Shaka Zulu Restaurant Review: A Taste of South Africa in London

South Africa in London? OK well not quite. But if you want a slice and an entice of it – Shaka Zulu in Camden offers just that. And they don’t just offer it quietly, but with singing, dancing, hand carved wooden walls, African sculptures and a menu full of meats you’d expect to come across only on a safari – but never on a London restaurant menu. It’s a bizarre and peculiar place, but a great night out and perfect for date nights as they’ll never be an awkward silence.

It’s dizzyingly large inside Shaka Zulu. Floor upon floor, huge booth seating everywhere, multiple bar areas and a club in the basement. It’s pretty extraordinary how they manage the place. There’s also a regular list of music and acts playing. We had a young woman next to our table, singing away some of my favourite songs the entire night.  For starters we delved into a board loaded with crispy peri peri chicken wings. Loads of flavour, a little heat and every bit as crispy as you’d expect. Good value under £10 too. Just as successful was the Cape Malay king prawn cocktail. Fresh prawns, poached, chilled and drizzled with a curried Cape Malay sauce. The only downside of this dish was its price, at a rather steep £17.

Of course a visit to Shaka Zulu wouldn’t be the same without lots of steak. It’s what South Africa is best known for perfecting after all. We ordered the gigantic warrior meat board, full of almost every cut of meat we all know and recognise. Succulent fillet, well seasoned sirloin and silky grade 6 wagyu beef, the latter was absolutely stunning – while the sirloin could have been served a little more rare.

Our favourite cut still was the thick slab of rib-eye beef. Succulent, perfectly cooked, full of crispy charred edges and wonderfully seasoned, all with a nice pepperyness to it. Make sure you order an extra helping of the blue cheese sauce for dipping and thick cut fries, because they’re both fantastic.

I’ve visited Shaka Zulu before a couple of years ago and one dish which I’ve always recalled fondly were these mini ice-cream cones. Each one is a different flavour and all are homemade. Vanilla, praline, raspberry and cardamom are just a few my favourites. The chocolate torte with cream and fresh honeycomb was also lovely and that buttery pastry base – every bit as good as we’d hoped. Desserts are one of Shaka Zulu’s strong points.

Dinner at Shaka Zulu wouldn’t be complete without some cocktail action, so we finished up on Shaka Zulu’s signature rum blazer cocktail. Full of theatrics, fire and some very generous shots of dark and white rum, muddled together with Grand Marnier, cinnamon and orange twist. It’s not for the faint hearted.

We once again had a lovely evening at Shaka Zulu and one thing this restaurant always manages to effortlessly deliver is fun, ambience and atmosphere. They’re perhaps not the best restaurant in London, but instead they offer a unique experience of what South Africa has to offer and the intrigue that comes with it all. You can eat Zebra and Ostrich to start – I can’t think of anywhere else in London which offers a similar experience. Bring you wallet, drink far too many cocktails and devour steak like you’ve never done before. Shaka Zulu won’t let you down.

NB: I was invited to review and my meal was complimentary. All views are as always, my own. My views are not influenced by anyone other than my own palate and slightly poor eyesight.