Hawa Restaurant

SÉNÉGAL 🇸🇳

The intention on this chilly afternoon in late January was to dine at African American Best Food, which had firmly been living on the to do map for a few years. One attempt came during a renovation, another had been made on an unannounced closed day. As of a month ago, it was completely gone.

Since a new place with a similar menu had quickly taken over the space, Senegalese lunch was still possible. The staff here said that the new team had nothing to do with the old, a completely new endeavor. Onward marches New York City, as always.

A few almonds at each table.

As with most West African restaurants around town, it is best to ask what is available before looking over the menu, especially at lunch. On this day there were just three options at around 13:00, and the atmosphere made it seem like no customers came before this time. Maybe do not show up too early.

Thankfully one of the options was exactly what was desired on this day, thiebu djen ($12.99, below). Meaning "rice and fish" literally, this fish and rice dish is one of the staples of Sénégal, enjoyed throughout the country. Their very light djolof rice is excellent here and sets the baseline for the plate.

There may not be a more filling and satisfying meal then thiebu djen, with fish stewed in tomato sauce and placed over the rice with carrot, cassava, and white cabbage. Do take care with that scotch bonnet pepper, as even just dragging it through the rice leaves a nice trail of heat.

The rest of the West African menu, when available, is basic for a Senegalese restaurant in town. What might be a bit of a surprise, but not when considering a desire to expand the customer base, is the items of Caribbean descent like oxtail and curry goat.

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HARLEM Manhattan
410 Lenox Avenue

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Chez Adja

SÉNÉGAL 🇸🇳

In a location that has not seen much luck for a couple Sri Lankan restaurants that have briefly lived here, a new West African kitchen has decided to give it a go. Chez Adja specifically states a specialization in Senegalese foods, the cuisine of the head chef. But the restaurant also has a back page on the menu full of Nigerian options, a product of hiring the Nigerian chef that used to work at now shuttered Wazobia. This bodes well for business though, as many in the neighborhood are Nigerian.

On our first go we stuck with the Senegalese parts, excited to see a cuisine in Staten Island that has not been represented before. The menu is typical of what you see at similar restaurants in Harlem or Fulton Street in Brooklyn, a rotating lunch menu each day and a larger amount available for dinner nightly. Typical of those restaurants as well, it is better to talk to the chef before setting your heart on something, as many options will be "finished" even if it seems you are the first customers.

After settling on the poisson braise (grilled fish), the poisson frite ($15, above, fried fish) arrived looking just fine. They serve two types of mustard sauce here, one with raw onions and the other with cooked onions which reduces much sweeter. Both are excellent and should be used liberally.

A side of rice or couscous is offered for both the fish and debe grilled ($13, below), small hunks of lamb cooked over fire. This is the first time I have seen the meat served separate from the mustard sauce, even in Sénégal, but it is easy enough to do the combination yourself. It also came with both sauces, so this gives you the opportunity to pick one or the other.

To be fair to the really good restaurants uptown and in Brooklyn and the Bronx, I would not alter plans to go there first, but it is great to see more cuisines being made available on Staten Island for the growing African populations here. Depending on which chef is in on any given night, it might be worth switching between the two cuisines.

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TOMPKINSVILLE Staten Island
226 Bay Street

Map of Eat the World NYC:

Pikine

SENEGAL 🇸🇳
GAMBIA 🇬🇲

Often times when there is news from a country that does not always make the front page here, it causes me to schedule an outing to eat their food. Other times, the news just happens by coincidence. In between visits to Pikine, a Senegalese restaurant in Harlem, I noticed the over two decades serving president of Gambia was defeated in an election, with street revelling photos to go along with the story.

Pikine is a small six table establishment run by three Senegalese women. Two are visible and run the dining room and another is in the kitchen. This third woman briefly came out for a break in her apron, revealing herself as head chef. As in Senegal, I never saw a man cooking. On our first visit, a mixed couple with child and two groups of Senegalese men were dining alongside us.

My dining companion arrived before me starving and ordered a plate of fataya ($7, below), fried pastries with ground fish. Nems ($7, not pictured), another "appetizer" that has it origins from Senegalese soldiers fighting for the French in Vietnam and bringing home wives, was never available during our visits.

It does not get more classic than thiebou djeun ($12, below), the "rice and fish" dish that is Senegal's pride and joy. The version here is served with a full accoutrement, the fanciest plate you may find in Dakar. Surrounding the rice are root vegetables, spicy pastes, crispy dry rice, a wedge of lime, and a very spicy pepper. The fish is full of zest from citrus and herbs, and almost melts in your mouth from freshness. It may almost seem cliché, but thiebou djeun is a great way to begin understanding Senegalese cuisine.

Mafe is always a favorite, but on a Sunday it was unavailable so we instead ordered a bowl of sulukhu ($12, below), another peanut butter stew served with lamb, fish, and okra. The first flavor that hits is smoke, while the textures in general are silky. Scoops of the white rice and soup seem made for each other.

