Sweet South Africa on my mind

Source: vam.ac.uk

In a bid to find cheap, baby friendly activities and places to go before my impending return to work, I stumbled on Afropolitans', the June edition of Friday late at the V&A. I've heard of V&A's Friday lates but have not had the opportunity to go for one reason or another, I however shall not be missing this one! The night promises a mixture of African photography, fashion, films, discussion and music all free of charge? yes, perfect, let's go there!

Exciting stuff, I'm looking forward to the South African music sets, I've long been a fan of the sounds of Lady Blacksmith Mambazo, unashamedly love Afro beats and a bit of hip life but I'm really digging South African house music at the moment.

South Africa is still on my list of places to visit, by the grace of God these feet of mine will touch South African soil soon. Anyhooo, I recently went to a South African restaurant in Camden. It was my friends 25th birthday and she wanted to celebrate in style with a nice meal in Shaka Zulu. Camden is like Marmite, you love it or you hate it, personally I'm a fan, however stepping into Shaka Zulu is like stepping into a different world far from the cobbled streets of Camden Town. Needless to say I was very impressed by the grand design of the restaurant, from the outside i didn't expect it to be soo big, spanning over two floors the restaurant hosts amazing carvings and huge wooden warrior statues. I found the menu quite cool, with a selection of 'authentic' South African dishes including Zebra and Ostrich meat (which I wasn't brave enough to try) I stuck to the baby chicken but found the price to be too steep considering that sides had to be ordered separately. So for the price I expected the chicken to be oozing with flavour but much to my disappointment I was left reaching for the salt. Being my friends birthday I'd had a good time at Shaka Zulu and even gave in to having a warriors' shield painted on my arm by the resident complimentary face painter. I didn't feel that the meal was value for money but later found out that an optional £1 cover-charge is donated to help fund education projects in South Africa maybe this would have made me feel a little better, had I have known, this should be made more obvious, I'm sure diners would be happy to make this charitable donation. Overall I'd give Shaka Zulu 5/10, it definitely offers a night out with a difference in stunning surroundings, the food however was a major let down, lacking flavour and overpriced.

Shaka Zulu main restaurant

I'm Back

Guys, it's been too long!!!!

A lot's been happening, quick update...I travelled to Nepal for a few months of volunteering, I got married(yes I made an honest man of thee dinner guest as mentioned in previous posts, proof that the way to a mans heart is indeed through his stomach) and in November we welcomed our little bundle of joy to our world. So yes I've been a busy bee, very happy, loving life but I have missed blogging about one of my first loves...FOOD. 

Alas, I'm back and rearing to go...giveaways, reviews, interviews, jobs, gossip and general chit chat about food coming right up.

xxx

Healthy Eating in the African Community

Afternoon everyone,

It's been a while, I just scrolled down the page and saw that my last post was in February!!! To be fair I did try to write a Mother's day special dedicated to all our darling mother Africa's but my computer was playing up, in any case I trust that you guys still managed to treat your mothers to a nice meal if not...shame on you.

Anyway, I want to share what's been on my mind of late...No it's not Obama's recent visit to Londres or the fact that my dear dinner guest is off to Naij on Thursday,hissssss, It's actually healthy eating. I have been piling on the pounds and decided that now is the time to take control. One of my childhood friends asked me to be a bridesmaid at her wedding this August, how exciting!! (congrats girl, what an honour to share in your joy) This has given me something to work towards ;-)

So, I've started my healthy eating regime. I know a lot of people that are scepticle of how possible it is to be African and really be on a healthy eating diet espcially with all those tasty but not so healthy dishes at ones beck and call. For example, I love love love rice but have noticed that all my rice abuse has left me feeling bloated.

First I decided to start with the basics, sleep earlier, drink more water,drink green tea and do more exercise.( no I have not joined the gymn but taking the stairs from the 2nd floor to the 11th floor in my office building is a workout in itself) I have developed into deeper levels of my regime, my love affair with rice has now been restricted to once a week, snacks are now in the form of carrotts or fruits and breakfast consists of yougart and organic oatcakes.

You may be wondering how on earth I have managed to cut rice down to once a week, espcially being Nigerian it's like almost 99% of our diet, rice and stew, jellof rice, fried rice, ofada rice, rice and curry, have I left any out? Well it has not been easy I have been looking up and down for alternatives and stumbled on a few that are't so bad.

Here are a few:
-Covent Gardens Chicken soup
Thick, creamy and acctually filling

- Lentils with crayfish and plantain
This suggestion was given to me by a friend of mine, thought it sounded terrible initially but everything is worth a try at least once, so I made it and it's good, tasted like beans and plantain.

- Sweet potato mash, salmon and vegetables
This one speaks for itself, deeeelicious but the salmon has to be done just right with a crispy base, I'm not a fan of soggy salmon

This is a working progress but I'm enjoying feeling a lot lighter and eating healthier is actually making me feel good. As always I'm open to more suggestions. Has anyone got any more alternatives to eating rice?

