Africana Soul Food Restaurant
146-12 Liberty Avenue, Jamaica
658-8501

Cuisine: Nigerian

Hours: Mon.-Fri: 10 a.m.- 8 p.m.
Saturday: 10: 30- 8 p.m.

Right off Sutphin Boulevard, in the heart of Jamaica, lay the appetizing soul food dishes of Nigeria.

As an American, when I hear soul food, I think collard greens, macaroni and cheese, turkey wings and stuffing.  This is not the case at the Africana Soul Food Restaurant.  Here the specialty dishes have a similarity to soul food of American southerners with yams and greens, black eyed peas and white rice.  The difference comes in the authentic taste of the country’s national dishes, such as moi- moi for breakfast and afala for lunch and dinner.

The aroma of one gentleman’s dinner was so enticing that I said, “What are you having?”  The man politely asked me where I was from; knowing my taste buds would notice the difference in African food.  After wondering why he would ask this question, I knew instantly once I began to taste a few dishes. 

“Nigerian food is very spicy and hot,” he warned before saying, “you wouldn’t like it.”  Another customer said, “Come in and try a different dish everyday until you find the ones you like,” he commented while while reading a free Nigerian newspaper offered at the restaurant.

Taking his offer to try everything, I first picked what I knew best.  The waitress served a hearty helping of white rice and black- eyed peas and vegetables. It was a delight. 

Then came the meat.  “This is goat and cow,” the man instructed.  The idea of goat meat wasn’t a surprise to me since I often eat it curried by West Indian hands. 

Yet this meat was different.  If I were to choose one word to describe the sauce, spicy isn’t the word.

Hot is the word of choice. 

I chose moi-moi (a flour and bean mixture kind of bread) to dampen the fire brewing in my mouth.

Sampling another dish rapidly began to be a part of my program.  Fried whiting fish with rice and greens was a little more mild and up my alley.

The un-breaded fish was tasty and you can’t go wrong with rice.

This is my chosen delight at Africana Soul Food Restaurant, until next time.

– Michelle Sellers