Awesome option in the Miracle Mile area. My next trip, I’m sticking to the wild mackerel and asking for extra jolof.
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Rice is star of the show here. Sublime.
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this was today? i was planning to go tomorrow, their usual day here.
That looks like a solid meal! Other than certain Mexican trucks this is one truck I am interested in!
Not too many non-Mexican food trucks look exciting to me
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i just had their vegan setup last time and rice and beans were so nice.
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Yeah, noticed it was on Wed this week instead of Thurs on their IG.
i have no food plan… this is problem
Just got the spicy beef, this was really good. Can’t wait to eat more of their food… really interesting flavors here.
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We really need a Mid-City thread. I totally missed this and only found it while searching for a recipe I thought I saw on FTC. Looks great!
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They are open for pre-orders! $50 minimum, and though i am a house of two, it’s really tempting.
saw yesterday also… im a big fan but not sure what i’d do with trays of food
COVID-19 UPDATE : For the time being, African Chop is back to being a pickup business. Orders are placed online and brought down to your car upon arrival at their downtown address. Check out their Instagram for more details.
While Cameroon might be designated as part of central Africa when regions are described, many of its foods have a lot in common with west African countries, especially its neighbor Nigeria. There are of course regional differences in the country, but a good chunk of the population lives in the corridor between its most populous city Douala on the coast and inland Bamenda, all places fairly close to the border.
For those that have traveled through any countries in West Africa, and especially those with the remnants of English language left behind from colonial times, the name of this business gives away the soul. The word “chop” is either a verb meaning to eat or a noun that comes close to meaning “snack.”
The pandemic’s near-elimination of office building use has forced African Chop back to a similar situation as when they began back in 2017, taking online orders for pickup on certain days. They are now situated downtown in the Fashion District and for the time being their beautiful truck seen above is taking a break. That truck was the delicious fruition of all the time they spent doing stands at events and their own pop-up dinners.
Thankfully the food is just as tasty as it was when they started getting some big attention around town and hopefully this new operation sustains them until we can all get outside, breath, and stand in lines for delicious food truck fare once again. The offerings are narrowed down to their bread and butter items, the chicken, beef and fish combos as well as a black bean vegan option. The fish combo ($15, above) is wild mackerel dried and grilled, along with a generous portion of their wonderful jollof rice, spinach, and fried plantains, all three of which come with any order.
Jollof rice is cooked all at once with a bit of pepper, lots of tomato, and other ingredients to the chef’s taste like onion, garlic, and salt. There are competitions between countries and even popular songs denouncing other’s jollof as tasting funny. Entering this playing field from a neutral perspective is a wonderful thing as pretty much all jollof is great from Sénégal to Cameroon.
Suya (soya) is skewered beef that is grilled by vendors on the street, much of which takes place at night and lifts clouds of smoke over areas with a lot of markets. Here the suya combo ($15, above) is served in the same spirit, spicy and smoky beef is expertly grilled and always comes with African Chop’s famous pepper sauce. Be careful with this but go wild at the same time, it is so good.
To calm the taste buds, save bites of the fried sweet plantains and spinach, which sits in for huckleberry leaves to recreate the dish of njama njama. You can sometimes find this spiked with cayenne pepper, but here there might just be a little paprika and it works well paired with spicier meats.
A deep fryer may not be available at their new kitchen, but if you ever see puff-puffs on their menu, grab some of this sweetened fried dough for dessert!
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Thanks for reminding me of African Chop! Due for another visit.
That rice is really something.
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Love this place, wish it wasn’t all the way downtown
I think that many, many times per day.
I actually don’t mind anymore. Traffic still seems on the lighter side, and it gives me a valid reason to get out and kinda/sorta explore a diff part of town. When I went to Holy Basil, I walked by the Cooper Building (which was one of my mom’s favorite places to go for shopping, and I just hated it as a kid. Was kind of glad I could walk by and appreciate the lobby now as an adult).
I will probably try the Chop Truck this weekend.
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Let’s do it! The jaunt to Holy Basil was a little urban adventure.
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Okay, so it only took 6 wks, but I finally made it out!
I got the chicken (above), partner got the fish (mackerel, from what I gather from previous report).
I had the same experience as everyone else, which is to say that I LOVED it. Def a flavor profile that was unique to me. Funky, earthy, but “clean.” Reports have mentioned spinach, although I could’ve sworn our boxes had collard greens (which I normally find “meh,” but thought that these were bright and vibrant). I’m not a huge plantain person; these have not changed my opinion, although they were perfectly tasty. Didn’t know there was a West African cuisine until I tried the place (and spoke to Opportune… More on that below).
The chili sauce is CRACK. I would’ve sworn that there was so fish taste (in a good way), but, from what I can gather, there are no meat product. Incredibly spicy but phenomenal depth of flavor and umami for days.
Fish was good, but I think the chicken was better b/c the is so strongly (naturally) flavored (and also flavors the rice it’s sitting on) that you don’t get much other flavor.
Partner wants to try the beef next time; I’m actually interested in the vegan option.
After ordering, I got an e-mail asking me for my ETA. You pick up at the corner of Main and Pico.
We got to speak to Opportune (owner or co-owner), and she said they’ve rented out that corner spot. She is hoping to create a space where she can teach other people (I assumed in the black community, but I wasn’t sure) about food handling and such so that they can eventually open their own restaurants. And I think she wanted to host some pop ups.
She mentioned she has a gofundme page, so I’m linking that here: https://gofund.me/4806178e
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Great stuff! Thanks for sharing.
The dishes I had were definitely spinach and I just rechecked their website which says spinach for all the meals… interesting though if you got a new vegetable interpretation. As I stated in my article, the spinach is just a stand-in for huckleberry leaves, which are much harder to find here. Either way they’re spiked with some paprika and probably some other things so always brighter than usual.
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Chef Opportun is holding a seven course feast!
It’s $105 per person, and promises to be mostly pescatarian.
Please Join us for a memorable West African Dining Experience.
Our guest will enjoy a 7 Course West African Cuisine themed menu truly inspired by the dishes Chef Akendeu ate while growing up in Cameroon and those she ate when she moved to Los Angeles at her Nigerian , Congolese , Ghanaian, Sierra Leonian and her Senegalese friend’s homes.
Chef Akendeu’s menu is heavily prepared with mostly organic produce , pescatarian , gluten-free friendly and showcases the freshest ingredients sourced locally in Los Angeles. Meals will be paired with some wine selects.
West African cuisine is all about endless flavors and finger licking taste. Chef Akendeu strongly believes the West African Cuisine is a unique work of art and love, with an indescribable burst of delicious exotic spices and d flavors.
Thanks
PLEASE NOTE :
- Please be on time(No African Time).
- 7 Course Meal so come ready.
- Communicate any allergies at least 1week before event.
- Guest can BYOB (only 1).
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