Mama Ashanti: Devoted to authentic African foods

Eric Omenda is the Public Relations Officer of Kenya Tourism Board (KTB) and one of the foods he fell in love with during his visit to Lagos last year was Jollof rice and plantain. For him, it is a classic Nigerian food and he never ceases to advertise it to his fellow Kenyans and anyone else who cares.

It was not surprising then that during my recent visit to Kenya in the company of two other Nigerians (Kimani and Gbemisola) and a Ghanaian, Gilbert Abeiku Aggrey, courtesy KTB, Omenda all through the six days stay, sang gloriously about Mama Ashanti, an African themed restaurant, where he eats Jollof rice and plantain with delight.

We finally got the opportunity to visit Mama Ashanti Restaurant for lunch on the last day of our stay in Nairobi. Located in Muthangari Gardens in the Lavington axis of the city, Mama Ashanti is really more than what Omenda has been crowing about.

A serene and beautifully laid out scenery with attractive structures as well, the restaurant was already in full session this Friday afternoon, with other diners seated in the bar, the lounge and outdoor garden, feasting their favourite meals with delight and relish.

We sat at the lounge section to one of the bars while the attendant look out for a table for five as the outdoor garden area was already occupied. But minutes later, he succeeded in moving us to a more comfortable canopy with a table for five.

Quietly, one took in the environment, cool, lovely and attractive as well as pleasing, I must say. Then the waiter came around with the menu docket and here is the real surprise: All the foods listed from the starters, main dishes to the desserts, are all African, not just African but West African and not just West African but truly recognisable Nigerian meals.

Everyone was wowed by this discovery including Abeiku, the Ghanaian in our midst, who is also very familiar with Nigerian foods. The looks on Omenda face said it all with him smiling as he observed us, Nigerians, studying and scrutinising the menu list deeply to be sure that indeed, it was truly Nigerian foods. Name it, from Omenda’s famous Jollof rice and plantain, egusi, okra and ogbono soups to fish, chicken and goat meat pepper soups and even suya among others lifted out from the menu list.

For all you care, this could jolly well be any Nigerian posh restaurant in any part of the country. Could this be real, we seemed to say to one other as we quietly made our orders? I ordered for goat meat pepper soup same with Omenda while Abeiku, Kimani and Gbemisola ordered for grilled fish for starters while for main dish everyone else ordered for Jollof rice and plantain while I ordered for pounded yam and equsi soup, with goat meat.

Minutes later the starters arrived and you could feel the jaw drops as silent descended on our table, and suddenly, everyone trying to outplay the other with comments of how nice and spicy it was from the first spoon. When finally the main dish arrived, the taste, the feel and look were perfect as you could perceive the serenading aroma and flavours.

Good home cooking and truly authentic Nigerian food it was in faraway Nairobi was the verdict from Kimani, Gbemisola and me. Then the reporter instinct in one came alive as one went in search of the operators of the restaurant and was introduced to one of the directors, Mrs. Afum Matta, a Nigerian from Kogi State, but now resides in Nairobi with her family.

According to Matta, Mama Ashanti is a venture between her husband and herself and Kwame Boateng, a Ghanaian, who once ran a restaurant with the same name in Uganda. Matta and her husband, who had once lived in Uganda before relocating to Kenya, used to patronise the restaurant for some African home cooking.

The hunger for real African meal, is according to Matta, what gave birth to Mama Ashanti in September last year. “When we moved to Kenya we missed the good food,” she says, adding that “a few years later the founder of Mama Ashanti Restaurant, Boateng, relocated to Kenya and we decided to partner with him to create the restaurant.

“We knew that being Nigerians we would be able to boost the Nigerian side of the restaurant more than what it was in Uganda so that we can make more of a complete West Africa restaurant.”

Under one year, the restaurant has fully established itself and has become a household name where you can savour the best of Nigerian, West African and African meals including drinks as Nigerian Zobo and Chapman cocktail are served here.  By the way, Chapman drink was created by a Nigerian, late Apostle Samuel Alamutu but not many people know this and give him the credit because it appeared not to have been patented by him.

She reveals plans to introduce palm wine and tamarine drinks later in the month.

Besides, Mama Ashanti offers a spot to relax and be entertained as it has among others a private room, two bars, outdoor garden and a lounge, which is known as Eko Lounge. It is sound proof and fitted with pictures and paintings of different Lagos sceneries.

It offers live entertainment and it is also fast becoming a family venue for many as it host families to different events, ranging from wedding reception, birthday parties, baby showers to naming ceremonies. It also has weekend programmes for the family and Sunday shows and play ground fitted with such amenities as bouncing castles.

Also, you can get to enjoy Imani Sounds, a musical show on Saturday beginning from 12noon till 6pm and Sunday buffet between 12.30pm and 4.30pm for adults and children.

According to Matta, Mama Ashanti opens on weekdays between 11am and 11pm while on weekends it operates between 11am and 1pm or 2pm depending on patronage.

“It has been amazing even more than we expected. We have had a lot of positive responses from the Kenyans because they have heard a lot about Nigerian foods,” she says, while also acknowledging the fact that Nigerians have also supported and encouraged the dream project.

“Nigerians like it, they are excited about it and they own it. You know that as Nigerians we have a very strong sense of affinity for one other especially when we are outside the country. We have a lot of supporters, people who take pride in the place and feel that we are Nigerians and this is our place. We get a huge crowd from the Nigerians living here and those passing through.”

Just like us visiting based on Omenda’s recommendation.

A full meal and even with a lot left over for takeaway, she says, is pocket friendly as she puts the rate at about, 1, 500 Kenyan Shillings (About N3,000). She sees to the Nigerian recipes, ingredients and quality control while Boateng and the head chef, Fred, who is also a Ghanaian, see to the Ghanaian end and together they train the staff of the restaurant.

“Our plan is to really get the system running perfectly here, make customer service excellent and eventually we open more branches here and then we move to other parts of Africa,” informs Matta of future plans, adding that “eventually we want it to be like a franchise, a household name, we want to be known for West African foods all round Africa.”