Arike

Though located in a dimly lit space below street level, you’d be well advised to keep your expectations elevated. Since opening, Arike has evolved and now offers a singular tasting menu. Named after Chef Sam Olayinka's Nigerian grandmother, this cooking displays depth, managing to feel both personal and inventive. The chef weaves together local ingredients with a broad range of global flavors, as in grilled leeks with a crayfish ginger chili sauce or grilled pineapple carpaccio tucked with mint and herbs. Exquisite boar is seared perfectly and accompanied by grilled plantain and sweet onion, but dessert may be the most impressive of all with a kicky chocolate cake set over a crème anglaise that teems with fragrant Thai basil oil, vanilla and citrus.