. I'm extremely glad I tried this place and would love to revisit to try more crazy dishes with meats from around the world!
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Honestly, I do not have words, it has been a very nice experience, the restaurant inside is like a museum of African and Asian objects. It is beautiful, special and arranged in accurate way, it seems like being in an old house's living room. It's all accurate in every detail even the tables are prepared in a different way with all cutlery and glasses of any type but the more elegant touch is the menu on a parchment placed in a treasure box or in a glass bottle.
The menu offers a variety of authentic dishes served in a very nice and scenic way.
We haven't been brave enough to try the salad of cockroaches or the chocolate scorpion.
But we have enjoyed crocodile, zebra (my favorite) and python starters, and the 2 main dishes of ALCAPA and kangaroo.
At the end we took VISIT FROM THE DOCTOR, absinthe aged with python.
The staff is all very nice And up to the restaurant they explain everything on the menu and everything that is in the plate they are nice and professional.
When you visit instead of saying the name of the booking you have to say the ''password'' which is a nice idea.
It's definitely worth to try it at least once.
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We visited Archipelago this afternoon for lunch. I had been looking forward to this meal for a while after reading other reviews about the quirky and exotic nature of this place. The restaurant looks quite small, but this may have something to do with all of the decorative pieces scattered around. The décor is pretty unique, I would say it is a bit jumanji-esque!
It was pretty busy for a Thursday lunch time, there were a mixture of people from a young family celebrating a birthday, a group of co-workers and a few couples. The tables are quite close together but it did not feel strange because the decorative pieces in between help maintain an element of personal space. The wine and cocktail list is impressive, as it was an afternoon we did not want to go in heavy with drinks. I had a gluten free beer from one of my favourite breweries, St. Peters, a must for any ale lover.
For starters we shared a combination of sliders, there was Kangaroo, Crocodile, Camel and pulled Alpaca. Along with the sliders we had smoked chips. The chips did not taste especially smoky, they were not to different from the thick chips you get in most gastro pubs. Not complaining as they went down well with the sliders and dips. On to the sliders, we tried Kangaroo first and it was packed with flavour, quite gamey and peppery. The texture resembled a lamb burger. Next was the Croc burger, this was coated in breadcrumbs and deep fried which masked it's natural flavour. It tasted no different to a big chicken nugget. The camel was a replacement for Zebra, which the restaurant was out of today. It looked very similar to the kangaroo but was more subtle in flavour, a tad salty and the texture was soft, almost floury. Finally we tried the pulled Alpaca slider, this resembled pulled pork and the flavour had a kick of chilli. If you have ever tried slow cooked mutton than this is very similar. All of the sliders were accompanied by 'garnishes' of the various garnishes I would recommend the cucumber pickle and black garlic mayonnaise.
After a short wait we were presented with the sharing platter, which was much bigger than I'd imagined. The platter consisted of 2x kangaroo skewers, 2 x breaded croc patties, 2x mexican belly pork, a bowl of pulled Alpaca meat, a bowl of creamed mash potato, pickled ratatouille, and a mixed leaf salad with various bugs on top.
First up were the bugs, I had never tried bugs before and found that really the gross factor is all in the mind. They had no taste and the texture of pork scratchings. The sauce they were fried in was chilli and garlic which gave the tasteless crisp morsels some flavour. The croc patties were the same as what came in the slider, think chicken nugget. The belly pork was very good, maybe my palate was just craving something familiar! The alpaca meat was again like pulled pork in texture with a spicy mutton flavour. For me the kangaroo skewers were the star of the show, the marinade was divine and the skewers were cooked to perfection. The sides were pretty standard and went well with the meat feast.
We were offered deserts but had way too much to eat already. If I were to visit again, I'd definitely leave room for sweets as there were some interesting items on the menu. The menu itself was nicely presented in the form of a 2nd hand book!
Service was excellent throughout, very informal yet helpful and polite. I felt the staff genuinely enjoyed working there and this vibe definitely rubs off on customers. All in all Archipelago is a fantastic experience, it's unique, quirky, and memorable a perfect place to go for a special occasion.
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Archipelago has to have the most unusual menu in London, hidden away not far from Goodge Street this place has a very exotic theme. It starts when they call to confirm your booking, they give you a password if an exotic animal to give when you arrive, the restaurant itself has a great ambience, red walls, exotic flowers, the walls covered in trinkets from around the world, it is very dark & the waiters carry torches to show you what your about to eat!
They start the meal by filling a golden bowl with water & crushed flowers & give you what looks like a pill to drop into it. This is actually a hot towel that expands much like those flannels you used to get as a kid. We started with some drinks, my other half was very impressed with the beer & ale selection on offer. I went for a strawberry cocktail, which was disappointing, strong yes but it tasted premixed & artificial for £8 I would have expected more.
The menu has all sorts of crazy offerings but it does also cater for veggies & has some less exotic options for those wishing to play it safe. We started with a cricket, quinoa & berry salad & a zebra jerky. The cricket & quinoa salad was very flavoursome, the dried fruit was lovely & the crickets added a lovely crunch. The zebra jerky was not what I expected it was basically deep fried, it was a little chewy but actually had a very nice flavour. For mains I had a bison steak with Caesar salad & blue potatoes. The bison was cooked perfectly medium rare, had more of a gamey taste then beef, the salad was a great side creamy with a nice crunch throughout - I assume it was nuts but it could have been bugs, the blue potatoes were gorgeous but the pepper sauce that came with the steak was too overpowering. My boyfriend had the alpaca, which was cooked in a spicy sauce in a banana leaf, although he enjoyed the meat he was let down by the plantain crisps which being so thin became cold very quickly & the buttermilk jelly which was bland & globby. He also had a 'live' salad - leaves with edible flowers & crickets, loctuses & meelworms, at £7.50 the salad wasn't cheap, and it's more of a novelty dish then anything else. We finished with a delicious chocolate soufflée with a white chocolate & 'curry' ice-cream, very rich so perfect to share but the curry is more of warming nutmeg spice then a vindaloo!
Overall we had a really good evening, I have read on previous reviews that the portion sizes are tiny however we found they were huge & couldn't finish it all. It is expensive but the costs of sourcing these types of products must be pretty high. The service I must say was faultless, the waiters are friendly, explain everything & aren't over the top. All in all we had a great experience here, it's not the best food I've ever eaten but it's different & executed very well, would I go back? I'm not sure, it's really fun but I don't know if I want to rush to eat creepy crawlies again!
There are few places that I have had the pleasure of visiting that tick all the boxes for uniqueness, the Service & of course the quality and presentation of the food. This place scores a perfect 10...no 11 on all counts. From the moment you arrive presenting the 'Password' to the last bite of the scrummy food - our experiance was flawless. In one sitting we ate Python, Zebra, Lama, Bison (one slightly more cowardly member of our party ordered the Lamb) - not to mention tasty insects such as Locusts, mealworms and baby bees - simply outstanding. Im sure even London Zoo couldnt exhibit the diversity menu we enjoyed. Even if your a bit squimish there are plenty of less 'exotic' options on the menu. The service was wonderful - warm, passionate and professional. The atmosphere transported me back to my adventures around Africa and Asia. Simply outstanding. I look forward to my next visit. Hands down one of the most unique dining experiances you will find this side of the Indian Ocean!
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Be prepared to be shocked! It takes cooking by the horns and dishes out a menu unexpected, un-tasted and unnerving.
Where can you open a menu and see an eclectic mix of cricket (an insect) salad, zebra, crocodile, frog and kangaroo. It's not for the weak hearted to see man being a beast - but if you can, I don't think there is anything like this in London. Since I had been there, they have changed the menu and taken out the truly bizarre food, aka the cricket salad but the current menu is still brazen enough.
The ambience tries to be eclectic to go with the restaurant theme, but I wouldn't be bothered with the decor when the food can keep you guessing. The service was good and the waiters tried their best to explain us what we should expect from the dishes.
We ended the night with vodka which had a dead snake in it for many years (can't remember exactly, maybe 5). They had an entire menu of bizarre drinks which a person dressed as a doctor came to serve.
Trust me, you haven't seen anything like this place before, worth a visit just for the radical idea.
Lions and tigers and bears oh my (no seriously that's pretty much what's on the menu)! I was a bit daunted seeing Zebra, Crocodile and Kangaroo on the menu, and the interior looks a bit like your hippy friend Moonsong's apartment from the 90s, but the food was delicious and the service was great and I found myself wishing I had been more adventurous in my choices. Oh well, there's always next time, and I would come back, especially since with 50% off on The Fork, it was shockingly good value.
I absolutely loved my experience here. This is my second time and it was just as good as it was 10 years ago. I brought my wife here for our wedding anniversary and like so many others, she was hesitant because of the bold menu. But the moment she stepped in, we were so well looked after by everyone working there. The manager went out of his way to really talk to us about the meals. The menu was very well thought out, each exotic produce put together well to give each a unique fine dining experience. The cocktails were great but felt they could have also revealed the same bold experimentation and worldly inspirations as the meals. The staff even created an impromptu Happy Birthday chocolate plague despite it actually being our anniversary. They showed us a lot of love. This place is more than a novelty place, its the real deal. Will defo return.
Crocodile, Zebra, Kangaroo, Camel and last but not the least, Crickets, we got meats from all corners of the world, literally, here. Each and every dish we ordered had a distinct taste, flavour and it was served with great care and warmth by the two gentleman and lady serving us.
It was my birthday and the experience was fabulous
Oh, the desserts and cocktails are unique and a must-try as well.
Nice quirky restaurant and great atmosphere. Came here to try something different and my experience with the food was overall positive. The food was filling and everything was seasoned well. We had: frogs legs and pork belly for starter, Elk and Kangeroo for mains and chocolate brownie for dessert.
