Jollof Vibe in Flemington serves many types of jollof rice
After running take-out restaurants in Reservoir and Kensington, Jollof Vibe chef-owner Akşamte Quoibia is opening a larger, more casual restaurant for West African rice food enthusiasts.
Sanka Amadoru
The focus of the menu at Jollof Vibe is various variations of jollof, a spicy, tomato-tinged rice dish found throughout much of West Africa. Ask chef and owner Duygute Quoibia about the cultural dispute between West African cultures called the “Jollof Wars” and she will be happy to fill you in. “Why don’t I bring all the jollof rice to one place… and [people] Shall we try it for themselves?
Quoibia might have been a diplomat had he not previously run takeaway-focused establishments in Reservoir and Kensington. Seating was limited, so he decided it was time to open a larger, more comfortable restaurant for revelers.
Jollof Wars is about friendly competition. But the restaurants’ diverse repertoire of West African dishes comes from the serial displacement of Quoibia by armed conflict in the region. By her 10th birthday, she had learned to cook for her entire family, out of both necessity and interest. After moving to Australia, she started cooking at community events and people started coming back for seconds.
“I saw the happiness it brought to people,” Quoibia says. His path was clear and he left his job at the slaughterhouse to work in a restaurant for the first time. Opened in October, Jollof Vibe feels cozy, with batik-adorned tables and subtle Afrobeat tunes setting the tone.
All Jollof rice dishes consist of tomatoes, spices, garlic and onions. Nearly a dozen traditional regional or improvised variants arise from differences in content and technique.
We tried the Liberian version, made with jasmine, which requires more attention, instead of basmati rice used in other dishes. It comes with extremely flavorful beef strips, fried plantains, and a salad with dressing. It’s a dish that has complexity without worrying about subtlety, and it’s amazing.
Customers who decide to explore beyond the namesake dish will be rewarded. Communal eating is encouraged and fried chicken can be easily shared. The meat is seasoned and paired with homemade red habanero sauce; If you want to turn up the heat level, ask for the green version.
If you need to cool down, the hibiscus drink is available and also comes as an iced slushie. The flower’s natural acidity is balanced by sugar and accentuated by notes of clove, pineapple and mint, its taste as deep as a midnight purple hue. It makes the lack of a liquor license seem trivial. The drink alone is reason enough for me to return.
Okra and fried trevally stew is hearty and deftly avoids the herbal sliminess that deters many people from ordering gumbo for the second time in their lives. Three types of red pepper add to the complexity of the dish; Stir in a spoonful of white rice and have a side dish handy to easily toss marinated fish bones.
Egusi stew is a Nigerian dish that is conceptually considered surf and turf, but it is an experience in itself. Tender beef cut into large cubes sits in a spinach-crayfish-based sauce thickened with ground African melon seeds (egusi). The sauce is crunchy, richly salty and quite seamy. I had a hard time imagining how this would complement the meat, and my doubts were quickly dispelled with the next bite.
The casserole comes with potato or semolina fufu (your choice), which is made by pounding the carbs until they become sticky, resulting in a giant, deliciously soft dome that can be described as mochi. It is traditionally eaten by hand, pinched a little as a vehicle for sauce or to swaddle a bite-sized piece of meat. Cutlery is available for those who prefer.
Quoibia says his appeal to the hospitality industry in Melbourne comes largely from his heart, not his head. “I could feel it, I could hear it,” he says.
So two words in the name Jollof Vibe seem to capture the essence of his path through life; the first reflects her journey in many places, and the second expresses her desire to create an opportunity for people to experience joy and togetherness with each other through food, whether in the restaurant, through her own catering (discounted for students and charities), or simply through takeaway.
Three more to try for Jollof rice
Ama’s Grill & Bar
Ama’s offers reasonably priced West African food with a Ghanaian emphasis. Cassava fufu is served in a more traditional style, half-dipped in tomato-based goat stew. Plantains are a must, and the jollof rice here can easily be saved from red peppers. Sobolo (hibiscus drink) and the iced “limoncello” cocktail with lemon, mint and honey are refreshing accompaniments.
Union Quarter Shopping Centre, 31-69 McLister Street, Spotswood, amasrestaurant.com.au
Edziban West Africa Bar & Bistro
Grilled meats rubbed with water spices, various stews and four kinds of fufu It will leave you feeling spoiled for choice. If there is room at the table, it is preferable to fry it in water. If you are a drinker, a variety of Ghanaian spirits are offered in pure and cocktail form.
307 Racecourse Road, Kensington, edzibanbarbistro.com.au
Mary’s
Perhaps the only place in the city where you can drink banana and rum cocktails. Mary’s It makes a moderately spicy version of Jollof rice that is drier. Consider a complement of plantains, roasted cauliflower, and grilled chicken for two; That leaves room for the incredible chocolate brownie.
68-70 Johnston Street, Collingwood, marys.au
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