Spice world

Global Kitchen offers a taste of Africa

by Margaret LeRoux

Global Kitchen
5 Pleasant Street, Worcester
757-3089
Mon.-Thurs. 10 a.m.-7 p.m.
Fri.-Sat. 10 a.m.-8 p.m.
No credit cards
BYOB
Handicap accessible

If you're a native of West Africa, new to Worcester, and pining for familiar food, what do you do? If you're an entrepreneur like Agbonoga Tokulah, you open a restaurant. Late last year Tokulah opened Global Kitchen in a tiny storefront off Main Street.

Though it advertises itself as African and tropical cuisine, the restaurant emphasizes the foods and seasonings familiar to the chefs -- Tokulah and his two cousins from Belize.

The decor is African too -- pretty batik tablecloths, prints, and pieces of African sculpture on the walls. Walls are painted a bright green, the upbeat music is African. On a sunny afternoon, the effect is cheerful.

A friend joined me for lunch at the Global Kitchen recently; our solicitous waiter was Isa, one of the three chefs. There are only a handful of tables in this cozy little restaurant; some customers opt for take out. We started with a bowl of peanut soup ($2.50), a creamy blend of chicken broth and ground peanuts; it was mildly spiced and very good.

The menu descriptions, though enticing, require further explanation for those unfamiliar with African cuisine. Fortunately Isa was patient with us and answered most of our questions.

One of our choices on this first visit was chicken stew ($5.99), a dish that deserves a less plebeian name. The menu describes it as "A true taste of Africa! Made with a blend of stewed, fresh vegetables, dry nuts, seeds and tasty Fulani mild spices." The piping hot stew was served in a bowl accompanied by a plate of rice and sliced potatoes. The meat was very tender as were the chopped celery, green beans, potatoes, and tomatoes. The sauce was both spicy and complex. Giving it an exotic flavor were spices and seasonings from Nigeria, including ground crawfish and shrimp powder, several varieties of pepper, and bitteleaf. My friend noted that "the flavor gets even better, the more you eat." The lightly seasoned rice and potatoes were good foils for the stew.

My choice was "healthy pasta" described as "for the health conscious consumer, our pasta is cooked with a variety of vegetables, alligator pepper, fresh tomato, basil, and Southern African spices." On the day we dined, the vegetable was fresh spinach, steamed and generously spiced, served with chopped tomatoes over chicken, and accompanied by penne pasta. I loved the spinach; the various spices gave it a savory flavor, unlike any spinach I've tasted before. There was a hint of basil, as well as other herbs and a vaguely curry-like spice. I later learned that ehiendo, a pepper-like spice was used to flavor it. I could have happily eaten another plate of it. The pasta and chicken were both very tender and less flavorful.

Other tempting choices on Global Kitchen's menu are marinated pepper beef, marinated in Kenyan spices and served thinly sliced; beans and lentils served with fresh tomatoes, cilantro, olive oil, and spices; and the vegetarian alternative, which includes four vegetables -- the selection varies according to what is fresh -- beans, rice, pasta, and African or Spanish spices.

Global Kitchen is open for lunch and early dinner; most nights it's closed by seven, but on Friday nights the curried goat and baked fish specials have developed a following, and the kitchen is open until 8 p.m. The curried goat is a favorite among his African customers, Tokulah says. "It's very hot; I make a stew that cooks for four to five hours."

"We've got a loyal group of fans," he adds. "Because we're the only African restaurant in town."

Tokulah travels to West Africa to buy supplies for the restaurant and artwork for the Global Gallery, a business he owns in Cambridge. "There's no place in the area where I could get the spices I'm used to," he says.

Because he's a vegetarian, Tokulah concentrates on the vegetables, beans, and rice; more than half the menu is meatless. Seven different rice dishes are offered, including peanut rice and Jelof ("It's an African dish -- that's the best way I can describe it.")

There's also no dessert; Tokulah claims that the cuisine of his country places little emphasis on sweets. Tea is served, but not coffee. You can choose from an assortment of soft drinks, or bring in your own wine or beer. Our bill, including two sodas, tax, and tip was $23.64.