Buka
I’ve received a lot of criticism about not reviewing any actual Ghanaian restaurants, so to silence that criticism, may I present my review of Buka1. The thing that you need to understand about Accra, is that the restaurant scene is in its infancy, and it’s currently targeted primarily at the expat market. Buka is one such establishment. It’s not for your everyday citizen of Accra. It’s for expats, with a bit of cash to splash around who want to sample local cuisine in a dependable and “safe” manner. That’s not to say that the food is better quality than any backstreet chop bar, but it has a reputation for serving food that is prepared appropriately.
Buka is located just off Oxford Street in Osu, the most buzzing part of Accra. It’s an upstairs, open air-restaurant, so a liberal amount of mosquito repellant should be applied during the evening. Malaria will ruin any meal, regardless of how tasty it is. They’ve attempted to give it a more “traditional” look, but instead it just looks like a Tikki bar without the fake sand or the umbrella laden cocktails. There are also numerous TVs sprinkled throughout the venue, which I think detract from the vibe considerably, but they do allow you to ignore your fellow dinners and watch soccer. All the points which I’ve deducted for the shabby interior are instantly re-credited due to the fact they serve San Pellegrino, something which is almost impossible to find in a Ghanaian restaurant. By the way, there are points.
I ate
I’m going to deviate from the standard twomunch formula, and review two dishes which I tried on two separate occasions. My first dish was a half guineafowl with rice, which you may or may not have seen on our twitter account. A guineafowl, at least visually, looks like a cross between a chicken and a turkey, and is very popular in Ghana. Taste wise, I can best describe it as a gamey tasting chicken, except with tiny bones ready to lodge themselves in your throat at a moment’s notice. I actually enjoyed the guineafowl, and certainly would recommend that if you come to a country which has the odd looking beast, that you give it a try. +1 for Buka.
With the second dish I decided to be a little more adventures, and tried the Kontonmire Stew with Goat meat. I’ve been having the odd goat based meal here and there, and so thought nothing of adding it in here. Kontonmire Stew is a combination of coco yam leaves, tomatoes, meat and unfortunately, some kind of overpowering fish sauce. I rarely eat fish at the best of times, and the potency of it in this dish was just too overpowering. I ended up picking out the goat meat, and eating the rice and my colleague’s delicious yam chips. Yam chips will probably be the food I miss the most from Ghana.
To conclude
Buka is a good restaurant in Accra, with a solid selection of local dishes. Go the guinea fowl if you’re in the neighborhood, but make sure you clear your afternoon schedule if you plan on going back to the office.
1. Well, it’s more of a Ghanaian/Nigerian restaurant, but now I’m just splitting hairs.