This autumn, Marylebone’s Jikoni will bring their no-borders kitchen and ethos to the Barbican as they collaborate with the Darbar Festival, London’s annual celebration of Indian classical music, to nourish festivalgoers with a vegetarian and vegan menu deeply rooted in South Asian heritage, layered with imagination, memory, and joy. The special residency, celebrating 20 years of Darbar Festival, will run from 23 to 26 October 2025.

Delivered in partnership with Benugo at the Barbican Kitchen on level G of the Barbican Centre, this residency creates a cultural moment where food, music, and community meet. This is a celebration of shared values: Darbar Festival restores and uplifts a centuries-old tradition of South Asian music; Jikoni restores maternal cooking, immigrant foodways, and the art of hospitality.

Festival guests will be able to savour street food favourites such as Vada Pao with dry garlic and tamarind chutney, the riotously textured Sweet Potato Bhel with yoghurt, sev and pomegranate, and the refreshing brightness of a Charred Watermelon Poke Bowl.

Hot bowls brim with comfort and care: Squash & Lime Leaf Pakora Kadhi, hearty Rajma Pulao, and restorative Khichadi with carrot achaar and devilled cashews.

From Jikoni’s playfully pluralistic oven come pizzas strewn with Saag Paneer or fragrant Soy Keema. At the cold counter, guests can discover salads and dips: from a creamy smoked aubergine dip to green bean, coconut and peanut thoran, from the zing of spicy peanut butter potato salad to the gentle sweetness of smoked beetroot agrodolce. Sandwiches include a vibrant Mushroom Banh Mi with pickled carrots and the nostalgic comfort of a Chilli Cheese and Bean Toastie.

The collaboration continues across the Barbican’s performance bars, where audiences will be refreshed with Jikoni’s Nimbu Paani – a spiced Indian limeade that tastes of both nostalgia and renewal – and the Jikoni Gin & Tonic, a savoury mango gin lifted with house tonic.
Jikoni founder Ravinder Bhogal says: “We have always believed that food, like music, is a joyful medium that crosses divides.

“Darbar Festival invites London to celebrate the depth and beauty of South Asian culture in an iconic British institution, and we are honoured to play our part by nourishing audiences at The Barbican. This collaboration reflects everything Jikoni stands for: plurality, connection, and the power of hospitality and culture to restore and open doors.”

Helen Wallace, Head of Music at the Barbican says: “Darbar Festival takes over the Barbican each October with a multi-sensory flood of incredible performances, workshops and encounters. We’re so delighted to collaborate with Jikoni on this new initiative to provide a menu of food to match the artistic richness of the music. This will do so much to enhance our audience’s experience of an iconic event.”

Produced by Darbar Arts Culture Heritage Trust, this year’s festival at the Barbican will see a first-time collaboration with Jikoni, which will honour Indian classical music and the enduring legacy of Bhai Gurmit Singh ji Virdee’s vision and values.