The Voodoo Jerk Truck - You aren’t what you eat!

Gastrology bloggers dined courtesy of The Voodoo Jerk Truck.

Jabili Mchawala of Jabili’s Kitchen is turning up the heat with some mind-blowingly good Jamaican fare which features Jamaican jerk spice which is hot, packs a flavourful punch and can be rubbed on pretty much anything.

After absolutely loving Jabili’s Monday night African Feast, we were excited to try the new Jamaican food on offer.

Jerk Pork Ribs

Full plate - grilled jerk spiced ribs, mint yoghurt, salsa & cornbread 

The traditional Jerk Pork Ribs were absolutely delicious. These were expertly prepared and had juicy, succulent flesh. The outstanding ribs were crusted with a flavoursome spice mix and then perfectly fried to achieve a moreish crunchy exterior.  

The accompanying corn bread was more than just a side show. Charred, stacked, and with Escoveech and tamarind sauce, we savoured every bite. It was an unpretentious creation that was particularly memorable for its addictive sweetness and gritty texture.

Island Fried Chicken

The deep fried chicken (that had been thoughtfully deboned) had crisp outer skin and mouth-watering juicy flesh. Served with rum pickled veg and preserved lemon sauce which possessed a distinct depth of flavour that is far more alluring than your run-of-the-mill sauce, it was absolutely delicious. 

Caribbean Salad

An enlivening salad of creamy Junkanoo dressing, tangy pickled onions, fresh coriander and almond slivers to flavour beautifully roasted cauliflowers, the salad was a medley of exciting flavours and textures which will appeal to even the most carnivorous individuals.

Located behind Mr Wow's Emporium and Los Barbudos, Jabili’s food truck is bringing the bold, Jamaican jerks flavours to Fitzroy and resembles a yard you'd find in Jamaica. Grab a keg table and listen to the old school reggae delights pumping from their vintage AIWA boom box. However you have it, this jerk is hearty for winter and perfect for summer. 

What: Jamaican food

Where: Jabili's Kitchen @ Mr Wow's Emporium, 97b Smith Street,  Fitzroy - Enter via Smith Street through either Mr Wow’s Emporium or Los Barbudos and follow the neon food signs. 

Phone: 0421 483 464

Jabili has decided to keep his Monday Feast, where you can share five African flavours, injera bread and pickled veg for just $35 for two people. Read more about that here.

Monday Night African Feast from Jabili's Kitchen @ Mr Wow's Emporium

Gastrology bloggers dined courtesy of Jabili's Kitchen.

Jabili's Kitchen is spicing up Monday nights at Mr Wow’s Emporium by introducing its new Monday Night Feast for two.

The Jabili’s Kitchen food truck is located at the back of iconic Mr Wow’s Emporium. 

Mr Wow’s Emporium serves an array of fine drinks. Best known for their cocktails ranging from classic favourites to the more exotic, Mr Wow also serves a selection of premium spirits, liqueurs, single malts, house-made bitters, fine-aged rum and wines. 

Mains: Braised goat in a tamarind ‘mannish water’ sauce; Sautéed baby squid with harissa tabouleh; Roast eggplant and tomato salad with a lemon & tahini dressing; Spice cous cous with saffron, currants, apricot & toasted almonds; Charred cauliflower in dukkah spice with a tamarind sauce

Condiments: Red onion ceviche, pickled cucumber, smoked pine nut satsivi, warmed injera bread

A delicious combination of five modern African flavours with accompaniments like injera bread and smoked pine nut satsivi, the feast is a sight to behold.

Both the vegetarian and meat dishes were delicious.

Our favourite vegetarian dish was the Charred cauliflower in dukkah spice with a tamarind sauce. It displayed a depth and complexity in flavour and had a lovely hint of sweetness that complemented the overall savouriness of the dish. 

The meat dishes were, like all of dishes we feasted upon, hearty. The braised goat in a tamarind ‘mannish water’ sauce was a particular standout. Each morsel was cooked to the point where the meat simply melted in our mouths. The flavours from the herbs and spices were unique and very enjoyable to eat.

The beautifully made injera which we used to pick up bites of the little dishes was the perfect canvas for the rich and spicy flavours.