Also of note is the thiebou guinar ($12, below), a grilled chicken with mustard sauce served over rice with vegetables. This is thoroughly enjoyable as well, although asking for some more of the sauce might behoove you.

Also on the menu, and the "Gambian" reason for being here is domoda ($12, not pictured), the national dish of the country written about on Eating in Translation. On these two meals and another attempt in between visits, it was unfortunately never available. After the third, Yahya Jammeh, the aforementioned president of Gambia has decided to reject the election results and the country is in turmoil. Seems like the news might be current for a good amount of time.

When another customer overheard me asking about domoda, he asked if I had been to Senegal. I said I had but never had the chance to try the dish, which is eaten in both. If my fortunes ever change, I will of course update the post here.

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HARLEM Manhattan

243 West 116th Street

Map of Eat the World NYC:

Le Baobab Gouygui Restaurant

SENEGAL 🇸🇳
GAMBIA 🇬🇲

As most restaurants on 116th Street either modernize or move on as new residents move in, Le Baobab Gouygui is a very welcome respite, a bustling room full of West Africans on their phones and chatting together. The feeling is more like a community center or neighbor's home, and from the looks of it, it's the most loved traditional kitchen remaining on the street. Gouygui is the Wolof for "the baobab," making their focus quite apparent.

I always love being around Wolof speakers, because it sounds like surprise everywhere. Their word for "yes" sounds a lot like the English word "wow." A man on his phone at the next table was constantly surprised by the things whomever he was talking to was saying.

Daily lunches rotate, four or five different dishes on each day. If you arrive after 2 or 3pm, there may only be one or two of these choices remaining.

The restaurant has also opened a branch in Brooklyn, On Fulton Street near Bedford Avenue, another location that is home to a decent number of West Africans.

When the two of us showed up at the 116th location at 4pm, the place did have a sense of transition, and we were told of the four usual Monday lunches, they were out of the thiebu djen, a classic rice and fish dish that never disappoints, and suppu kandja, an okra sauce that comes loaded with lamb and fish.

Thankfully the two dishes they did have were both excellent, starting with the thiu poisson ($12, below, may read "thiou au poisson" on other menus), which has a whole on-the-bone tilapia under a spicy tomato stew with vegetables and onions. The spices, not to be underestimated, are subtle at first but get the mouth going pretty quickly. The white rice is a good counterpoint to the stew.

Fatty hunks of on-the-bone lamb surround a big portion of fried rice on a plate of thiebu yapp ($12, below). The rice has vegetables and small hunks of more lamb cooked into it, and is served with a side of the delicious mustard vinegar lemon sauce that you see with many West African meat dishes like dibi (available for dinners).

A note about that pepper you see on most Senegalese dishes: Be careful with it. What looks like a Scotch bonnet, this guy spreads his "love" even when it brushes other things on your plate. Even if you like your food hot, cut this into very small pieces and approach with caution.

Le Baobab also makes drinks and dessert, so take a look into the refrigerated case and grab a couple beverages if you like sweetness. They have a ginger drink, as well as bouye and sorrel ($3 each, below). Of note is the bouye, something I had not tried before even in Senegal. This is made from powdered baobab fruit, and has a sweet taste like candy. It hints slightly towards chemicals, but I think this is only because I had no reference point for the sweetness of this fruit. It is definitely worth the try! We inquired a bit further and were directed across the street to the small grocery and fish market which carries the powder. Apparently full of health, one of these $5 bags came home with us to be mixed into morning smoothies.

Also in the refrigerator, and perfect to take home if you're completely stuffed, is their fine thiakry ($4, below), a millet-based sweet dessert that is something like rice pudding. We ate ours plain, but it is encouraged to sprinkle on cinnamon or some small hunks of fruit as desired.

On Friday lunch, don't miss the domoda yapp, a peanut stew somewhat similar to maffe that happens to be the national dish of neighboring Gambia. They eat this in Senegal as well, and no one in the kitchen hails from Gambia as far as I could discern, but for a taste of this tiny (yet currently very newsworthy) country, this could be your spot.

[UPDATES 2017/2018: The following photos are from two visits to the Brooklyn location]

Lunch service:

Dinner service:

Thiebou yapp

Brochettes de poulet

Debe

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HARLEM Manhattan

120 West 116th Street

Map of Eat the World NYC:

Keur Coumba #2

SENEGAL 🇸🇳

[UPDATE: The Bronx location written about here has closed. The original location on West 116th Street in Harlem is still open and fabulous.]

There is a #1 in the city as well, down in Harlem on West 116th Street amongst many other West African restaurants. This outpost is special though in the northern reaches of the Bronx in a neighborhood more known for its Caribbean inhabitants, a chance to stand out from the crowd.

