Amala: Straight From Heaven

IYA OYO...now this is a buka that has attained cult status among #Abuja #amala lovers. From the itinerant worker to the student, from civil servants to bankers and Oil&Gas Industry workers in flashy rides; this none-too-clean buka has come to represent more than just a restaurant. The knowing smile of acknowledgement shared by colleagues and friends when 'Iya Oyo" is mentioned is quite simply bizarre. Only +Coca-Cola with Coke can trump this. Lol.

Proud Sign! Iya Oyo...Amala's Birthplace

Ok, so I exaggerated. But it's quite a wonder how popular this place is. Formerly situated in a rather seedy looking place in Utako, Iya Oyo has moved to Wuye District. And like groupies of +Miley Cyrus or +Madonna we have followed with our cars and our phones and other gadgets to spread the news of the new location.

Looks like the road to a bush market, lol

Iya Oyo...in all its dust-covered glory

Is it a great place to try out for the uninitiated? That, it is. Caveat though, it's not the foyer of Dubai's Burj Al Arab nor is there any attempt to be any more than it is....a 'come chop, pay, go' buka. Comfort is not on the menu and style is not in a hurry to visit. The road all the way to the entrance isn't tarred so you'd better have all windows wound up or your hair and nostrils will have a fine film of dust by the time you get to your destination.

And then you get there. If like me you go before rush hour which starts at about 11am and can last until around 3, you get to park almost at the entrance. For a first timer, the red dust coating the tarp which covers the buka can be a bit of  shocker. DO NOT LET THAT DETER YOU!



Bokoto, fukufuku, roundabout, shaki, etc.

On getting there, you make your way to the service station. You place your order after having picked out your 'stainless steel' bowl (or plastic take out bowl as appropriate), choose what you want and having been served by some of the surliest women in the nation (not every day though), you make your way to slight less surly cashier, pay the fare and choose a spot to seat.

 

As tasty as it is colorful

Here, my friends, is where the journey to hot, tasty, mouth watering, salivary-gland-gushing heaven starts!!! See, I've done amala in various places. In Ikeja, Falomo, Jos, Aiyetoro Gbede, and a number of places in Abuja but nothing holds a candle to this. It's regular old amala, normal ewedu, same old gbegiri.

 

And of course its the same assortment of meats; the ever delightfully soft orishirishi. These are the same as in every amala joint across Naija, right? Wrong!!! I don't know what Iya Oyo does but the amala just tastes divine and the 'roundabout' (piece of a cow's large intestine)is always just the right degree of soft.

 

 

The smile....she knows, yes she does

S.A.T.I.S.F.A.C.T.I.O.N

You have a small piece of roundabout n the corner of your mouth, you chew on it a little and take two swallows of amala before you continue to chew.....'Masterchef' dishes couldn't possibly taste this good. To crown the goodness, you take long pulls on the just-perfectly-chilled bottle of coke (the glass bottle I tell you, not the plastic whose contents taste like they were boiled). Bliss!

 

Ok, before I start to drool unto my computer, here are the official reviews:

LOCATION/: 4/10. Wuye District as far I can tell, has only one entrance and exit and that means that wherever you are in Abuja, you have to get to the Julius Berger (popularly called Berger in case you're taking a cab or hipping buses) and continue from there. There are no shorter routes. That's annoying especially considering that the previous Utako location meant you could always take a different route if one was busy.
AMBIENCE/SCENERY: 3/10. Granted, it's not meant to be an upscale restaurant but the 'German Floor' and the bare earth around means that there's constantly a dust taste and feel in the air. Plus the very, very dirty tarp and the dry farmland just across as well as the puppies yelping occasionally in the background aren't exactly soothing.
SERVICE: 4/10. Sullen, surly, scowling girls put you instinctively on the defensive. If you get to a dirty table and ask that it be cleaned, you may get half the dirt on you . The waitresses (that's laughable here) couldn't be bothered to look while swiping the dirt unto the floor.
COST: 8/10. Each amala ball costs 100 bucks, each piece of meat the same. I'd like to see any restaurant try to beat that! As McHammer used to say, 'you can't touch this'. I'd have given a 10 but not too long ago the amala balls were smaller and the pieces of beef smaller sized and perfectly fried. Not everyone likes their meals in small interesting looking portions though, so this is strictly me being me.
TASTE etc.: Really?! Do I really have to say anything else? 9/10. This is by far the best of #soulfood Abuja has in buka form. Always hot, always soft, always delicious. I just don't fancy the amount of oil I see. That's enough to line your intestines forever. But that's a teeny weeny drawback.
This Vs. Others: Would I go back? Erm, I followed Iya Oyo from Utako. Need I say more? I also absolutely love the rice and beans with real Yoruba stew. Comparng Iya Oyo against other bukas is a tad premature. I haven't been to other bukas since starting to review. There's a new amala joint my friends and I want to go try out. You'll definitely be the first to know how that stacks up against the legendary Iya Oyo. For now, this is dedicated to +Waju Xavier , +nandak datok  , +uche odunze and the Iya Oyo groupies in Abuja: +Chidimma Ibe +Enigma joe +Joy Olaye +Joy Olatunde +Ivie Inegbedion +asemota efeosa +Aondona Orti .....long may the affliction continue, LOL



buh-bye for now

 xoxo

nk


IYA OYO deets
..Wuye District. Abuja
cell: 08039662370 // 08055269557



 

Woks & Koi Chinese Cuisine....my take

So, it's the first review in the brand new year. Happy New Year! Here's to a year of trolling hangouts and saying just about anything that comes to mind. Yippee!!!!!!.

