So naturally when my cousin, Bola, told me about what in her opinion is “Naija's' most deliciously grilled chicken suya" I took it with a pinch of salt. Why? Because she easily gets impressed and she hasn't been around like me; food-wise. In my opinion the best grilled chicken I have ever had was at the Las Olas Grill in Buenos Aires, Argentina. And in Abuja no grilled chicken beats Yahuza's' chicken suya or the Asokoro joint. However, my curiosity got the best of me and I decided to find out for myself. As they saying go, the taste of the chicken is in the eating. Continue...
On my last business trip to Abuja I decided to see and
taste for myself. I took time out from my schedule and asked my cousin, Bola,
to come pick me up and take me to have a taste of this so called best kept
secret. I had intentionally avoided the buffet at the Transcorp Hilton Hotel,
where I stayed, so that it doesn’t interfere with my appetite. The grilled
chicken, called JamaI's Chicken, I was dutifully informed is a meal all by
itself. I equally convinced my girlfriend, Benedicta, who was also visiting
Abuja at the time from Port Harcourt to join me in the evening.
We drove for about 5 minutes until we arrived outside Jamal's Chicken Hut. It is sort of a hidden suya joint. But trust me, it’s worth finding. It is not a restaurant or a hut per se as the name implies but rather an open space sheltered by a canopy. It is located somewhere in the Wuse 2 area within the premises of an apartment building. I was told that the grill-master works as a cook in one of the flats in the building and together with his employer's wife cater for events. I also noticed a lot of other upwardly mobile young people waiting to pick up their grilled chicken too. It is a coded ABJ grilled chicken affair I thought to myself. The few that know about it don't share with the majority that don't.
We drove for about 5 minutes until we arrived outside Jamal's Chicken Hut. It is sort of a hidden suya joint. But trust me, it’s worth finding. It is not a restaurant or a hut per se as the name implies but rather an open space sheltered by a canopy. It is located somewhere in the Wuse 2 area within the premises of an apartment building. I was told that the grill-master works as a cook in one of the flats in the building and together with his employer's wife cater for events. I also noticed a lot of other upwardly mobile young people waiting to pick up their grilled chicken too. It is a coded ABJ grilled chicken affair I thought to myself. The few that know about it don't share with the majority that don't.
The grilled chicken is prepared on a charcoal fired
grill. Seating is outdoor but there's' rarely space because only 4 chairs are
available. It’s probably best you order to takeaway but if you are not
time-pressed for anything then I advise you order and eat in your car while
chillaxing.
We ordered 2 fullchickens. The order arrived wrapped in aluminium foil and accompanied by side onions with a very hot and spicy pepper. Benedicta and I collected the “Aboki” suya-master’s number and I promised that I would write about my grilled chicken experience when I returned to Lagos; be it good or bad.
The flavor
of chicken is similar to the "malam style" grilled chicken
popular in most part of the North BUT with a hint
of some sort of spice combination slightly similar to
the South African seasoning you will find at Nando’s; think Nando's
but multiply the deliciousness and juiciness by 100! It was
exceptional as the chicken was tender and full of flavour! It was also so,
so succulently excellently tangy and mouth-watering. The spice mix is out
of this world. And as a whole chicken sells for N2000 and half chicken sells
for N1000 it is very reasonably priced too; considering most grilled
or roasted chicken Suya parts in Abuja go for N600 apiece. We
savoured every bite of it. Mmm! It was finger licking good and we wished
we had ordered more!
Now back to my narrative. The following day we called back the master griller and placed orders to take back to our friends and families in Lagos and Port Harcourt respectively. We wanted to share with them our grilled chicken experience and also know what they think about the flavours. My husband had this to say when crushing meat and bone; "Chai! Chai! WetinAboki wash put for inside chicken. The best grilled chicken I have ever had!" And he should know, his love for chicken suya dates back to the mid ‘80s!
As a self- appointed
Jamal’s Chicken Hut Ambassador I would like to plead to all grilled
chicken disciples/lovers and fellow LIBers out there
to share the link to this article via the various social media platforms
out there; Twitter, BBM broadcast, Whatsapp,
Google+, Facebook etc. Help spread the grilled chicken gospel
and share the love! Cheers!
If you would like to have
a taste of Jamal's Grilled Chicken you can do so at the upcoming Designer
Market Place (DMP) event in Abuja on the
7th of June at the City Park, Wuse 2.
Jamal's Chicken is in the process of opening a proper
grilled chicken joint. Therefore you may wish to add them on BBM PIN 25B8266E or
follow twitter handle @JamalsChickento receive updates
on upcoming BBQ events, special offers and promotions.
BBM PIN: 25B8266E
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