Early by more than an hour to meet a friend, I walked in to scope out the place and got weird (but friendly) looks when I asked about specific Senegalese dishes. "How do you know thieboudienne?" asked a patron scarfing down a whole fish with his bare hands. The place seemed to have their game together on first glance, and I walked out excited about my upcoming meal, past a man tearing apart a greasy paper bag full of goat meat known as dibi.

I walked a block away and wandered into a Jamaican bar full of men ready to give me equally strange and friendly looks for showing up. The evening was perfect already and by the time I left I was bought one shot from the man next to me and one from the bar. Along with my two Jamaican beers, I almost stumbled out to dinner. Thankfully this city is full of such opportunities, to really feel like you are traveling and to receive the full hospitality of strangers in another land, even if you are only a couple blocks from a 2 train station.

The aforementioned thieboudienne (above) is Senegal's national dish, a bed of rice topped with fish and cooked vegetables. The rice and fish are the central focus of this dish, which actually translates from Wolof to "rice and fish." Here it is made to perfection, the meat of the fish, the sauce, the soft vegetables. As always, one very spicy pepper is plopped on top which can be minced and mixed or avoided altogether.

Served exactly as if you were in Senegal

After seeing other lone diners chowing on it, and tasting it myself, my biggest recommendation here is the dibi. When you order a portion, it comes inside a greasy paper bag (above) and is served with a side salad.

One thing that disagreed with me a bit while in Senegal was the constant aroma of freshly slaughtered goat, which made experiences in a dibiterie start off slightly uncomfortably for my foreign nose. Most places are takeout, and once that bag of cooked meat was handed over, the meal could be enjoyed back at home. Here in the Bronx, you can avoid the slaughtering bit and go right for the meat.

Mustard is cooked into the meat with onions and once everything is ready, it is chopped up into bite sized pieces (below), but still make sure to bite slowly to avoid the bones. It comes with an extra side of mustard and a small container of delicious hot sauce that especially resonated with my friend, who asked for another to take home.

As the train rumbles by outside, West African men continuously stream in and out to pick up their takeout. A few dine in the restaurant, but that seems to be secondary business here. The ones that do though will be happy to start a chat with you though, making sure you are keen on the food from their home country. A great place to make some new friends.

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OLINVILLE Bronx

3835 White Plains Road

Africa Kine Restaurant

SENEGAL

[UPDATE: Africa Kine has moved to a new location away from the epicenter of Harlem's gentrification. It is now located at 2267 7th Avenue, near 133rd Street. For photos from the new location, scroll to bottom.]

A walk down the mountain of stairs in Morningside Park in Harlem is perhaps one of the most distinct changes in atmosphere possible in Manhattan. At the top of the stairs, the Ivy League university of Columbia, with its proud old buildings and campus courtyards. Young people scurrying this way and that or tanning in the lawn. Three minutes later, at the bottom of the stairs, one is thrust into the very different atmosphere of 116th Street, a distinctly West African part of New York City.

The noises are different, louder. The accents are French, and Wolof, and Bambara. The colors are brighter, the clothes flashier, and the people more sensual. The smells are sweet and spicy, and very alluring.

As the sun was setting to the west over Morningside Park and Columbia University, we decided to settle into a popular, yet cozy restaurant. My apologies for the photos, the interiors had almost no light. It was not the eyes that were necessary for this wonderful eating experience though. And how can you go wrong with an eatery that boasts such amenities like a coat check, a carryout window!, and even a "grand" ballroom downstairs!

At Africa Kine Restaurant the focus is on the cuisine of Senegal and is not so aspiring as the name might allude to, but that always equates to better food, as pan-anything restaurants are thoroughly mediocre in everything. And let's be honest, a menu with all the food of Earth's most diverse continent would be nothing short of insane.

The women serving us are beautiful, and beautifully wardrobed, in very bright dresses native to Dakar. We have many questions about the food, and all are answered with depth and friendliness. We are disappointed that the national dish of thiebu djen ($12) is only available at lunchtime, but are more than satisfied with our eventual selections, starting with the poisson grillé ($14, above), which is served with an excellent onion relish/sauce, part mustard and part pepper spices. The fish is obviously cared for, as every morsel inside is tender and marinated to perfection.

Our other dish is dibi ($14, below), grilled lamb also served with the same sauce. Unfortunately it turned out too tough and required a lot of jaw work. I will look forward to going across the street another day to the Dibiterie Cheikh, which sounds more promising in the world of dibi.

The dessert menu was less than exciting, so we decided to take our search for sweets to the nearby candy stores catering to West African sweet tooths.

[UPDATE: Some photos from a January 2017 meal]

Bouye ($4), made from the fruit of the baobab tree.

Nems ($8), spring rolls of Vietnamese origin now common in Senegal.

Thu curry ($12) served with chicken despite the menu saying lamb.

Fish yassa ($12) with lemon and onions.

HARLEM Manhattan
2267 7th Street