St James’s Market, where Toba has set up shop, is absolutely nobody’s favourite place to dine out, despite millions being spent on this freshly burrowed concrete and steel crevice just off Regent Street in a bid to turn it into a retail/working/dining utopia. “Whether you’re after a bottomless brunch, a steaming cup of tea, or a Michelin-starred meal, this hub of contemporary dining can accommodate,” says the brochure for this market, which isn’t remotely a market because surely that would contain at least one stall selling onions or jam or, well, anything.
Yet, the standard of restaurants that St James’s continues to attract is impressive. Ikoyi thrived there for a time, and when I lunched at Toba I noted that there wasn’t a seat to be had in Fallow, Aquavit, or Ole & Steen (which is basically Greggs for middle-class people who have finished all three seasons of The Killing). Toba, a new Indonesian restaurant by Pino Edward Sinaga, has now taken over Ikoyi’s spot, serving food inspired by his late mother. His Camden Market street food stall, Pino’s Warung, has been hugely successful; go for the nasi goreng, gado-gado, meatballs and satay, but enquire about the specials because bebek penyet (crisp seasoned duck leg on a bed of yellow rice with spiced grated coconut) and kecombrang sambal is often on offer.
