Strictly speaking this should have come before Antigua, but Aná-N'Gola has got some pretty flexible opening hours so it's a case of catching it when you can. Fortunately last Friday, having dragged a group of friends east to Newham we were in luck.
I'm becoming quite the mover and shaker among London's diplomatic circles. The woman at the Angolan Embassy probably put Texaco and De Beers on hold to give me the mobile number of a chap named 'Villa' who had a restaurant in Forest Gate. The place was completely off the radar and didn't appear on any internet searches. After several calls I finally got an answer (in Portuguese at first), they'd be open for the weekend.
Arriving was reminiscent of a wild west cantina. It was such a cliché, the shutters were all closed, apart from the door, and when the five of us finally summoned the courage to go in everyone stopped what they were doing and turned to stare. The silence was eventually broken when one table erupted with laughter and some bandido shouted 'que fazem aqui?!!' - what are they doing here?!! I could understand the amusement, we looked stranded, it was if we'd stepped through some magic portal and had been dumped on our arses in downtown Luanda .
Feeling slightly intimidated I asked the waiter if 'It would be alright to eat?'. He disappeared into the back for a couple of minutes and returned with a thumbs up, bringing some menus in Portuguese. When we were seated the bemused owner Man Villa came out to greet us and translated the four dishes on offer for the day. 'Cacusso' grilled tilapia served with boiled cassava and plantain, 'Bitoque' a Portuguese dish of steak, egg, chips and rice, 'Muamba de Galinha' chicken and palm oil stew and finally 'Funge con Carne Sèca' cornmeal paste with salt beef.
Man Villa (meaning Daddy Villa) used to work as a chef for the Met and spoke good English, supplemented occasionally by my friend's Portuguese. The atmosphere warmed as he proudly explained Angolan cooking and the colonial influences which have shaped it. A couple of bottles of Sagres (at £2 each) helped break the ice further and we were introduced to his friends, including an Angolan drag act (pictured above with number should you need it) who impersonates a stereotypical African matriarch and reads Angolan stories at local primary schools. What came across strongly was the desire to keep Angolan culture alive for the Angolans living in London (10,000 or so, many of whom are refugees), particularly the children born over here. Sunday afternoon is the best time to visit apparently, as they regularly organise a buffet with live music and dancing.
When the food arrived it was superb, between us we'd opted for the Cacusso (tilapia) and the Chicken Muamba served with Funge. The tilapia was perfectly cooked, firm and suprisingly fresh for a tropical fish. The Portuguese influence was evident in the accompanying molho made with tomato, peppers, onions and olive oil (apparently they produce it in Angola). Chicken Muamba had an incredible depth of flavour and benefited from the use of stewing hen, something I've never seen before in the UK. The palm oil seemed to add a richness but hadn't made the stew too greasy. Funge (cornmeal paste) which came with it is a staple I'm familiar with, making a similar dish 'Fungee and Pepperpot' for Antigua. Angolan Funge, with white corn, had a thinner porridge like consistency which on its own was unremarkable. It worked well though with the Muamba and a hot sauce made from olive oil and 'gindungo', an Angolan chili related to Scotch Bonnet.
Finishing the meal we stayed for a few more beers as groups of Angolans piled in to eat or drink. The vibrant decor which included vintage photographs of Angolan dancehalls and musicians, bright African artwork and a stereo blaring salsa and rumba is a welcome contrast to what unfortunately seems like quite a depressed part of town. With his restaurant Man 'Daddy' Villa has made sure that there's some corner of Forest Gate that is forever Angola.
If you fancy an Angolan escape one weekend it's worth calling Man Villa first on 07947 591 708
Aná N'Gola, 132 Upton Lane E7 9LW
I'm becoming quite the mover and shaker among London's diplomatic circles. The woman at the Angolan Embassy probably put Texaco and De Beers on hold to give me the mobile number of a chap named 'Villa' who had a restaurant in Forest Gate. The place was completely off the radar and didn't appear on any internet searches. After several calls I finally got an answer (in Portuguese at first), they'd be open for the weekend.
Arriving was reminiscent of a wild west cantina. It was such a cliché, the shutters were all closed, apart from the door, and when the five of us finally summoned the courage to go in everyone stopped what they were doing and turned to stare. The silence was eventually broken when one table erupted with laughter and some bandido shouted 'que fazem aqui?!!' - what are they doing here?!! I could understand the amusement, we looked stranded, it was if we'd stepped through some magic portal and had been dumped on our arses in downtown Luanda .
Feeling slightly intimidated I asked the waiter if 'It would be alright to eat?'. He disappeared into the back for a couple of minutes and returned with a thumbs up, bringing some menus in Portuguese. When we were seated the bemused owner Man Villa came out to greet us and translated the four dishes on offer for the day. 'Cacusso' grilled tilapia served with boiled cassava and plantain, 'Bitoque' a Portuguese dish of steak, egg, chips and rice, 'Muamba de Galinha' chicken and palm oil stew and finally 'Funge con Carne Sèca' cornmeal paste with salt beef.
Man Villa (meaning Daddy Villa) used to work as a chef for the Met and spoke good English, supplemented occasionally by my friend's Portuguese. The atmosphere warmed as he proudly explained Angolan cooking and the colonial influences which have shaped it. A couple of bottles of Sagres (at £2 each) helped break the ice further and we were introduced to his friends, including an Angolan drag act (pictured above with number should you need it) who impersonates a stereotypical African matriarch and reads Angolan stories at local primary schools. What came across strongly was the desire to keep Angolan culture alive for the Angolans living in London (10,000 or so, many of whom are refugees), particularly the children born over here. Sunday afternoon is the best time to visit apparently, as they regularly organise a buffet with live music and dancing.
When the food arrived it was superb, between us we'd opted for the Cacusso (tilapia) and the Chicken Muamba served with Funge. The tilapia was perfectly cooked, firm and suprisingly fresh for a tropical fish. The Portuguese influence was evident in the accompanying molho made with tomato, peppers, onions and olive oil (apparently they produce it in Angola). Chicken Muamba had an incredible depth of flavour and benefited from the use of stewing hen, something I've never seen before in the UK. The palm oil seemed to add a richness but hadn't made the stew too greasy. Funge (cornmeal paste) which came with it is a staple I'm familiar with, making a similar dish 'Fungee and Pepperpot' for Antigua. Angolan Funge, with white corn, had a thinner porridge like consistency which on its own was unremarkable. It worked well though with the Muamba and a hot sauce made from olive oil and 'gindungo', an Angolan chili related to Scotch Bonnet.
Finishing the meal we stayed for a few more beers as groups of Angolans piled in to eat or drink. The vibrant decor which included vintage photographs of Angolan dancehalls and musicians, bright African artwork and a stereo blaring salsa and rumba is a welcome contrast to what unfortunately seems like quite a depressed part of town. With his restaurant Man 'Daddy' Villa has made sure that there's some corner of Forest Gate that is forever Angola.
If you fancy an Angolan escape one weekend it's worth calling Man Villa first on 07947 591 708
Aná N'Gola, 132 Upton Lane E7 9LW
You should have called in for some Romford delicacies with your old cousin...we're only down the road!! Loving the blogs Paddy....tres amusant! xx
ReplyDeleteCalled Man Villa today who said the cafe had closed. Such a shame.
ReplyDeleteThat's tragic, was a fantastic place! Man Villa's a great bloke.
DeleteI doth my cap to you for being a pioneer of the A-Z world eating blog, I thought my idea had been so original, enjoyed reading some of your reviews.