On Nigerian Cuisine
In any case, Nigerian food, unlike its Eastern African counterparts, remains a rare commodity in the restaurant world, but Berkeley can now boast to have a rare representative. Luckily, Patricia Unterman's review of the just-opened Lagosia sheds a lot of light--for us at least--on the wonders and idiosyncracies of Nigerian cuisine:
[A dining companion] professionally pulled off a wad of gluey iyan (pounded white yam), rolled it into a ball, flattened it with her fingers and used it as a scoop for efo, a spinach and goat stew. I dropped my knife and fork and did the same thing.From what we glean from the article, common ingredients in the fare include peanuts, yams, beans, various peppers and various meats--the usual goat, chicken, beef etc.This single change in the delivery system expanded the flavor, texture and tactile pleasure of eating the saucy, gently spicy dishes at Lagosia, a handsome new West African restaurant in Berkeley.
As for the actual dishes, here's what stood out:
• Scotch eggs ($4): "hard-boiled eggs encased in ground sausage, deep fried, cut into wedges and served with a sweet mayonnaise and mustard sauce"
• Suya ($6.95): "West African chicken kebabs in a spicy, ground peanut crust"
• Efo ($12.95): "... reminded me of an Indian spinach curry but with tender, mild, long-cooked goat"
• Jollof rice ($12.95): "A plate of aromatic, buttery red rice ... topped with spice-rubbed barbecued chicken with luscious fire-blackened skin"
Lagosia a nice intro to Nigerian cuisine [Examiner]
Nigerian Cuisine [Wikipedia]
Lagosia [Official Site]
