Ghanaian jollof, Nigerian jollof and even spaghetti jollof are on the menu at Jollof Vibe, a West African eatery operating out of a dark shared kitchen in Kensington.
It’s a courageous move to build a Melbourne food business around jollof, the tomato-laced rice dish that is the subject of great discussion, debate and delight in West Africa.
Even though this dish has many different variations and is fiercely contested in West African communities, most people here aren’t yet sure if they prefer Ghanaian jollof (jasmine rice and ginger) or Nigerian jollof (spiced and smoky basmati rice) or something else altogether. Evette Quoibia is working to increase awareness of a cult staple while serving delicious dinners.
I first encountered Evette in 2023 when she was running La Gout Afrique, a little restaurant out of a Reservoir milk bar, where she cooked food that represented her Liberian heritage, and migration journey through Cote d’Ivoire and Ghana. She went on to attempt a world record for continuous cooking, chopping and stirring for six days straight.
Now she’s deep in jollof in a dark kitchen in Kensington. Ordering is online, and most orders are takeaway but there are a few tables in the roller-doored garage where it’s possible to have a very casual eat-in dining experience.
Whether you eat here or take food home, you need to make some hard decisions. The true jollof war is between Ghana and Nigeria, so that’s the key face off. Otherwise, there’s spicy Liberian jollof with beans, corn and carrot studding the rice, or the one-pot feast from Senegal, usually considered the birthplace of jollof, with broken rice surrounded by eggplant, cabbage and pumpkin.
Maybe you’d like to try Evette’s own creations. The Wisdom jollof is fried with egg and fresh tomato, and coconut jollof is studded with colourful capsicum, enriched with coconut cream and served with lamb chops. There’s even spaghetti jollof, with pasta subbed in for rice.
They’re all great: bold, hearty and fortifying. I love the smokiness of the Nigerian jollof, I can never go past spicy spaghetti, and I’m also a fan of attieke jollof, an Evette invention of fried fish served with nutty, satisfying cassava cous cous with tomato and onion.
Puff-puffs are a classic West African street sweet. These small doughnuts are made out the back by Puff Puff King but you can order them directly from Jollof Vibe, too. They come with all kinds of hip flavours – Oreo, Bueno, Nutella – but my favourite is the plain so you can concentrate on the fluffy sweetness. They’re best eaten straight away.
I’m not snobby about takeaway but Jollof Vibe is too good to be hidden in a dark kitchen. The concept is so communal, it’s a shame the eating experience isn’t – or at least, not yet. I’m sure you’ll join me in counting the days until Evette Quoibia has a proper restaurant setting to showcase her excellent food and exuberant energy.
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