Woks & Koi has a restaurant in Silverbird and a little place in Wuse 2. I'd been to the former about a year ago and well, it's a nice enough place. This review however, is about my recent trip to the Wuse 2 place.

Woks & Koi Chinese Cuisine is, as the name says, a Chinese restaurant. So you have the various noodles and veggie sauces, the egg/shrimp fried rice, sweet and sour sauce.....you get the idea I'm sure.

One of the cooler points about this pace for me is its size. It's small enough that a party of 15 could easily camp out. It's cozy and the colors...primarily dark hues of brown and red give the place a nicely oriental atmosphere. The lighting and seating in the Silverbird place is a lot more oriental and muted but that's a proper restaurant and this is more like a cozy Chinese hangout.

It's great for informal meetings...I had a meeting with the ever delightful and proper Kolo Kenneth Kadiri (@kolokennethk) of the popular social media brand; AdoptATweep.
I loved it as soon as I peeked in. The size and layout with the large balcony windows were an instant welcome.

Well, enough about the this and that of the why and what. Let's hear it for the food and all that jazz.
I had a few minutes before Kolo turned up so I made a beeline for a table by the windows, ordered a frosty Coke and a starter of a portion of chicken wings and Prawns in Chili Sauce with a side of egg fried rice to go. He ordered the Chicken in oyster sauce when he arrived with a side of rice and we dove in with relish.



 

Erm......did I mention we had to change seats. The awesome tables by the window wobbled a little so we moved to one by the wall. Not a bad location especially since it was neither a romantic date nor a 'bff-and-me' chatterfest.

So, a couple of hours and one of the most illuminating first meetings ever....what, if anything would I revisit Woks & Koi for????

Location: 6/10: I usually shy away from meetings in Wuse 2 on account of the horrid traffic congestion. Deciding where to go typically means you're mentally weighing traffic congestion details to decide which is likely to be the least scary before you bravely drive out of your home of office if its a midday meal. Having said that, Adetokunbo  Ademola Crescent isn't as bad as it was before the parking meters were introduced. If you can't find parking space right in front of your destination, chances are you will be able to park a couple meters away and do a dignified walk to your destination. So be careful what you wear. There are always some snazzy looking people around Wuse 2. Don't go looking like you were forgotten in the rain overnight.

Ambience/Scenery: 6/10: I liked the interior. Nothing fancy really. Neat, cozy and inviting. I'm a sucker for earth tones and the colors were immediately inviting and calming. The wobbly window table was a disappointment though but we told the management about it and hope they work on that.


Service: 5/10: I'd have loved to give a higher score but the coldest bottle of coke they had was near tepid. Only slightly cool. Come on! A crazily chilled coke makes up for any number of diet days. There has to be a law against serving drinks whose temperature doesn't make your eyes roll back in dreamy satisfaction. And as if that wasn't bad enough, I was given one of those really soft small plastic disposable cups. I mean, who does that?!!! On the flip side, our waiter was pleasant without being obsequious. You know those waiters that practically grovel in anticipation of a generous tip? Well, he wasn't that.

Cost: 7/10: I still believe that below N3,000 for a plate of food in Abuja (not buka, not hawkers) isn't a bad deal. And when that applies to prawns and the like, it just puts you in a pleasant place. However, I'm not as eager to forgive when it comes to Chicken Wings. A portion of Woks & Koi chicken wings is priced N800. That's not a bad deal I hear someone say. But not when the wings come out all rubbery and dry like they were deep fried for a day. Funny thing, beneath the rubber it tasted good. So imagine what it would have tasted like if it had been a lil more tender.

Taste: 7/10: Kolo liked his meal. You know how you can always tell when a man likes his food. They're content. Conversation flows and all is well with the world, albeit temporarily. And that has to be best ad for any restaurant 'a man came here, he ate, he left with a smile'. My chicken wings......'nuff said. The prawns I took home and hubby's 'attention to the task at hand' was as much a compliment to the chef as Kolo's had been.




So!!!! Having said all that, would I revisit or recommend Woks & Koi to another? Yeah! With other meals tasting quite good, I'd like to revisit the wings and try other dishes too, hopefully with a really cold coke and a straw or at least a nicer cup. And if you do try them out, please drop a line here and let's compare notes. They also deliver so give them a call if you don't want to drive out and let's know how your experience was.

xoxo

Nkechi

Restaurant deets

Plot 139 Adetokunbo Ademola Cr, Wuse2

Phone: 08116732054