Til a few years ago, I put all African cuisine under one cuisine umbrella. But, ever since I realized how ignorant I was, I tried to expand my palate of the different cuisines of the continent that was high on my bucket list.
In Melbourne, we used to have our go-to (now closed) Ethiopian restaurant, Saba. I also had Senegalese food in the Footscray Night Market once. Both convinced me that I must try other parts of Africa. So when I read about London‘s first and only Nigerian tapas restaurant in London, it was a no-brainer.
One evening, we took the bus 243 from Dalston and got down in Tottenham. A short walk later, we arrived. The restaurant/bar was small, but we were pretty early, so we got to choose our table. The waiter took us through the concept of the Nigerian tapas bar and the whole menu before suggesting we order 3-4 dishes each from the menu.
Tapas Style Nigerian Food
We chose Jollof Quinoa (Quinoa steamed in a traditional red pepper and tomato stew), Egusi Bowl, Lamb Asun (a Yoruba delicacy – a smoked lamb peppered with ginger, garlic, red onion, coriander and scotch bonnet), Chicken Ata Din Din, Suya Meatballs, Sweet Okra. For cocktails, I ordered Chapman Punch – a cocktail made of rum, Chapman, a Nigerian fave drink. Meanwhile, Fafa chose The Eze, made of tequila, mint, lemonade and spices hibiscus tea.
By the time our tapas of Nigerian food arrived, which was not that long, the restaurant was packed with friends catching up, new dates and work gatherings. The buzz around us, from patrons’ conversations to the Nigerian music playing in the background, made for a perfect evening ambience.
We then started digging into the plates. My favourite was Chicken Ata Din Din. It was shredded chicken in a tangy, fiery fried scotch bonnet and sweet red pepper sauce. I thought it tasted a bit like tuna and also was super spicy, but according to Fafa, it tasted mild. Nevertheless, when eaten together with Jollof quinoa, it was heavenly.
Jollof Rice
Speaking of Jollof rice (and quinoa), I watched Fran asking her mom for a Jollof rice recipe on Shrill only a few days earlier. And yesterday, flipping through Rubi Tandoh’s latest book, Cook As You Are, I found a recipe for Jollof rice. It feels like Jollof rice (and quinoa) and I will be friends for a long time.
Back in London that evening at Chuku’s, the Nigerian food tapas bar, another dish worth highlighting was the Egusi bowl.
Three grated cassava dumplings (Eba) are placed beautifully on top of three colours stews; Yello – Egusi (Nigerian melon seeds); Green – spinach, coriander and fennel; and the red one of red bell pepper and tomato. Again, the presentation was on point. The balls were made of pounded cassava and tasted very close to Fijian cuisine‘s Rou Rou balls. I didn’t like the taste, but I think it’s just about personal preference, as I could see almost every table ordered the bowl.
The rest of the tapas we ate ranged from good to okay, and so were both our cocktails. By the time we left, I was so stuffed (we re-order another bowl of Jollof Quinoa) that I wished we could walk instead of taking the bus back, to digest the food.
Back in the hotel, I weighed in on the restaurant ━ and whether I would recommend it to you. For a first-timer? A 100% yes, especially if you have never eaten West African cuisine or Nigerian food.
Would I come back again? I might ━ if they have a seasonal menu, but if not, I prefer to feast on non-tapas-sized Nigerian food. That Jollof Quinoa and Chicken Ata Din Din could easily be on my weekend takeaway routine in my parallel life in London. Otherwise, for that price (the bill was for £93), it was more like a try-once kind of restaurant for me.
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