The platter is a great introduction to African food and was simply delicious. Reasonably priced at $35 for two people, the Monday night African feast is a compelling proposition especially over a cocktail or two!

What: Monday Night African Feast 

Where: Jabili's Kitchen @ Mr Wow's Emporium, 97b Smith Street,  Fitzroy
Phone: 0421 483 464

Restaurant Review: Nyala

Location: Level one, 356 Brunswick Street, Fitzroy
Phone: 03 9419 9128
Cuisine: African
Overall Impression: 6.5/10

Nyala African restaurant is a brilliant African restaurant on Brunswick Street. Don’t let the entrance deter you from entering though. It certainly looks a little scary on the outside (all you can see is a dirty glass door and a flight of stair behind it) but should you dare to enter, you will find at the top, a charming African restaurant. 

The décor is unmistakably African influenced. Cotton fabrics with floral-like motives adorn the tables and African themed paintings brighten the pale white walls. The ceiling is wood with fans hanging from them. There is a glorious array of colours from the lantern-like lights and it seriously puts you in the mood for an African feast.

Mountain Bread

J and I were disappointed to find out that you needed at least a table of four to have the banquet but we soon realised we could make our own little banquet if we chose the “combination” entrees and mains.

Mixed Combination Entree of Baboutie, Deberja, Ful and Lentils

For entrée we chose the Mixed Combination (any Four combination of dips and entrees) – We chose the Baboutie, Deberja, Ful and Lentils. Our favourite was the Baboutie which is a South African specialty made from mincemeat, fruit Chutney, sultanas, almonds and other spices. It was full of flavour and went beautifully with the delicately thin mountain bread it was served with. There was depth and complexity in the flavour of the Baboutie. It had a hint of sweetness that complemented the overall savouriness of the dish. The almonds added a nice textural element to the dish and the spices brought a lovely flavour and were well balanced. Like all of our courses, it was also very hearty. It was certainly the highlight of our evening.

Meat Mixed Combination Main

For mains we chose a combination of meat and vegetarian courses. Our meat courses consisted of Kuku Na Nazi (A Kenyan dish of chicken, coconut, curry and mild spices), Beg Tibs (Marinated and spiced lamb sizzling cubes sautéed with fresh Tomato, Rosemary and white wine) and Nyala Special (a traditional Ethiopian stew of lean, boneless beef, finely chopped fresh ginger, garlic and homemade peri peri with other spices). These were all good and had very familiar flavours (they reminded me a lot of Indonesian and Indian curries) but we were surprisingly full from our entrées to really enjoy this. It was strange but we found the food to be very substantial even though the serving sizes were relatively normal. In fact, we took away what we couldn’t finish for lunch the next day and experienced the same thing!  

Vegetarian Mixed Combination Main

Our Vegetarian dishes included Furari (a Tanzanian vegetarian dish of cabbage, potato, carrot and seasonal vegetables cooked with mild spices, topped with coconut milk) and Gomen (freshly cooked silver beet and potatoes with garlic, ginger and other spices). These were delicious. They really do know how to immerse and infuse flavour into their vegetables. Each vegetarian dish was different in flavour but they all shared one thing in common - all the vegetables had been cooked to the point where they simply melted in your mouth and were incredibly tender. The flavours from the herbs and spices were unique and very enjoyable to eat. 

Couscous

Injera

The Injera that we were served was beautifully light and fluffy and sponged up the delicious sauces from our mains.
As full as we were, J and I did not want to leave without having tasted their desserts.  I preferred the Tafach Mooz over the Sweet couscous but neither of the two truly impressed. Although pleasant to eat, the desserts were very one dimensional in flavour.

Sweet couscous – Morrocan speciality. Delicious fine semolina dish, served with slivered almonds, sultanas, icing sugar, unsalted butter and served with ice cream.

Tafach Mooz – East African favourite. An exotic name for “sweet bananas”, is a product of layers of bananas, brown sugar, cream cheese and cinnamon, lightly baked.

Overall, this was a very enjoyable dining experience. I only wish the dishes were not as filling because it was difficult to resist the temptation to overeat even though I could feel my body telling me I had had more than enough. Apart from that minor detail, the service was warm and friendly, the ambience was great and the food was more than satisfying. I will certainly be back again (so I can get my hands on more Baboutie and Injera).