'Have you been to D'Den?'

Is a question that I had been asked up and down town, to which I'd say 'no, I have not' the general response would then be 'are you seriousss?' But alas, finally I have been to D'den so you guys can chill.

After a night out at one of those London spots (I refuse to expose the place in which I from time to time shake my thang) a member of the munch bunch aka my girls suggested we go for chops at D'Den. I was hungry and the thought of roasted fish nicely complimented with crispy fried plantain carried me to Cricklewood, North West London despite the fact that I reside in the east side of London.

My verdict? worth the wait! I was not disappointed, I thoroughly enjoyed my generous portion of fish and plantain washed down with an ice cold bottle of Super Malt all at a reasonable cost, bonus considering the credit crunch is officially upon us.

D'Den is the kind of spot where you could bump into just about anyone, old uni friends, your former teacher from Naij, your pastor...needless to say it has a buzzing atmosphere.

Ok so I'm late to have visited this popular restuarant but how many of you have actually interviewed the man behind the food? I have...Introducing Mr Akeem 'D'Den' Balogun aka Balo



Akeem Balogun, Owner of D'Den

 1) What’s your full name?Akeem Balogun. I’m called Balo by all.

2) When did The Den fist open for business and who or what inspired you to open it?
I’ve always enjoyed cooking which most people might say is odd for a guy. My friends have always known me to be a good cook and from back in the day, my home had always been used to entertain friends who come for that good food! It was a natural progression to open the restaurant which is what I did in 2003.

3) Which celebrities have been spotted in The Den?
We have seen many footballers, musicians and politicians. They are too numerous to name.
The Nollywood actors and actresses are the latest addition to the clientele. As you can see in the picture, my good friend Adebayor of Arsenal joined me for my birthday celebrations.

Footbal player Adebayor at D'Den

4) What would you say is the secret behind your success?

I believe my passion for food is the secret and because of this, I always aim for excellence where food in concerned. Also, I believe my personal touch is something the customers enjoy.

5) You have just won an award, elaborate please…What was it for?
I won the customer excellence award which I'm very proud of. I give thanks to my customers for this; their loyalty over the years has ensured the continual success of D’Den.



Customer Excellence Award


6) What are your plans moving forward with The Den? Can we expect to see any more branches? A Den bar perhaps?

D’Den entertainment is a new part of our brand expansion. This is being launched in May with a series of boat parties. We are looking forward to changing the way people have fun in London. This area of the expansion is being handled by my project manager Irene Ogede through her company, Volenz. I definitely see D’Den expanding in 2009. There are branches planned so do stay posted.

7) What is your most recommended dish served at the Den?

If you ask the customers this you will get different answers. Based on requests, I will say that the seafood special is legendary. This can be enjoyed anytime of the day. Also, the char grilled fish which is a firm favourite among all especially my Caribbean clientele. They love the pepperlina sauce too which is a spicy and very hot accompaniment to the fish. After clubbing, suya, jollof and akparo is very popular.

8) Who would you most like to share a plate of Jellof rice with and why?
I will like to share a plate with my late mum. She is my inspiration and the reason I love to cook the way I do now.

Thanks for your time and look out for your special feature coming soon on theflyinmypeppersoup.blogspot.com

From Dubai with Love

 

 Al Hili



I'm back and black!! I've been away on holiday in Dubai it was amazing, highly recommended, the sun, the kofta(some delicious kebab thing) the desert safari, the gold, the aqua park...ok I'll stop but I did bring a lil' gift back for you all, a restaurant review ;-)

Yep much to the annoyance of my company, my determination to find the Nigerian restaurant in Dubai that I'd heard so much about paid off.

Now where would you expect to find a Nigerian restaurant in Dubai? Only in the depths of the gold souk of course, that place was Naija central, full of Nigerians of all shapes and sizes buying gold for their next owambe party, myself included. All that gold shopping does work up your appetite so I asked a group young men if they knew of any nearby Nigerian restaurants and that is when they told us about 'AL HILI,' everyone that we asked thereafter seemed to know the place so as we got closer you can imagine the anticipation.

We finally reached our destination, initially I was confused, the sign said 'Al Hili' but it was a hotel? The restaurant was of course in the hotel but it was not one of those nice hotel joints, first we had to go to the back, then through a suspect looking alley way before going up some even more suspect stairs, at this point we'd decided that we were not going to eat here, the horrible smell (God forgive me) that welcomed us confirmed it. Then there was the fact that they were selling shoes in the same place that food was being served?! To be fair the food didn't look too bad but I wasn't gonna take the risk, it's all about basic hygiene and presentation people, those shoes just spoilt it such a shame.

Has anyone else been there and actually had something to eat? It would be interesting to hear what the food tastes like. Has anyone been to any other African restaurants in Dubai? Please where are they, I need to know for future reference.

Thanks,

Ms Fly x



Shoes on sale in the restuarant