Ordered:
Malt (~$4)…read moreMango Juice (~$5)
Chicken Suya (~$15)
Street Waakye (~$25): rice & beans served with gari, spaghetti, tomato stew and black sauce (shito); fried fish and goat stew
Jollof Queen (~$25): spicy, well-seasoned tomato stew rice served with salad, sweet plantains, and chicken
Aya's take:
I'm a big fan of African cuisine and this was my first time at a sit-down Ghanian restaurant! They have a DJ so if you're looking to vibe while enjoying Ghanian food, this could be the spot. It was my first time trying Malt and the best way I can describe it is it tastes like molasses, slightly bitter, slightly yeasty but very mild overall. We started off with the Chicken Suya which was a bit dry and chewy but the suya seasoning made all the difference. It tastes like a blend of chili powder, ginger, garlic, onion powder, paprika, etc. It was a fine starter but definitely skippable. For entrees, we got the Street Waakye and Jollof Queen. I've had waakye (pronounced waa-che) before but this was pretty dry. The spaghetti was light and I actually liked that they used thinner noodles rather than the regular spaghetti. This dish comes with fried fish which was light, flaky, and moist. The real winner was the goat stew. I'm salivating just thinking about it! You get the essence of tomato, the tenderness and slight gamey flavor from the goat, and the thick and luscious sauce that was an explosion of flavors. I even dipped the boiled egg into the sauce which was unbelievably satisfying. The jollof rice from the Jollof Queen was cooked way better than the waakye. It was moist, well-seasoned, and didn't really need anything added to be good. I loved the sweet plantains and the chicken was also well-prepared. Considering how much jollof rice there was and that it was ~$25, they could've given more than 2 pieces of chicken. Overall, it was a pretty good meal! When the bill came, I saw there was an automatic 18% gratuity added which is totally fine considering we were a party of 7. However, they then pointed out that this wasn't tip and was a fee for "the table". I eat out a lot and never in my life have I heard of this. We ended up adding another 10% on top of that. They also charge a 3% credit card fee. I don't agree with them trying to squeeze out more money from customers who are already coming and spending money; this is definitely not the norm anywhere else I've been. Not too many restaurants in NYC serving Ghanaian cuisine but you'll enjoy some traditional dishes here.