I’ve been meaning to visit this place for years and on a whim - we went tonight. Lovely staff. Delicious dishes - the stand out was the crocodile starter. Didn’t disappoint.
Amazing food in an nice and intimate atmosphere. Perfect place to have out of the ordinary food which they manage to make it taste amazing. The decoration of the place is very nice and the servers are very helpful, although the two women servers don’t seem to smile a lot. Only thing that I would critisize is that because the restaurant is quite small, it can become VERY loud and sometimes have to yell to speak to the person next to you
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Unique restaurant that you won’t find anywhere else in London. I came here a few years ago and remembered how quirky and interesting the restaurant was so I thought I’d try it again.
FOOD
So you can try a range of exotic foods from zebra to kangaroo to crocodile. Whether these are the real thing or not I have no idea frankly but the entire experience is interesting from the menu presentation to the food which is kind of from all around the world. My crocodile was essentially a really spicy curry. My zebra for starters tasted like chicken but it was still fun. Overall the food isn’t about quality but more about the coolness of it. Some dishes are a hit, others more of a miss it seems from our group.
ATMOSPHERE
Prime reason to come in my opinion as the decoration is fascinating. Imagine if Indiana Jones made a restaurant. Won’t spoil it any further.
STAFF/SERVICE
Most of the staff are Brazilian as the owner is too apparently and with that comes friendliness from the staff who joked around with us.
CONCLUSION
Really enjoyed it and look forward to trying it again. Make sure you book as the restaurant is tiny.
5* overall, food amazing, staff very friendly but not as informed about the food as expected. Asked some questions about food and answers were very vague.
Tried, crocodil - bit chewing,but apparently that's how should be, kangaroo and ostrich both very tasty and very well cooked.
Starter quite slamm portions but enough to taste the food.
Main instead,big portion - more than enough for a hungry person.
Atmosphere - nice but at one point restaurant was full and got a bit noisy and music background was to low volume.
I will recommend the place plus definitely will come back.
The food was good even if the frog legs were a bit disappointing.
The zebra and crocodile were amazing, as well as the elk, buffalo and ostrich!
I visited this place with two other friends. The restaurant has a very interesting exotic/fushion vibe, mostly due to the decor and the smell of frankincense and rose oil. Our waitress was very friendly and helpful. The place is perfect for a change in scenery and to try new things, but unfortunately I can't say I was blown away by the plates that I've tried, hence only the 4 stars for now.
Things that I've liked:
The hot buffalo (main) was definitely my favourite! Perfectly cooked, tender and the taste was very delicious. The crocodile in vine leaves (starter) was quite tasty too.
Things that could be improved:
The crickets salad (starter) definitely needs more crickets, they were a bit hard to find among the rocket and lettuce leaves. The camel (starter) was good but it needs some other side to complement its taste. The elk (main) was also delicious but the side (some sort of potato salad?) could be improved.
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What an amazing restaurant!
A review said it was a celebration of food from around the world and it truly is.
From the moment you step in you know this restaurant is different. The deco is eclectic but pleasantly so, the staff very welcoming and attentive, the service wonderful and the food delicious with some surprise touches, which shows the chef is very accomplished.
The show starts with a small 'pill' you place in a bowl with a bit of water and rose petals that will be your serviette to clean your hands before eating. The menu, kind of rolled papyrus inside a small chest. Little touches that add to a great atmosphere.
I let myself be guided in my choices by Alejandro, and his suggestions were superb.
My Serengeti Strut starter, crispy "jerky" zebra, with carrot n red pepper sauces was very good.
The main Oudtshoom Patram, with Camembert cheese for the blue potato and parmesan for the salad was truly delicious.
The Pharaoh's treasure as dessert, with hazelnut powder under the ice cream was also really good.
All in all, an amazing place to try different food, delicious and with great staff.
Visited this restaurant yesterday for dinner as it was a special occasion. Had a lovely waitress called Mariana who was very efficient. Waitress offered assistance with the menu and had a very friendly demeanour and attitude.
Lovely exotic decor and vibe overall.
Food well presented and full of flavour, beverages included.
Would definitely visit again!!
I've been to Archipelago twice now and both times, the food was delicious and very unique. Obviously, it's for the more adventurous eater, but all the dishes are cooked and presented beautifully. Everything my partner and I had was great, but I'd particularly recommend the zebra jerky, python carpaccio, kangaroo skewers and the "Pharaoh's Treasure". The decor is very interesting, and the staff are friendly and helpful. A great place for an unusual date!
Currently they have some safety measures including a temperature check, NHS/contact tracing check-in, and limited seating.
This place definitely ticked a lot of dishes off my bucket list! The staff were so lovely and the ambiance was beautiful! Would definitely recommend for those that are curious about trying new dishes!
Superb experience. Staff were great, recommended Alpaca when I was going for lamb as "You can have lamb anytime". Correct! Crickets, Alpaca and Mealworms. Not something I would normally go for but can't recommend it enough. Wonderful food, good atmosphere and brilliant people.
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