The story
Shwen Shwen, the debut restaurant of award-winning chef and author Maria Bradford, brings the rich, vibrant flavours of Sierra Leone to the heart of Sevenoaks. The name comes from the Krio language, meaning ‘fancy,’ and it perfectly captures the spirit of this intimate dining room: a celebration of West African culinary tradition, reimagined with contemporary precision and flair.
The restaurant has quickly earned significant recognition, being named Michelin Opening of the Year and awarded a Michelin Bib Gourmand for good quality, good value cooking. It has also been listed in SquareMeal UK’s Top 100 Restaurants.
Maria Bradford’s journey began in Freetown, Sierra Leone, where she learned to cook from her mother and grandmother. After moving to Kent and transitioning from a career in finance, she started catering under the name Maria Bradford Kitchen in 2017. Shwen Shwen is the culmination of that path—a love letter to her homeland.
“Though my restaurant is in Sevenoaks, every dish is a love letter to my homeland,” Bradford writes. The atmosphere has been thoughtfully designed to reflect warmth and elegance, with a peaceful outdoor courtyard providing an intimate setting. Her debut cookbook, Sweet Salone, further shares the bold, Afro-fusion dishes that define her cooking.
The menu draws inspiration from traditional African recipes and Sierra Leonean culture, using ingredients like tamarind, groundnut, shito, and grains of paradise. Diners can choose from bar snacks, small plates, and sharing plates for two, including dishes like the Beef Short-Rib with groundnut and coconut, or the Kankankan Octopus with romesco.
A Chef’s Choice menu is available at £80 per person, offering a curated journey through the kitchen’s standout dishes. There is also a dedicated Vegan Chef's Choice menu, making the restaurant’s contemporary African cuisine accessible to all. The cocktail list is equally inventive, with creations like the Harmattan Bloom (rum, hibiscus, ginger, and kola bean) and the Mende Heat (rum, sweet potato, peanut, and chilli).
Recognition
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good quality, good value cooking
An elegant addition to Kent’s lively restaurant scene, Shwen Shwen (the name apparently means ‘fancy fancy’) is a celebration of Maria Bradford’s Sierra Leonean heritage and her feel for Afro-fusion cuisine. Daintily tucked away behind a sheltered courtyard terrace (great for alfresco meals), the place itself creates a real vibe with its warm terracotta tones, upholstery decorated with multi-coloured kpokpo fabrics and striking photos of Maria’s West African heritage. Dining takes place in two hospitable upstairs rooms with tightly packed tables, where personable staff are more than ready to guide customers through the intricacies of a menu peppered with unfamiliar ingredients. Sophistication and comfort define the mood, while culinary exploration is the name of the game, from small sharing plates pointed-up with fonio (a West African ‘supergrain’) and kankankan (a smoky, aromatic spice blend) to a mille-feuille dessert involving moringa-leaf cream. Fixed-price lunches, early dinners and a £75 ‘chef’s choice’ taster provide a decent overview of the cooking, and it’s also worth taking a serious dive into the drinks list with its global tea menu, creative infusions, zingy cocktails and well-chosen international wines.
Opened in 2025, Shwen Shwen is the debut solo restaurant project of Maria Bradford, who grew up in Freetown, Sierra Leone, before later moving to Kent. After training at Leiths and launching a catering business in 2017, Bradford developed the project into a permanent restaurant under the Shwen Shwen name, which takes its meaning from the Krio word for 'fancy'. The restaurant offers an intimate fine dining experience rooted in the flavours and traditions of Sierra Leone, reinterpreted through a modern lens. Bradford draws on recipes and culinary knowledge passed down from her mother and grandmother, combining West African inspiration with contemporary technique and presentation. The menu comprises small plates and sharing plates with a focus on bold, spice-led dishes that reflect the cooking of Sierra Leone while adapting it for a fine dining setting. Option include fermented chilli honey flatbread; mackerel pate with shito and pickles; beef short-rib with groundnut and coconut; and ox cheek and krio stew, but if you can't decide there's also a seven-course chef's choice menu of the most popular dishes. The cocktail programme is as creative as the food, with options such as the Savanna Smoke made with tequila, cardamom, cinnamon, tonka bean, dark chocolate and coffee.
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