Review: Afefeyeye (Ikeja)
Afefeyeye Restaurant
41 Ogundana Street, Allen Avenue, Ikeja | Instagram | 0908 755 5504
A friend of mine shared a Twitter thread on the most affordable restaurants on the Mainland on one of my many WhatsApp groups — a list of about seven restaurants or so — and, for some reason, Afefeyeye Restaurant and Bar caught my attention. Maybe it’s because it’s the first name on the list? Was it the name of the restaurant that stood out? Or was I just curious about what kind of restaurant in Lagos goes all out with the interior and doesn’t try to rob you blind?
In hindsight, it was probably a combination of all three reasons (a big fourth also being that it’s owned by Nollywood icon, Kunle Afolayan, just in case you somehow don’t know this 🥴). The following week, my friend and I made a ‘work-and-relax’ (we should all do this more often, btw) visit to Afefeyeye, and naturally, it’s an experience I think is worth sharing.
Here’s what I believe this spot really has going for it.
First thing is the atmosphere. Have you ever heard the term, ‘sense of place’? It means both the specific details in a place that make it what it is, and the exact feeling you get from being in such a place. Is that confusing? Lol let me explain.
As we stepped into the KAP Hub, the space that houses Afefeyeye, I immediately felt a bond with the setting. It felt comforting and familiar. Somewhere I would naturally be. But let’s not over-deep it, you get the gist.
The African theme of the restaurant was giving and overall, I loved the art, music (yay, a live band), the colours and energy of the space.
To the food and drinks: My friend and I were quite keen to try out their platters, but for some reason, they weren’t available on the day. A little annoying, I must add. Instead, we started with the Sisi Eko appetiser, which is essentially a plate of spicy boli with pepper sauce, groundnuts and fried fish.
To go with it, we got virgin mojitos and although they came out pretty quickly, it took *a while* for the platter to get to us. It took so long that our drinks were nearly all gone by the time it came.
Sisi Eko Platter | Afefeyeye
For its price (deets below), I felt the boli was small, and it could have been better cooked. The pepper sauce, on the other hand, was well-seasoned and the perfect match for the plantain; my only issue is it was a bit too spicy. I mean, spiciness is usually quite subjective, but I’d suggest not going for this if you don’t like spicy food.
Now, the fried fish was the thing 🔥 Flaky, tasty and had a nice balance of flavours. It’s what all Naija-style fried fish should try and aspire towards.
Afterwards, we moved to the bar upstairs, where we had our main meal — a plate of Babami’s Signature Jollof Rice, an Afefeyeye special. With the fried plantain, asun, dried fish and carrots, the Jollof had just the right amount of heat and slapped at every angle. I was a very happy guy.
I wasn’t going to leave without tasting the sexy-looking goat meat I had seen online, so I ordered a bowl of asun with a Sex on the Beach. This is another spicy meal you should avoid if you don’t like ‘hot’ food, but I enjoyed every bit of it. It was a solid 10 and N2200 well spent.
Babami’s Signature Jollof Rice | Afefeyeye
There’s also attention to detail when it comes to presentation, service and delivery. During our time at Afefeyeye, I noticed how staff were dressed to match with the theme of the place. In the lounge (the Enkunle Bar), the restaurant and other areas, the servers wore kembe, which I loved and felt added authenticity to the whole experience.
Aside from having to wait a little longer than usual for our meals, the servers here were informed and professional. You could see how well they understood the menu (most likely helps that it’s indigenous food, if we’re being honest) and what Afefeyeye stands for. They were also generally quite attentive to our needs 👌🏾 Also, I got the chance to take pictures with Kunle Afolayan, which is a nice little plus to top things off.
postscript
I’d definitely go to Afefeyeye again, but maybe next time, with more friends and hopefully, have less wait time.
verdict
DAMAGE (Per Person)
Sisi Eko — N3500
Babami Signature Jollof Rice — N3500
Asun — N2200
Virgin Mojito — N2500
Sex on the Beach — N3000
Water — N500
parking
Space can take about 8 cars
When Israel isn’t at a desk w̶r̶i̶t̶i̶n̶g̶ having fun, he’s outside having some more fun. He loves Lagos, simply because it’s Lagos and the buzz never stops, and he could never turn down an opportunity to write about the city’s wonders.
