Durban Curry House Wins Brixton Kitchen 2025
After months of cooking, tasting, and celebrating the best emerging chefs in London, Brixton Kitchen 2025 has crowned its winner – and it’s a double act.
Durban Curry House, by Layla Morris & Luke Moody wowed both our judges and the Brixton Village community with their exceptional professionalism, rich storytelling, and depth of flavour.
Luke and Layla are a South African culinary duo now based in the UK. With over a decade of combined industry experience, their journey began on opposite ends of South Africa — Layla on a self-sufficient farm where food was inseparable from daily life, and Luke in Durban, where the local Indian community shaped his understanding of spice and slow cooking. Both trained in Culinary Arts after school, and their paths crossed while working on a wine farm in Stellenbosch. Since then, they’ve cooked side by side and currently hold senior roles at Fallow in London.
The Road to Victory
Brixton Kitchen began with over 40 applicants from across London, each vying for a chance to bring their food concept to life in Market Row. Twenty chefs advanced to Round One, where they presented a single “best bite.”
Six chefs progressed to Round Two, where they had to impress our esteemed judging panel — Gizzi Erskine, Robin Gill and guest judge Melanie Brown — by cooking and serving full menus.
Round Three was split into two parts over two weekends, where we saw Adejoké Bakare (winner of the very first Brixton Kitchen, now chef-owner of Michelin-starred Chishuru in Fitzrovia) join us as a judge. In part one, each finalist served a free public takeaway lunch in Market Row. For part two, they prepared and served a full finalist dinner at Bottle & Rye to 30 guests, including our judges. Durban Curry House’s menu featured dishes such as Bunny Chow, oysters with pickled mango and tamarind, butter chicken Gatsby, and a granadilla (passion fruit) lolly to finish. Public feedback played a vital role in the final decision.
In the end, Durban Curry House took the crown. But our runner-up, Philippe Sonou, also delivered an unforgettable finalist weekend with his concept Maquis – a refined take on West African cooking that combined elegance, precision, and soul.
The Prize – and What’s Next
Layla and Luke have won a six-month restaurant residency in Market Row, where they will bring Durban Curry House to life, adding another exciting chapter to Brixton’s dynamic dining scene. Keep an eye on our socials to find out when.
Whether you’re a long-time local or visiting for the first time, you won’t want to miss this bold, soulful new addition to the Brixton restaurants lineup.
