Going to Accra? Arrive hungry.

Chef Kwame Amfo-Akonnor has been on the pulse of food and eating in Accra since he was 14 years old when he frequented Osu Night market with his friends. Food has become his love letter to the city.

This conversation is part of our Insider Series of intimate encounters of Africa through food and destinations, and life-changing journeys. Bon Appétit is a taste of Africa inspired Lerato Mogoatlhe’s travels and conversations with foodies, chefs and food tour curators.

Self-taught chef Kwame Amfo-Akonnor has experienced food in Accra as a childhood bonding ritual with his mother and the launching pad of his entrepreneurial streak when he was at university. Food is still his favourite taste of Accra, whether it's curating private dinners for the likes of Idris Elba, hosting nomadic dining sessions or eating at his favourite Chop bar.

What excites you about Accra’s culinary scene?

How diverse it is becoming. There are many young people who are starting exciting food businesses, like The Ugly Chef, Soul Food by Villa Grace, Food Factory, Salaga Kitchen, and my brand Biishvile just to name a few. They have created a lot of experiences in the Ghanaian food scene that are commendable. Villa Grace has amazing food parties of carefully curated menus over good music, good company and music. The chef adds his personal touch to indigenous Ghanaian cuisine. With Biishvile’s African fusion menu, I also add my personal take to food from around the continent, such as Gambian chicken yassa. Seeing all this gives me so much joy in watching the growing potential of the food scene in Accra.

How did your love affair start?

My mum always made delicious home-cooked meals like rice balls and groundnut soup, loved the fufu and all the varieties of soups (light soup, green soup, palm nut soup. Being the closest to her, I spent a lot of time in the kitchen with her watching the process of making Ghanaian food and sometimes even continental dishes. It made me fall in love with the art of cooking. This love grew very seamlessly and organically. As a family, we always ate together at the table. It gave me the chance to get to know my parents very well and have a good relationship with my siblings.

Food also grounded you when your family moved to Accra.

This is when we lost the tradition of being in the kitchen with my mother and sitting around the table to eat with my family to eat was lost. I’d cook omotuo (rice balls) and groundnut soup, and gather my siblings and friends around the table. The dish reminded me of how my mum one time spoke to me about patience because the recipe requires a lot of patience to execute.

What happens when we encounter the soul of Accra through food?

Accra is a food and foodie destination for several reasons, our culture being the first. We have a bright culture, even down to food. And because we are a nation that grows our food, we have a wide variety of things to choose from, including street food like waakye (rice cooked in black-eyed peas and other herbs and spices, eaten with stew and shito, aboloo (steamed dumpling) and a fish called one-man thousand, yam and kontomire stew (made with cocoyam leaves), kenkey (made with fermented maize) with pepper and fish and Red Red (black eyes peas fried in palm oil). However, at the core of all food across Accra, there is a heavy focus on taste and colour. So through food, you’ll get a first-hand taste of our culture; this is so important because food gives you a first impression of Accra or Ghana as a whole. Food always brings people together. Through our food, you’ll experience how hospitable we are. If Accra has questionable customer service, one thing we can take pride in is being hospitable - that’s one thing people can really take away from a visit to the city.

Food also leads to physical encounters with places, so what are your top places to eat for the following encounters of Accra?

Eating with the best view - There are only a handful of restaurants. Skybar 25, rooftop at the tallest building in West Africa, one of them. If you want a good view of Accra. Luna Rooftop has excellent drinks and tapas. I love their airport view and watching planes take off and land.
Buka restaurant is my go-to place for soulful food that tastes like a mother’s love, with a menu that is heavily centred on African food. Mukase Chic created Anadwo Waakye. Anadwo means night
A taste of Accra would be incomplete without eating at a chop bar (informal food cafes). My favourite is Zions Hut in Labadi. They have the best fufu, which is very important to me.
For the most unique thing to eat, nothing beats aboboi and spicy plantain pancakes called tatale. Aboboi is a rich and creamy stew made with Bambara beans. Tatale is just so good. You can find it in Osu, just behind the Presbyterian Church of Ghana headquarters, from a woman who prepares the food to order.
The go-to place every foodie must experience is The Ugly Chef. I recommend the garlic butter drumsticks and pasta. Secondly, Buka has an excellent representation of Ghanaian food with modern twists and good presentation. Mukase Chic again for her anwamo, which is oiled rice we eat with a traditional pepper sauce and whatever protein you like.
The top foods to sample are rice balls and groundnut soup from Cockpit Lounge, only available on Sundays; peppered snails from Buka; the Fonio salad from Fulaini kitchen by Chef Binta; the gourmet waakye with quail eggs at Sky Bar; and roasted plantain and groundnut - a street food nicknamed Kofi Brokeman. Chef Selasi added a twist and called it Kofi Richman.