ILÉ: A Nigerian Fine Dining Experience

What do you get when you bring Nigeria to Los Angeles? ILÉ. 

In Yoruba, ilé means home and Los Angeles, CA happens to be home away from home to a lot of West Africans, especially Nigerians. While the community’s culture is strong in California, Chef Eros of ILÉ felt there was something missing from the Nigerian cuisine experience in LA.

An elevated Nigerian dining experience.

STORY

The story of ILÉ begins in Lagos, Nigeria where Chef Eros curated nine course menus of authentic West African cuisine for dear friends and family. It wasn’t long before his chef’s table concept went viral and Eros took the next step of expanding the experience. He embarked on a U.S. tour, from the West to the East coast, sharing the flavors of his homeland with admirers of the cuisine, both old and new.

This overwhelming positive response encouraged Eros to find a static kitchen in the U.S., eventually settling in Hollywood and creating an unforgettable cultural experience for foodies in LA.

MY VISIT TO ILÉ

In August, I had the pleasure of experiencing ILÉ during the preparation and presentation of five courses. And before I even stepped foot into the space, the air was filled with scents of West African spices. Inside was a beautifully decorated dining room that reminded me of my Nana’s home, decorated with kente cloths and adorned in family heirlooms. When you’re at ILÉ, you are truly invited to a front row view of Chef Eros’ home kitchen. 

As each dish is presented, he tells a nostalgic story paired with a curated music selection played in the background. This component of oral history is what separates this pop up from anything else in LA. When dining at ILÉ, you are joined by strangers at the table, from refined foodies to folks that are curious to learn about the cuisine. At this pop up, you have the opportunity to put your phone away and break bread with people who are passionate about cultural food.

THE DINNER

Each course was a burst of flavors both familiar and new to my palate. The most notable dishes were the moi moi, pepper soup, and jollof rice.

The moi moi was prepared similar to what we eat in our Latino communities – tamales. The filling consisted of a ground bean mixture, kind of like a close cousin to our maza. Then, when the dish was ready to cook, the mixture was placed inside of banana leaves and left to steam.

Now, the pepper soup? Phenomenal. The pepper soup we enjoyed did not consist of any meat or additional ingredients, but simply one of the most seasoned broths I’ve ever tasted. 10/10 flavor.

My favorite dish of the evening was the jollof rice. If you are not familiar with the “jollof wars”, Ghanaian and Nigerian folks often argue over whose jollof is better. Jollof is also made in Senegal, Sierra Leone and Cameroon, but Ghana and Nigeria are the two main opponents in this social debate. Needless to say, Chef Eros single handedly won the entire “jollof wars,” with the help of his fellow chefs and staff of course. The rice had bits of plantain and the most layers of flavors in any rice dish I’ve had. It reminded me of my abuela’s arroz, but took tomato paste to an entirely different level. 

FINAL THOUGHTS

Dining at ILÉ was hands down my favorite dining experience in 2022. It was unlike any food pop up experience I’ve been to, incorporating oral histories, dining with strangers, and learning about the rich traditions of Nigerian cuisine. I appreciated that they were also really accommodating to dietary preferences, offering pescatarian, vegetarian, and vegan options. So if you were worried about your dietary preferences causing you to miss out on the full experience, you have nothing to worry about! Tell Chef and they’ll guarantee you an authentic meal regardless of dietary needs.

If you’d like to experience ILÉ yourself, click here or visit https://www.exploretock.com/ile. 

Tune into the full Episode 10 of Season 2 of Blacktinidad for a tour of ILÉ and watch us try pepper soup with Chef Eros: