“Don’t worry, everything on the menu’s already dead,” pronounced our dark and mysterious Romanian waitress with a reassuring smile.  An ominous start to an evening spent exploring the exotic at Archipelago – London’s culinary portal to world cuisine. Putting my squeamish sensibilities to one side, I joined two colleagues on a gourmet rampage across dark continents, sampling the dubious delights of python, bison, zebra and a kangaroo kebab or two thrown in for good measure.

Archipelago Archipelago restaurant interior

In contrast to the flamboyance of other themed restaurants such as Sarastro, Archipelago lurks like an old curiosity shop in the back streets of Fitzrovia.  The heavy, green door creaks open to reveal the orange glow of an Eastern-style Antiques Roadshow – crammed with Golden Buddhas, wispy peacock feathers and Tibetan bells. Exotic whiffs of meat drift past as we creep down the narrow staircase to take our seats on the ground floor.  Instructed to drop what look like cotton wool pads into small side dishes of water, hot towels suddenly sprout before our eyes – a thoughtful and refreshing touch after a sticky day at work.

With such an eclectic mix on the menu, it’s hard to know where to start and we’re patiently instructed on the taste and texture of each dish. While Nirvana for meat lovers, vegetarians fare less well here – unless you fancy delving into the Love-bug salad with its exotic entomic offerings.

Archipelago restaurant Archipelago love-bug salad

Our appetites whetted, we decide to jump on the jungle jeep  and share the most exotic dishes on the menu.  To get the party started, we opt first for the python, which to my relief, comes in delicate slivers surrounded by artful splodges of wasabi sauce.  Relieved not to be chomping through acres of tough skin and scales, the meat has a delicately smoky flavour which teamed with the spicy wasabi, gets a startled round of approval.

Rearing up like a set of fried tarantula legs, the zebra looks less appealing but proves to be another surprising hit.  With the texture of calamari and a strong, salty finish – appearances are indeed deceiving.  We round things off with crocodile wrapped in vine leaves, honey poached plums and pickled samphire.  Offering a tongue-searing contrast of sweet and sour flavours.  While the samphire and plum tantalises the taste buds, it’s harder to discern the flavour of the meat.

Archipelago restaurant Archipelago Serengetti strutt

Moving on to the main courses with so far no ill effects, we grab the Bison by the horns and opt for more outlandish fare.  The first to appear is the kangaroo skewers.  Expecting tender barbecued meat with delicate overtones of the outback, the kebabs prove an intensely chewy challenge and I’m suddenly glad we opted to share.  Next is the Peruvian Jumper – a mix of jerked alpaca with cooling cornmeal sauce, buttermilk jelly and patecones. Encased in an intriguing banana leaf, the steaming brown alpaca fronds fail to ignite my taste buds despite their spicy coating.

But all is redeemed when the bison arrives. Richer than venison with a strong gamey flavour, the rump steak is deliciously tender and provides the perfect accompaniment to the baked blue potato and Asian Caesar salad.  This is definitely the dish to choose if you’re coming here on your own.  Deciding not to push my luck, I decline the dessert menu’s “visit from the doctor” (I’ll leave you to discover what this is) and opt instead for a soothing herbal tea.

Archipelago restaurant Archipelago restaurant

Leaving in high spirits two and a half hours later, we feel a thrill to have left the safe confines of conventional dining to venture into the unknown.   Archipelago is the perfect after work team bonding experience – where the team work of sharing adds to the fun and avoids the pitfalls of risking it all on one dish.

Archipelago restaurant has a minimum spend policy of £25.00 per person
All dinner bookings are for a two and a quarter hour sitting.