Akwaaba brings the food of West Africa to St Kilda

Had any fufu recently? Banku or kenkey? If you're Ghanaian, you'll know these soft, tear-apart doughy balls. But if you're unfamiliar with the food of West Africa, you can visit Akwaaba for a tasty, easygoing schooling.

The St Kilda restaurant opened last November, bringing colour and life to a strip yawning with empty shops. Akwaaba spills with optimistic energy, especially on Thursdays and Saturdays when there's live African jazz. Even on quieter days, diners are beckoned by village-scene murals and a ceiling strung with calabashes (gourd-shaped percussion instruments). The food is vibrant, too.

Owner Ahmed Inusah moved from Ghana to Australia 20 years ago and he's cooked his way around Melbourne for two decades in pubs, a gourmet grocer and other modern Australian-style venues. Over time, his African food dreams percolated. But why here? "I was in St Kilda and I wanted a kebab," Inusah told me. "I walked past this shop. Something said to me, 'This is the place.'" And so it is.

The suya platter ($76), piled in gorgeous bounty on a wooden board, is a Melbourne version of a Ghanaian street-food grill. Beef and chicken pieces are marinated in suya spice, a classic but ever-tweaked mix including chilli, smoked and crushed peanuts, dawadawa (a fermented paste made from locust beans), aromatic selim pepper, anise and thyme. The meat is further suya-basted while charcoal sizzled and suya is sprinkled on top, too, making for a triple-play of layered, spicy flavours. Plantain is marinated in red chilli and ginger, then fried to sticky golden, it's delicious, crisp heat giving way to starchy softness.

The suya array comes with plain pilaf, but it would be a shame to miss jollof rice ($13). There are as many ways to prepare this tomatoey rice as there are cooks in West Africa. Akwaaba's version is based on a slow-cooked tomato and onion stew that lends piquant sweetness to the long-grain rice simmered in it.

Another platter ($35) sees spice-fried mullet cutlets alongside crunchy dried whitebait and kenkey. This traditional bread is made from maize – dried corn is soaked in water for five days to ferment – then blended, formed into a dough cake and steamed. 

Banku ($8) is similar, though it's more finely milled and is stirred in a pot to form a softer puck of dough. 

Fufu ($8) is a ubiquitous West African savoury starch cake that can be made from yam, cassava, cocoyam or – as it is here – plantain. This one isn't fermented, but devotedly stirred over heat until it gathers into a soft ball.

You'll get cutlery, but an enormous timber finger bowl sends a message. When it comes to the subtly sour and squishy breads, there's nothing as satisfying as tearing bits off and swiping them through the trio of salsas that come with many dishes; they can also be ordered separately ($3 each). There's a red habanero and red chilli paste, a brighter green capsicum and green chilli sauce and a darker concoction funked up with smoked shrimp. I'd take any of them home in a bottle.

Peanuts are a key crop in Ghana and they turn up in many dishes. Akwaaba's meal-sized peanut soup ($31) is a rich, wet curry, redolent of ginger and garlic, laced with tomato. Lamb falls from the bone into the thick spiced broth. It's another great friend to fufu.

Like everywhere, Akwaaba is hiring. At the moment, a friendly but skeleton staff means ordering and paying is via QR code. Pictures on your phone help, but if you don't know your waakye from your jollof, you might wish for more guidance.

One thing that's not obvious but will be welcome to many is that almost all the menu is gluten-free. Ghanaian food can be starchy, but the carb-loading comes more from rice, yam and corn than wheat.

Ahmed Inusah's menu is halal and he doesn't serve alcohol, though you're welcome to bring your own (corkage is minimal). The non-alcoholic drinks are good, though, and mostly made with faux spirits: I like the sobolo, a zero-proof cane liquor and hibiscus cooler ($12).

Akwaaba is humble, but there's ample ambition, too. "It's magical to be doing this," says Inusah. "African cuisine is so broad. I am still learning. I'll talk to my mum and ask her about ingredients I only know in dialect."

Of course, the owner's glow is easier to appreciate if the dining experience shapes up; luckily, the food at Akwaaba is high quality. 

Melbourne is reasonably well served for East African food – there are plenty of Ethiopian, Eritrean and Somali restaurants, mostly in the city's north and west – but West African is less seen, especially in the inner suburbs.

If Ahmed Inusah is filling his own cup while engaging the city in fufu fun, then that's a win all around.

Vibe: Vibrant West African food in a casual setting

Go-to dish: Suya platter with grilled meats, pilaf and a trio of salsas ($76 for 2-3 people)

Drinks: Non-alcoholic wines and good mocktails; BYO permitted

Cost: $80 for two, excluding drinks

This review was originally published in Good Weekend magazine