The couple putting South African food on the map in London
Amy Corbin and Patrick Williams, a husband and wife duo, are running the Kudu Collective in London, infusing modern European cooking with South African flair.
The couple opened their flagship Kudu restaurant in Peckham, South London, in 2018 and have since expanded into several other restaurants.
They wanted a small neighbourhood restaurant close to where they lived that served high-quality food that showcased Williams’ South African roots.
Williams is the executive chef whose main influences on his food come from his parents. His dad was a braai master, while his mom knew her way around a spice rack.
Growing up in Durban, Williams would go with his mom to markets to buy spices for her recipes.
Although South Africans are known to be fans of meat, the restaurant takes a different approach to South African food, with Williams adding South African influences to modern European cuisine.
Corbin, the daughter of a London restaurateur, is credited with incorporating a family feel into the collective’s restaurants. With the success of their flagship restaurant, the group opened several spinoffs.
In January 2020, the group launched the Smokey Kudu, with the pair trying to capitalise on the lack of a location for a pre- or post-dinner drink.
The cocktail bar served South African-inspired drinks and sharing platters, but has since closed down.
Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, the pair opened Curius Kudu in 2020 when the previous tenant left and asked if they wanted to take over the lease.
Due to the lockdown, they changed the restaurant’s concept and decided to create a private dining room. Kudu only accommodates tables up to six. During the day, it serves as an art gallery.
The pair did not let the second UK lockdown get them down, and found a site for their grill concept, Kudu Grill, a speciality braai location in the nearby Nunhead.
The South African influences are clear to see at the group’s restaurants, with the flagship offering kalahari-spiced biltong, stuffed peri-peri chicken wings and rooibos pickled carrot
The Curious Kudu also highlights the South African-European fusion with a Cape Malay velouté, while the KuduGrill clearly shows its South African roots with its Lamb potjie Melktert.
Big changes coming
Despite being recognised as one of London’s coolest, up-and-coming areas, the group is leaving Peckham for the chic Marylebone in central London.
The new restaurant will continue to offer seasonal-led European cuisine with a South African twist, but it will have a new menu format, with new dishes alongside favourites from the group.
The new site brings all three of its current restaurants under one roof, marking a new era for the group after close to a decade in Peckham and the nearby Nunhead.
Most of the original team will remain on board as part of the move, with the new location having a refreshed interior design that includes a private dining room and bar area.
“We’re absolutely thrilled to have the opportunity to bring Kudu to central London, it’s something we’ve dreamed about for a long time,” said Williams
“The move to a larger site with a bigger kitchen opens up so many exciting opportunities to share and celebrate our South African cuisine with our guests.”
Ahead of the move, the Kudu and Kudu grill will offer a limited-edition ‘Best of Kudu’ menu throughout July, celebrating dishes from the past eight years.
This includes Parmesan churros with miso mayo and smoked paprika, as well as whole black bream with zhug butter rotis.
The new Kudu will open in Marylebone this September, and the South London locations will remain open until early August.
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